Nintendo's Virtual Boy returns February 17 as a $100 Switch 2 accessory, resurrecting the company's 1995 VR failure with surprising accuracy. The peripheral requires a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription and works with both Switch 2 and original Switch consoles using an adapter.
The accessory recreates the original Virtual Boy's distinctive red-and-black design while replacing its internal electronics with a slot for the Switch 2. Users insert their console without Joy-Cons, then lean over the device on a desk to view stereoscopic 3D through red-tinted lenses.
Nintendo offers a $25 cardboard alternative alongside the $100 plastic version.
Seven launch titles include Galactic Pinball, Teleroboxer, Red Alarm, Virtual Boy Wario Land, 3D Tetris, Golf, and The Mansion of Innsmouth. Nine additional games arrive later this year, including previously unreleased titles Zero Racers and D-Hopper that were canceled during the original console's brief lifespan.
Early hands-on impressions confirm the recreation captures the original's unique 3D effect. The Switch 2's 1080p screen likely displays upscaled versions of games originally rendered at 384x224 resolution per eye.
Modern controllers replace the original Virtual Boy's wired gamepad, though the peripheral maintains non-functional buttons and sliders for authenticity.
The experience remains physically demanding. Users must hunch over desks with faces pressed against goggles, recreating the neck strain that plagued the 1995 original. Soft plush sides improve comfort over the original's plastic, but the fundamental awkwardness persists as intentional historical preservation.
Virtual Boy Wario Land emerges as the standout title, using 3D effects for foreground-background platforming mechanics. Teleroboxer delivers first-person boxing reminiscent of Punch-Out, while 3D Tetris challenges spatial reasoning. The Mansion of Innsmouth makes its worldwide debut after being Japan-exclusive in 1995.
Nintendo's museum prominently featured the Virtual Boy before this revival, signaling the company's willingness to embrace its commercial failures. The original console sold only 770,000 units worldwide, making it Nintendo's worst-selling hardware compared to the Wii U's 13.5 million units.
The accessory currently shows as sold out on Nintendo's online store, indicating unexpected demand for what was once considered a historical curiosity. Early previews suggest the recreation serves more as interactive museum piece than mainstream gaming device.
Nintendo plans to add Mario's Tennis and Jack Bros later this year alongside the unreleased titles. The complete package offers gaming historians and nostalgia seekers an authentic window into 1995's VR ambitions, warts and all.
