Five minutes with Nintendo’s new Virtual Boy told me everything I need to know about the Nintendo Switch Online-exclusive retro gaming peripheral

At a recent demo event, I had the opportunity to go hands-on with upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 titles like Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder + Meetup in Bellabel Park, but the talk of the town was most certainly Nintendo’s upcoming Virtual Boy peripheral.

Mounted atop a two-legged stand that makes the whole thing bear a striking resemblance to the cephalopod-like aliens from The War of the Worlds, these new Nintendo Switch 2 accessories have caused quite the commotion among fans, and not in the least because it marks the revival of Nintendo’s worst-selling hardware in history.

While many are excited to play some games lost to the annals of time (also known as the poor original sales figures for the 1995 Virtual Boy hardware) or experience the retro world stereoscopic 3D for the first time, others have been put off by the relatively high price tag ($99.99 / £66.99) and the necessity for a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack to both purchase the hardware and access the Virtual Boy games library.

My time with the Virtual Boy was brief, but nonetheless illuminating – here are my biggest takeaways.

Virtual Boy color filters should have been available at launch

Ahead of the hardware’s impending February 17 launch date, Nintendo just recently shared a new promotional video demonstrating the ability to change lens colors in the coming months, meaning the dreaded headache-inducing red and black interface is no longer the exclusive way to play. However, these won’t be available until later in 2026.

Given the feedback following the original Virtual Boy’s release and the fact that the newer version seems to have been designed with swappable lenses in mind, I’m really puzzled by these having a later release date.

Having tried it myself, I’m doubly confused. While I only played for about five minutes, that was enough for my (admittedly sensitive) eyes to get a little twitchy when I re-emerged in the fluorescently lit demo room. That being said, it’s nowhere near as bad as reports I’ve read from the original model; the image is crisp and clear, I didn’t suffer from any nausea, and the 3D is quite effective.

Personally, if I were planning on getting my own Virtual Boy, I’d wait until these lenses are available, though.

Nostalgia-filled, but still a pain to use

An oft-cited reason for the original Virtual Boy’s failure was its poor ergonomic design. Unlike the headsets we use today to explore the world in VR / AR / XR, the Virtual Boy came mounted on a stand exclusively for tabletop use.

That wasn’t always the plan. The legendary Gunpei Yokoi – who was responsible not only for the ill-fated Virtual Boy but also, more impressively, for creating the Game & Watch, as the original designer of the Game Boy and so much more – originally envisioned the Virtual Boy as a more mobile device.

However, due to pressures stemming from Japan's Product Liability Act of 1995, the decision was made that the risk of people tripping and falling or otherwise injuring themselves during use was too great; I strongly recommend this deep dive into the history of the Virtual Boy from Fast Company for more on that particular subject.

Nowadays, many of these concerns can be remedied with all sorts of clever workarounds; virtual boundaries, 3D mapping of spaces, and the like, but introducing such measures would fundamentally change the experience (and increase the cost) of the new Virtual Boy. Part of its charm – and a functional choice due to hardware limitations back in the 90s – is that the black backdrop to the LEDs gave a sense of infinite distance and immersion, but it doesn’t lend itself to passthrough for visualizing hazards while you’re playing.

Instead, we’re lumped with an improved, albeit still stationary, tabletop stand for the Virtual Boy, and as a result, it’s going to be just as uncomfortable and inconvenient to use as before. Invariably, people will make their own custom straps as they did for the original Virtual Boy, but it’s probably still safer to use it while seated.

It’s not for everyone – and it’s not supposed to be

For those who never lost hope in the Virtual Boy, perhaps this revival feels like just that: a second chance for a device ahead of its time. For others, who see little value in the iterative changes made, it feels like a lumbering zombie with an appetite for loose change.

Out of curiosity, I asked my Nintendo fanboy father, who is the root cause of my love for all things gaming, his view. Not only can he actually remember its 90s release, but he’s a big fan of contemporary VR as well as retro gaming, and inasmuch as he sits firmly in the target audience for this relaunch. He surprised me, though, saying: “The N64 was amazing 30 years ago. This thing was rubbish 30 years ago. Time heals all wounds, but it cannot raise the dead.” Suffice to say, he’s a hater, but there are plenty of Virtual Boy lovers really excited to relive their glory days – or settle a score if they never got to try it.

For all its sins – and there are several – the Virtual Boy represents a fascinating chapter in video gaming history, and certainly in Nintendo’s own legacy. Buried in bureaucracy, stifled by safety concerns, and restricted by its own resourcefulness, the Virtual Boy was destined to fail despite its exciting premise and the collaborative efforts of technology and gaming legends. That alone might make the idea of owning this part-hardware, part-collector's item attractive to fans.

Will I get one myself? No, despite that I’m a subscriber to Nintendo Switch Online, I barely use the incredibly capable VR headset I already have; I’ve no need for another. I quite enjoyed giving it a whirl, though; I just remain unconvinced that the replica model has much hope in winning many hearts beyond superfans.

That’s partially why I can almost (I repeat, almost) understand Nintendo’s decision to limit accessibility to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack users. In truth, those probably represent the vast majority of potential customers, though that doesn’t mean much to prospective players who don’t want their hardware’s usefulness tied to subscription services.

There’s also the $24.99 / £16.99 cardboard version, which comes without a stand and softens the blow of the initial investment; this is probably a more viable option if you just want to try the games, but you’ll still need the subscription to access those.

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