Virtual Boy

"VB" redirects here. For the device in Luigi's Mansion 3 based on the Virtual Boy, see Virtual Boo.

Virtual Boy
Generation	Fifth generation
Release date	July 21, 1995 August 14, 1995
Discontinued	March 2, 1996
Predecessor	Game Boy
Successor	Game Boy Color

The Virtual Boy is a video game system developed by Nintendo and released in 1995 as a successor to the Game Boy. The system consists of a red box on black legs with a black visor that players would look into for gameplay. It was created by Gunpei Yokoi, and his 60-headed research team, together with Reflection Technologies. Virtual Boy game images are 3D and are displayed using mirror-scanning technology. Like the Game Boy, the Virtual Boy uses only four colors, but in the Virtual Boy's case, the four colors appear on LEDs in four shades of red with a black background.

The console was a commercial failure for many reasons, including its lack of portability and the headaches gameplay caused in a matter of minutes. Concern regarding Nintendo's warnings that the Virtual Boy could cause eye problems also detracted potential customers, though the Virtual Boy would automatically pause every 15 minutes. Because of these failures, the Virtual Boy was discontinued less than a year after its release, on March 2, 1996, and it had never been released in Europe and Australia. A few Super Mario games were still released for the Virtual Boy during its short-lived timespan.

Accessories

The Virtual Boy Controller.

The Virtual Boy Controller is the standard and only controller for the Virtual Boy. It consists of a start and select button on the left side, with the and buttons on the right. One is found on each side; most of the buttons are reminiscent of the NES's buttons. The controller is also the power source for the system itself via a battery pack on the back of the controller.

The Virtual Boy has an EXT. port that was most likely made to support two-player mode. Games such as Mario's Tennis support this mode, but the cable was never released due to the fact that the system was discontinued so quickly.

Super Mario games on the Virtual Boy

Released

• Mario Clash
• Mario's Tennis
• Virtual Boy Wario Land

Canceled

• VB Mario Land

The German magazine Big N claimed that a Virtual Boy installment of the Mario Kart series, tentatively named VB Mario Kart, was in development. The only known media report of it is Big N's August 2000 issue, which listed it among various other canceled Virtual Boy projects.

Tech demos

The quote from Rareware, inaccurately referring to a Virtual Boy port of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.

• Mario Demo
• Unnamed Donkey Kong Country proof-of-concept

A proof-of-concept for a Donkey Kong Country title was made for the Virtual Boy. While a quote from Leigh Loveday on Rare's Scribes mailbag referred to it as a Virtual Boy port of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, various subsequent statements by employees involved on the project, most notably Paul Machacek, clarified that were no concrete plans for Donkey Kong Country game on the system and that what Loveday referred to was a short demo to test the capabilities of the Virtual Boy. Speaking of the demo, Machacek stated "I did it for 3 months & was cross-eyed with headaches by the end. I implemented a simple horizontally scrolling jungle background with split-level platforms & DK running around "being DK". All art was pre-rendered and lifted from DKC. [...] We only ever got something running against a jungle background on VB & whilst that art had been lifted from DKC it had already gone through some “monochroming” for DKL on gameboy which seemed a more apt place to directly take monochrome art from [...] We never got a full playable level working. Merely a short side scrolling split-level jungle background with DK walking/running/jumping on it. There were some rats running about as well (which i lifted from a GB Battletoads game!) Enjoy^[sic] ...imagine these images in various shades of red with some rats running around DK. That's pretty much what it looked like. While i could see. Honestly that thing gave me neck-ache as well come to think of it." Work on the demo ended and no plan for a full-blown game was developed after it became obvious that the Virtual Boy was a commercial failure.

Appearances in the Super Mario franchise

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. Melee

A Virtual Boy appears in the shelf, in the room where all trophies are kept. Although the Virtual Boy only appears in the Japanese version of the game, the player can still see it by setting the language to Japanese in the North American version of the game.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

A Virtual Boy can be seen on the shelf on the right side of the Gamer stage.

In the stage Gamer, based on the minigame of the same name in Game & Wario, the same Virtual Boy can be seen next to the television.

WarioWare series

WarioWare: Smooth Moves

A Virtual Boy appears in Level 3 of the Sifty Character microgame.

Game & Wario

In the minigame Gamer, 9-Volt has a Virtual Boy in his room, next to the television. In WarioWare Gold, Sneaky Gamer has a Wii U instead of the Virtual Boy.

WarioWare Gold

The Virtual Boy appears as a collectible Nintendo souvenir.

Super Paper Mario

Super Paper Mario

Francis has a Virtual Boy in his room, where he also keeps other various Nintendo consoles.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions

The Special Item accessory Secret Specs sprite is designed after the Virtual Boy.

Luigi's Mansion 3

Another invention by Professor E. Gadd introduced in the game is the Virtual Boo ("VB" for short), a communication device based on the Virtual Boy that replaces the Game Boy Horror and Dual Scream from previous installments. When E. Gadd gives it to Luigi, he mentions that he plans on selling it and claims that it will "fly off the shelves," a joking reference to the Virtual Boy's commercial failure.

Super Mario game gallery

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  Mario Clash

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  Mario's Tennis

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  Virtual Boy Wario Land

System gallery

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  Logo

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  Alternate logo

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  Alternative logo; mainly seen on box art

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  Game start-up logo, seen in most games.

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  System

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  System

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  Close up of visor

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  Close up of focus adjust

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  A Virtual Boy Wario Land cartridge being inserted into the system

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  Controller

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  Japanese box cover

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  America box cover

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  Mario and Wario with a Virtual Boy, from GamePro.

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  Cover of a Gamefan Magazine, showing Mario with the Virtual Boy.