Back فيرتشوال بوي Arabic Virtual Boy AST Virtual Boy BS Virtual Boy Catalan Virtual Boy Czech Virtual Boy Danish Virtual Boy German Virtual Boy Greek Virtual Boy Spanish Virtual Boy Basque
 | |
 Virtual Boy with controller | |
| Developer | Nintendo R&D1 |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Nintendo |
| Type | Video game console |
| Generation | Fifth |
| Release date | |
| Lifespan | 1995–1996 |
| Introductory price | US$179.99 (equivalent to $370 in 2024) |
| Discontinued | |
| Units sold | 770,000[1] |
| Media | ROM cartridge |
| CPU | NEC V810 @ 20 MHz |
| Memory | 64 KB work PSRAM 128 KB graphics DRAM 128 KB Video RAM |
| Display | 384×224 |
| Best-selling game | Mario's Tennis (US pack-in game) |
| Related | Famicom 3D System Nintendo 3DS |
The Virtual Boy[a] is a 32-bit tabletop portable video game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo and released in 1995. Promoted as the first system capable of rendering stereoscopic 3D graphics, it featured a red monochrome display viewed through a binocular eyepiece, with games employing a parallax effect to simulate depth. The console struggled commercially, and its limited market performance led Nintendo to discontinue production and game development in 1996, following the release of only 22 titles.
The Virtual Boy’s development spanned four years under the codename VR32. Nintendo entered a licensing agreement with the U.S.-based company Reflection Technology to use its stereoscopic LED eyepiece technology that had been under development since the 1980s. In preparation for mass production, Nintendo constructed a dedicated manufacturing facility in China. Over the course of development, escalating production costs, health concerns related to the display, and the diversion of resources to the Nintendo 64 resulted in the downscaling of the project. Additionally, the company's lead game designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, had minimal involvement in the Virtual Boy’s development. The system was ultimately pushed to market in an unfinished state in 1995 to focus on the Nintendo 64.
The Virtual Boy was panned by critics and was a commercial failure, even after repeated price drops. Its failure has been attributed to its high retail price, unappealing red-and-black display, unimpressive stereoscopic effect, poor ergonomics, lack of true portability, and reports of adverse health effects such as headaches, dizziness, and eye strain. Stereoscopic technology in video game consoles was later successfully revived, notably including Nintendo's 3DS handheld console. As of 2025[update], it remains a notable outlier in Nintendo’s hardware history, holding the distinction of being the company’s lowest-selling standalone console, with just 770,000 units sold—significantly trailing the Wii U, which ranks second-lowest at 13.6 million units.[2]
- ^ "Weekly Famitsu Express". Famitsu. Vol. 11, no. 392. June 21, 1996. Archived from the original on October 15, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019. Lines 4 and 16 have units sold in Japan and other regions, respectively.
- ^ "IR Information : Sales Data – Hardware and Software Sales Units". Nintendo Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on June 21, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
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