 | |
 Virtual Boy with controller | |
| Developer | Nintendo R&D1 |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Nintendo |
| Type | Video game console |
| Generation | Fifth |
| Release date | |
| Lifespan | 1 year |
| 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 VRAM |
| Display | 384×224 |
| Related | Famicom 3D System Nintendo 3DS |
The Virtual Boy[a] is a 32-bit tabletop portable video game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. Released in 1995, it was marketed as the first console capable of displaying stereoscopic 3D graphics. The player uses the console like a head-mounted display, placing the head against the eyepiece to see a red monochrome display. The games use a parallax effect to create the illusion of depth. Sales failed to meet targets, and Nintendo ceased distribution and game development in 1996, having released only 22 games for the system.
Development of the Virtual Boy lasted four years and began under the project name VR32. Nintendo entered a licensing agreement to use a stereoscopic LED eyepiece technology that had been developed since the 1980s by US company Reflection Technology. It also built a factory in China to be used only for Virtual Boy manufacturing. Over the course of development, the console technology was downscaled due to high costs and potential health concerns, and an increasing amount of resources were reallocated to the development of the Nintendo 64, Nintendo's next home console. Lead game designer Shigeru Miyamoto had little involvement with the Virtual Boy software. The Virtual Boy was 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 price, unusual display consisting of only red and black, unimpressive stereoscopic effect, poor ergonomics, lack of true portability, and health concerns due to it giving many players headaches, dizziness, nausea and eye pain. Stereoscopic technology in video game consoles reemerged in later years to more success, including Nintendo's 3DS handheld console. As of March 2021[update], it is Nintendo's lowest-selling standalone console and the only one to have less than one million units sold, seconded by the Wii U's 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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