Customer Reviews

Nintendo Virtual Boy - Video Game Console

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I was about 7 years old when this thing came out and I always thought it looked cool even though I knew very little about it. The price tag alone insured that I would probably never get one so when it dropped down to a mere $30 I gathered together my allowance and bought one. Better yet most of the games were only $5 each by that point! Based on that I really enjoyed it back then but it's still good today.

First, let me get some of the rumors out of the way. The most common one is that in causes blindness. Find me one source of this being true. I have probably played the Virtual Boy more than anyone and yet my eyes are fine 14 years later. This rumor started because of a warning on the box saying that it isn't safe for kids under 7 years old to play it.

Second, the graphics are bad. Well sure if you compare them to Uncharted 2. This is a portable system that came out in 1995 for @#$ sake! Also, I can not stress this enough, do NOT compare the actual graphics based on screen shots or youtube videos. It completely takes away the 3d depth that made the system so unique.

Finally, if you are getting headaches you are probably doing something wrong. Make sure you adjust the screen at the top so it's at a comfortable distance and make sure you are playing in a somewhat dark room. You know why some people got headaches? Because they are not used to the outside light! Imagine putting a blindfold on in Walmart and then taking it off after 10 minutes. Of course you will have a headache!

Now let's get to the games. While many were much better back when they came out it is actually surprising how fun many still are today. Mario's Tennis lacked options but the core gameplay was fun. I always wondered what it would be like if the graphics were more like the Dreamcast. Wario Land is still my favorite Wario game to date and it had some cool 3d effects. Teleroboxer was a cool futuristic boxing game where you use both control pads and back buttons to attack and block. It's a REALLY difficult game! But by far the stand out title for me was Galactic Pinball. I never imagined having so much fun with a pinball game but the 3d effects, music, and challenge really make this one worth hunting down. There is even a Metroid mini game!

It's completely fine with me if you don't like this system but PLEASE stop following the crowd and bashing the system based on lousy "failed system" reviews and youtube videos. Try playing the better titles for a good hour (with my advice mentioned above) before saying it sucks because you didn't like Red Alarm 15 years ago. Doesn't it make you at least at little bit curious why ANYONE would defend what some may call "the worst system ever made"?

The Virtual boy was an astounding achievement in 3D tech. It features 2 built in red LED screens to give actual 3D depth, unlike just drawing a cube on a 2D piece of paper, the Virtual boy actually has 2 screens to simulate real 3D. And although one the most peculiar consoles on the market today, it still sells strong as a collectors item, being somewhat cheap and easy to find, yet being a revolutionary and unique. It is also a great way to start out a Vintage game collection, as most of its best games are also cheap and easy to find, like Red Alarm and Wario Land.
I got mine with 4 games (2 are pretty rare) in its box for around one hundred dollars (I hope anyone else looking for one can get as good a deal!), and am very proud to own it. Two things I should point out though: The red LEDs can give you headaches, so I do not recommend playing for more than a half hour, and do not let children younger than 8 play it, as it could permanently damage their vision, and finally, I suggest you get the AC adapter set. It may be expensive, but it will save you a bundle over time. (It lasts 6 hours on 6 AA batteries)
Highly recommended, but only for collectors over the age of 7.

Ever since this system was introduced, I wanted one. I may have been about 12 years old when it came out, but I tried one in the store and instantly wanted one. Plus, I was already a HUGE fan of Nintendo. I begged my parents to let me buy one, but even after it failed miserably and the system was dropped to a ridiculously low price they refused. Looking back I really wish I could've had one. Sure the entire US library was a mere 14 games, but this system was great. I always wondered why it failed all these years but after I actually sat down and thought about it I determined the main reason it failed was that it was too far ahead of its time. It's a fact that any product that comes out before the world is ready for it will fail. Nintendo is just now (2011) revisiting 3D gaming with the 3DS. The 3DS is great and the Virtual Boy would really pale in comparison had it been released today but in 1995 the Virtual Boy was way ahead of its time. The stereoscopic 3D effects were actually very well done. It's a shame that people didn't give it a chance. It could've been a great stepping stone in the history of video games.

Nintendo has a tendency to branch out and do things that are out of the norm in the video game market (an example would be the Wii), the Virtual Boy was no exception. The virtual boy utilized 2 red and black LED screens that would give the player a feeling of 3 dimensional depth. It was a neat idea for the time and was a good experiment for Nintendo. But it turned out to be a complete disaster. Due to a high price point, non-color screens, eye strain and seizures it created in some users, and the sooner than later release of the Nintendo 64, the virtual boy was a big flop. In my opinion, I think the virtual boy was a pretty creative take on a conventional game system. Sure it only had red and black screens, but I think if you're going to make that argument, you might as well make fun of the game boy by not keeping up with its competition and making high resolution color screens instead of its less advanced low resolution black and white screens. Plus it doesn't hurt your eyes too much if you play the system regularly. I've found that if you play it a few times for a period of about 20 minutes, your eyes will adjust and it won't hurt much anymore. Plus if you're going to make THAT argument, every game and game system runs the risk of giving you seizures and causing eye strain! In every game console's instruction manual, you'll find that people that have eye problems and issues with the way their brain processes that information, are the ones that are most susceptible to seizures when playing any video game! The Virtual Boy is no different! The games are cool, but due to the virtual boy's short lifespan, there's not many to choose from. My favorites being Mario's Tennis, Red Alarm, Mario Clash, Teleroboxer, 3-D Tetris, and Jack Brothers. These games are pretty good and provide lots of entertainment! If you're thinking about getting a virtual boy, I would recommend it! One thing to watch out for is even though it can run off batteries, it's not the most portable of portable game systems. The design is pretty awkward and you either have to play it on the stand, or have it positioned somehow so that it can be held firmly against your face. Also, if you're going to get one, make sure you get the system, a controller, the stand, the eyeshade (or visor), a source of power (either a battery pack or an ac adapter), and some games of coarse! Mario's Tennis is the most produced game in the virtual boy library because it came with every virtual boy when you bought it new at the store. You can order it here on Amazon pretty cheaply (like 2 or 3 dollars) along with the other games in its library. The virtual boy (even though it died within a year of its release) was a cool video game system and brought 3-D gaming to the table for the first time. It was a good lesson for Nintendo and provided the stepping stone to the next 3D console they would create: the Nintendo 3DS.

I thought Virtual Boy seemed like an awesome concept when it first appeared on the scene. It came out shortly before the Nintendo 64, as some sort of marketing padding, but nobody ever bought the darn thing. Perhaps if no one knew the N64 was coming, then the Virtual Boy would have been more successful. I was so naive then that I thought the Virtual Boy might even surpass the N64 just because it was actual virtual reality.

That's what fascinated me about the system so much. It was the first REAL virtual reality console that was being sold in stores. At least the first that I know of. It was like living in the freaking future. Too bad the system was so darn expensive and had a slim library of games. I think there was tennis, a Wario game, and some sort of Star Fox knockoff that would confuse you since it was only outlines of shapes, and you never could tell if the area in front of you was a wall or an open space.

I still had fun playing this Star Fox knockoff in stores just because it was so futuristic. Perhaps Nintendo will develop a more successful virtual reality product in the future. The power glove they made stunk, but they redeemed its concept with the introduction of the Wii. So perhaps the Virtual Boy will end up being the prototype for Nintendo's next big system. Sometimes I love the future...

I baught one when they were first released. The games for the time were pretty decent, and the virtual reality catch was great. Problem became nintendo abandoned the Virtual Boy. Why? It causes eye problems.

The Nintendo Virtual Boy is, without a doubt, the greatest video game system of all time.

I mean, come on, a 3-D GAMING EXPERIENCE?! The virtual reality is so real, it's nearly indistinguishable from the real world, if the real world was pixelated and completely red. But something about the blazing crimson graphics really draws you in; presumably because the color red is associated with passion, lust, blood, and fire. Clearly, the Virtual Boy brings to mind all these things, and more. Ain't nothin' dat says hot, hot, lovin' like a Virtual Boy, yo.

Sure, playing the Virtual Boy for longer than 15 seconds will give you horrible headaches and irreversible blindness. But what most people don't understand is that it's ALL PART OF THE VIRTUAL REALITY EXPERIENCE. Think about it: how many video game systems can you think of that effect you physically? With the Virtual Boy, you FEEL Mario's pain as a Koopa shell whacks him in the noggin. You become one with Mario. It's beautiful, really.

In conclusion, the Virtual Boy is awwwwwwright.

To me... This could possibly be the best system ever!!! It has the best graphics for its day. And like the Wii, it's the next step in virtual reality. I think this is a great system!!!!!!

Virtual Boy is the absolute worst console I've had the misfortune of playing. Why? Where should I start.

Before going in depth, let's look at the basics. This was marketed as a portable game console, portable my ass. Just look at it, first off it's bulky, secondly it has no head strap, and thirdly it comes on a stand! It's hard to find any comfortable way to play this thing at home let alone trying to take it with you somewhere. One of the most common complaints about this system is that it strains your eyes, which is true. That's something you have to expect when you have your eyes pressed right up to the screen, and it even warns on the box it might cause headaches. So you're not going to want to play this thing for any decent amount of time without taking breaks. The controllers suck. They have 2 D-pads, but in most of the games they don't do anything different from each other.

Now let's look at the games themselves. EVERY single game on this uses 2 and only 2 colors, black and red. This was a fifth generation console released in the same era as the Playstation and Nintendo 64, and this was supposed to utilize cutting edge technology for the time, so only 2 colors is just inexcusable. The whole point of virtual reality is to make you feel like you're in the environment of the game, but none of the games do that. They do a lot of 3D effects, but NOTHING to make it feel like an actual virtual reality console! The 3D effects are pretty cool, but the vast majority of the games aren't even in first person. So a virtual reality console, it is not. Some of the games are actually pretty fun, but just about all of the games on Virtual Boy could've been better played on a regular TV screen.

To wrap it up, the console is a failure. Only 14 games were released for it here in North America, and they weren't suited to a virtual reality environment.

Whoever thought this was a good idea was out of their mind. This sucks. Horrid library of games, horrid design, causes eye strain, uncomfortable to use and just plain sucks.