【VIRTUAL BOY】Have you ever seen the real thing? VIRTUAL BOY, a VR gaming system released 28 years ago that was way ahead of its time - What kind of machine is it?

2023-09-04

Hello everyone. I am Boss from Retro Video Game Republic, and I've neither seen nor knew about the VIRTUAL BOY before.

Hello everyone. I'm Saori from Retro Video Game Republic. I've never seen the VIRTUAL BOY, but I have heard of its existence!

I have no idea what kind of gaming system it is...... Saori, can you describe it in one sentence?

It's a gaming device that allows you to experience VR, released about 30 years ago!

VR 30 years ago!!??

【VIRTUAL BOY】Have you ever seen the real thing? VIRTUAL BOY, a VR gaming system released 28 years ago that was way ahead of its time - What kind of machine is it?

What is VIRTUAL BOY?

https://retro-video-game-republic.com/product/tag_page.html?tags=249&ref=blog

VIRTUAL BOY is a 3D gaming system released by Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Released in 1995, it was also referred to as 'red glasses' due to its appearance.

To play, you peer into a red goggle-type display mounted on a stand, aligning your face with it to see the screen.
It incorporates the concept of parallax, achieving a 3D screen by displaying different images on the left and right screens.

While it can be played solely on battery power without connecting to a TV, a specialized display covering the field of vision is required. Therefore, it's recommended to play it indoors or where the display stand can be stably set up.

It's amazing that it's not just 3D, but VR. There aren't many gaming systems that can do this even now, right? And it's impressive that you don't need to connect it to a TV!

That's right, but......

But?

It seems that 30 years ago, there were not many people who could truly appreciate the wonders of VR, and sales were not very good. Due to the limitations such as the need to use the concept of parallax, the screen was monochromatic red. Also, only about 20 titles were released, making it a game console with quite a high rarity value.

VIRTUAL BOY - Virtual Pro Yakyu '95 Professional Baseball (Virtual League Baseball)