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Nintendo is bringing virtual reality to the Switch 2 (and more VR to the Switch 1), but not in the way you probably expected. During the company’s hour long Nintendo Direct this morning, the Mario makers announced that 14 Virtual Boy games will be coming to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service, complete with stereoscopic 3D and a replica Virtual Boy accessory to make it all possible.
If you’re anything like one of my editors, you might be asking yourself “what’s a Virtual Boy?” Well, for all you gamers that weren’t around during the ’90s, it turns out the Oculus Rift wasn’t the first 3D headset to try courting gamers.
In 1995, five years after the release of the original Game Boy, Nintendo dipped its toes into VR, launching the Virtual Boy “portable” console. This 32-bit system had a decent amount of power and promise at the time—the original PlayStation was also 32-bit—but was held back from greatness by two major flaws. First, unlike VR headsets today, it didn’t strap around your head, and instead rested on a stand that needed you to lean into it, kind of like Han Solo getting dunked into the torture machine in The Empire Strikes Back. Second, it only displayed games in an eye-searing red-and-black graphics.
Though the reasons behind its eventual failure are bit more complicated than just that, suffice it to say, it didn’t sell well. Only 14 Virtual Boy games were ever released in the U.S., and Nintendo was quick to encourage us to forget about its flop—until now.
While unofficial emulators have tried to recreate the Virtual Boy experience for 3DS and Meta Quest, Nintendo is now throwing its own hat into the ring. Starting on Feb. 17, 2025, the company will begin releasing Virtual Boy games as part of its Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription service—with an adorable catch.
Virtual Boy as Switch accessory
Credit: Nintendo
Like many 3DS games, most of the Virtual Boy library technically doesn’t rely on 3D for gameplay too much, and some unofficial emulators have settled on displaying them in 2D without much issue to players. But Nintendo is, as it is wont to do, going all-in on the gimmick. In order to play Virtual Boy on Nintendo Switch Online, you’ll need an official Virtual Boy accessory that enables stereoscopic 3D for your system. It’s available for pre-order later today (the order links aren’t live as of this writing), and the actual release date remains unannounced
You’ve got two choices: First, you can get a full-blown replica of the Virtual Boy, stand and all. Personally, I’d be tempted to buy it even if it were just a hunk of nonfunctional plastic—it’s just that cute. But if you’re not with me there, or you want to save some money, you’ll also be able to buy a cardboard version, similar to the Nintendo Labo VR headset for Switch 1.
What do you think so far?
Regardless of which Virtual Boy accessory you get, you’ll slot your Switch or Switch 2 into it (Virtual Boy games will be available on both consoles), and the headset will divide the console’s screen into two halves to create a 3D image when you look at them through its lenses. It’s a similar approach to the Nintendo Labo, which allowed the Switch 1 to play Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and a few other choice games in VR. (You might be more familiar with using your phone to achieve this technique via Google Cardboard.)
Nintendo said that all 14 Virtual Boy games released in North America will be coming to Nintendo Switch Online this way, although the eight additional Virtual Boy games that were only released in Japan appear to be MIA for now.
Credit: Nintendo
And that’s about all we know currently. Like Nintendo’s other retro replica devices, the Virtual Boy accessories needed to play these games with Nintendo Switch Online will only by available for purchase by paying Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. That’s a bit of a bummer if you just want one as a desk toy, but unlike the Gamecube controller also released for Switch 2, it’ll probably sting a bit less—that device can be used to play all sorts of games, but the Virtual Boy accessory will be limited to Virtual Boy games.
That is, unless Nintendo has plans to follow up on Labo and bring VR modes to existing Switch 2 titles like Donkey Kong Bananza. That’s just speculation at the moment, but hey, the Switch 2 is plenty more powerful than the Switch 1, and you could play Mario Odyssey in VR on that. A girl can dream.
