Just last week, I was lucky enough to join a bunch of journalists on a trip to the promised land, or, at least, my part of the world's promised land, the Nintendo of Europe offices. There, I got my hands on a few of this year's most exciting Nintendo Switch 2 games and a much-hyped accessory, the new Virtual Boy. As a big hardware nerd and someone who's grown up with a special interest in Nintendo's less successful projects and products, it felt like a pretty special opportunity.
For those who don't know, the original Virtual Boy launched back in 1995, and, well, it didn't go down well, becoming one of the brand's most infamous commercial and critical failures. There was a litany of complaints, from the red and black visuals to eye strain and headaches, not to mention the tricky ergonomics of the thing. Still, as with a lot of 90s and '00s hardware, the Virtual Boy has amassed something of a cult following over the years, so much so that Nintendo has decided to give it another day in the sun as a Nintendo Switch 2 accessory for online subscribers.
Having never used the original Virtual Boy, I went into the experience pretty unaware of what to expect. What I noticed at first, just by getting into the position to play the thing, is that it feels more like using a periscope than it does a modern VR headset. You have to gaze into the binocular-like eyeholes while using the Switch 2 controller to go through the library of games, including Virtual Boy Wario Land and 3-D Tetris. It feels a bit peculiar, but again, the original was from the '90s, and a lot of weird things came out of the '90s, like Space Jam, Furbies, and me.
As Wario's biggest fan, I booted up the platformer first. Before the game loaded, I was told by a friendly Nintendo helper to click the right analog stick to adjust my field of view. This is a feature that I don't believe was available on the original Virtual Boy and comes in handy, as I've got slightly wonky vision. After adjusting, I jumped into a bit of running and stomping around with Mario's anti-hero counterpart before trying out a bit of Tetris.
While there's no doubting that the Virtual Boy is a cool piece of kit, it's just not very practical. After just a few minutes staring into the accessory, I could feel my eyes becoming a little uncomfortable and hot. Not only that, but given the limitations of the stand and the fact that I'm over six feet tall, I had to adopt a bit of a hunchback to use the thing in the first place, and I'm also over 30 now, so holding that position for more than ten minutes leaves me a broken husk of a man.
Something that might eventually help convince me to pick up a Virtual Boy unit is the planned update to offer different color options in the game, instead of just red. Honestly, after testing the new model, I can see why the original Virtual Boy didn't set the world alight. There's a certain novelty to the monochrome gameplay for a little while, but not too long. I love Wario Land-style gameplay, but I wasn't disappointed when, after ten minutes of barreling around, I was told the session was over. The eye strain wasn't awful, but it's more than I've experienced from hours-long sessions playing the Switch 2 in docked or handheld mode.
All this isn't to say that if you've pre-ordered a Virtual Boy unit, or the cardboard alternative, that you should cancel your order. I still love how it looks, its retro-futuristic design and War of the Worlds-type stand, but I'm not the sort of person who buys a gaming accessory that I don't think I'm going to get hours of use out of.
Besides, the Virtual Boy launches on February 17, just a few days after Mario Tennis Fever, so I'll be busy taking to the court and crushing dreams of tournament wins while playing as Bowser at least until March comes around. Oh, and it's sold out where I am, so that makes my decision easier.
For more from our trip to Nintendo's offices, be sure to check out our Resident Evil: Requiem preview and Mario Tennis Fever preview. Or, if you're looking for something you can pick up right away, we've got a long list of the best Switch games, including a few hidden gems.