Any Virtual Boy fans here?

[Guntz]

I got into Virtual Boy a couple years ago, been a huge fan ever since. I own two solder-fixed systems, some accessories and a decent handful of games (Mario's Tennis, Mario Clash, Wario Land, Galactic Pinball, Red Alarm, Teleroboxer, Virtual League Baseball, Vertical Force, V-Tetris and Bound High). So far my favorite titles are Mario's Tennis, Wario Land and Bound High. The red graphics are pretty easy to see for me, my eyes go into low brightness mode because of all the black. Really the only significant flaw with the VB is it has almost no games. What few titles it does have are quite good though.

Who else here is a fan of Nintendo's weirdest console?

[Tanooki]

I still like it a lot, kind of wish I had the last one I owned still but as you said, there's not much to play on it and that's why I don't have it.

I know there was that one guy I had been talking to for a time who had been working on finishing up some protos like Faceball, and others working on things like that Street Fighter II port which would definitely be welcome additions. I think if people came around to keeping a small consistent stream of new games or conversions to it, just a few a year, I could see buying into it once more.

[The Adventurer]

I like the Virtual Boy for what it is, an interesting prototype of an idea way ahead of its time*. The 3DS is ultimately the VB done right. I would very much like to see some of the better VB games on the 3DS. I imagine there's a problem with that, or we'd have seen them already.

*and one that was never actually suppose to be a successor to the Game Boy, or even be its own console. Nintendo just sunk so much money into the technology they had to release something to get some of their investment back.

[Tanooki]

As far as Nintendo goes you're probably right about the 3DS being a realization of the concept in far better form, though I would think that the Oculus Rift or more so that project Sony has cooking for PS4 probably would apply better perhaps?

[hksrb25s14]

I love VB, I'd play for hours until I start seeing Black and Red.
I wish Nintendo Remade the Virtual Boy in Color.

[The Adventurer]

As far as Nintendo goes you're probably right about the 3DS being a realization of the concept in far better form, though I would think that the Oculus Rift or more so that project Sony has cooking for PS4 probably would apply better perhaps?

The 'Virtual' Boy was never intended to be 'virtual reality'. It was marketed as such, yeah. But that wasn't its purpose. It's design had to do with how it's 3D technology workes (one image per eye), it's retro head ware design was just marketing.


I love VB, I'd play for hours until I start seeing Black and Red.
I wish Nintendo Remade the Virtual Boy in Color.

You mean the 3DS?

[hksrb25s14]

The 'Virtual' Boy was never intended to be 'virtual reality'. It was marketed as such, yeah. But that wasn't its purpose. It's design had to do with how it's 3D technology workes (one image per eye), it's retro head ware design was just marketing.



You mean the 3DS?


Hahaha, I mean something that hides your blind side view, makes you feel that your really there.

[ProjectCamaro]

I love the Virtual Boy, I'll never remember the first time I saw one on display at Sears and playing Tennis until my parents realized I was no longer following them and they pulled me off it.

[retroman]

I like the VB also. Still have my original that I got for Christmas the year it came out. Still play it from time to time for some Mario Clash. There is a few others that I also still play like Nesters Bowling, and Golf and Mario Tennis.

[DeputyMoniker]

In case any of you VB fans missed it,
Android phone + PC w/VB emulator + Google Cardboard = VB emulation in 3D.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29dllk88LXk

[The Adventurer]

NintendoLife has been releasing a series of Youtube videos that show VB titles in actual 3D if watched on your 3DS or 3D HDTV.

That strikes me that it would be possible to port the VB titles to the 3DS since the visual information can be applied properly to the current technology.

[celerystalker]

I enjoy my Virtual Boy. I got it on clearance at a Wal-Mart in the late '90s for $25, and scrounged up 9 games for it. Like most fans, I really love Teleroboxer, Wario Land, Mario Tennis, and Mario Clash, and I've come to really appreciate Nester's Funky Bowling and Vertical Force quite a bit. I still dislike Red Alarm after all these years, though.

[Niku-Sama]

I bought one from a member on here a lllooooonnnnggg time ago. When they sent it i wound up with one complete set in a really poor box and then 2 more loose headsets. The loose headsets were a surprise. I guess they tested the system when they posted it and then again before shipping and it developed the lines in one of the eye pieces so there was some freaking out and before i got home from work they were tossing in the extras as parts to fix the one.

Ironically later that summer i found one at a yard sale in a hard plastic rental case for a dollar complete minus the hard plastic case handle but it was in full working condition.

I still haven't fixed the others though. I need a long securityand screw driver to fit those deep holes. Mines to fat to fit down there

[Tanooki]

NintendoLife has been releasing a series of Youtube videos that show VB titles in actual 3D if watched on your 3DS or 3D HDTV.

That strikes me that it would be possible to port the VB titles to the 3DS since the visual information can be applied properly to the current technology.

I remember Nintendo even mentioning the VB before due to the similarities when someone asked about the virtual console. As to why they don't do this I'd imagine the emulation is a pain in the ass because otherwise it's insane not to take advantage of something like that because they didn't have the tech before they do now.

[Aussie2B]

I like the Virtual Boy a lot, it gets a bad rap, in more ways than one. I haven't pulled mine out in years, though. I have about half of the US library (not that that's saying much, I've got like seven games). My faves are Mario Tennis and Wario Land. The latter is still my favorite Wario game. I'd love to complete my set, but, well, I'm sure you guys know the cost of some of the games (no, I don't have Jack Bros. or Waterworld, and I definitely don't want to pay a lot for the latter when everybody says it's a crap game.)

[The Adventurer]

I remember Nintendo even mentioning the VB before due to the similarities when someone asked about the virtual console. As to why they don't do this I'd imagine the emulation is a pain in the ass because otherwise it's insane not to take advantage of something like that because they didn't have the tech before they do now.

My absolute guess as to why we haven't seen official VB emulation on the 3DS is because there would only be about 6 games Nintendo could sell for it. So its just not worth the trouble.

[T]

When blockbuster had them on clearance I bought one with the cool case for $30
and then got most of the games for under $5.

I wish I bought extra copies but at that time I never dreamed of the future
with internet, collectors, ebay etc..

[Tanooki]

Good move and I don't think anyone probably really would have seen that 2011 would have been the beginning of the death of buying old games for fun and turned into a volatile old industry type investor roller coaster where most get abused (many blindly) while a few rake it in off hurting many others wallets. I can only imagine how many things in that BB sale chain wide, Toys R Us too in their clearances if someone knew it and got a vast amount stored away. Imagine that or with anything like some old NES/SNES late era system buyers getting the games cheap as the new system is out just to shelve them for profit.

[Jorpho]

Even if direct emulation isn't feasible, you'd think that rebuilding Wario Land from the level data (either extracted or in its original form) would result in a sufficiently profitable product. Oh well.

[Tanooki]

That game would be a hell of a package which is why I was thinking it would make a great product.

Some stuff that's kind of thin still could be sold at a lesser total price or as a bundle. Wario Land I could see even just redone in color with nicer visuals/audio and sold as a full blown product and get away with it as it's long enough. The small things like the shooters, sports, recreation could be bundles or downloads alone depending which. I think it wouldn't be hard to market Nester's Funky Bowling, Teleroboxer, or Galatic Pinball. Mario Clash is also a very solid game that could do nicely, not as long as Wario Land, but even that as a pun onto the GBA era could be the 'extra mario bros' game thrown onto Wario Land from the menu.

[Nesmaster]

I really enjoy having it, but I find it tedious to play. I'm a 3D Tetris away from a CIB set, I just can't pull the trigger on one.

[MeTmKnice]

I enjoy playing it, I will have one in my collection some day. But, for the time being if I want to use one I will just use the one I got for my friend a few years ago.

[JSoup]

I've always wanted one. Used to visit a friend and play his from time to time. I intend to get a complete set someday, as it's one of the few systems that you get the system and the entire library for relatively little.

[Tanooki]

Yes if you stick the US releases, especially game alone, the cost isn't bad at all. Once you step into the Japanese stuff, it's like going for a complete NES set or something of the sort and only a couple dozen games to show for it so that just stings. That VB flash device is a welcome little tool looking at what people pay for stuff like Gundam, and it will allow the many developing and finished games out there now to be played too expanding the library.

[Daria]

I'm just surprised Nintendo's never put out a limited edition disk of the VB complete library. A full retail release would probably bomb, but Nintendo frequently does limited collector's edition type stuff. Nintendo fanboys would eat this up.

[JSoup]

Yes if you stick the US releases, especially game alone, the cost isn't bad at all. Once you step into the Japanese stuff, it's like going for a complete NES set or something of the sort and only a couple dozen games to show for it so that just stings.

It's really not that bad for a full set, US and Japanese. The last time I bothered to look into it, a full library around just a hair under $400, most of that going to Jack Bros.

[Tanooki]

Sounds about right. 3D Tetris and Jack Bros if I remember right are the two most expensive with I believe Bowling behind that. It's when you start fishing for Insmouse House(sp?), Gundam, Space Invaders, that fishing and bowling game, and a few others is gets ugly.

Daria I don't get it either. I mean I do as far as a physical copy goes, they're cheap, even when they were rolling in the dough with the Wii they were cheap. With what they have now, even if the 3DS couldn't emulate it, they could re-code to simulate it easily on the 3DS. I think it could be fun if they even did just 1 game with all 14 titles(or as many as possible they could license) much like their Game Watch Gallery games where you have 'classic' and 'modern' side by side with the same controls, but you have red+black, or full color. I'd be all over that day one.

[Guntz]

Seeing how it's been years sincethe 3DS launch, I think Nintendo would rather people forget about the Virtual Boy than remember it. It's depressing if only for the fact that the Virtual Boy still had a VERY strong Nintendo quality about it, even with its bleeding edge technology. Flip through a VB game booklet, all the information you need for a comfortable VB session is right there for you (adjust IPD, focus, etc).

I like Tanooki's idea best, a Virtual Boy Collection for 3DS card would be awesome. Include as many games as possible (Dragon Hopper and Zero Racers would qualify, both were Nintendo games) and offer classic/modern modes for each. Some games would benefit more from added colors, but it would be a nice feature. I can't imagine it would be that hard to get Hudson Soft and Bandai games onto such a collection. Such a collection would probably work better at Club Nintendo than retail though, too bad Club Nintendo is ending. Nintendo could have really turned around the VB's reputation with some clever marketing and a compilation, but nope, looks like Nintendo still hates the VB. How come they still love ROB? That thing had two games made for it before Nintendo dumped ROB at retail. Does Nintendo of Japan have similar hatred towards the 64DD?

[Tanooki]

ROB was a mascot right down to the posters, the VB was an embarrassment they want to forget mostly.

Dragon Hopper and Zero Racers that F-Zero wannabe would be great. They did have Space Squash in english, it should have been released too. Also there's that copy of the finished Faceball 2000 floating around people with copier carts can use too so that's another if possible. The Japanese version of Tetris if that company would be ok with it is another. I have no idea if Nintendo hates it, but they haven't really shunned parts of it. They keep reminding people of it with Master Quest(ura zelda) and they even brought back the F-Zero DD addon package track maker, they ported it into F-Zero Climax on GBA and you can make 4 full courses and store them in a save file.

I know it's all wishful thinking but it would be an excellent package whatever they did, even if it was just their games as the variety is there.

[Guntz]

I suppose yeah ROB didn't carry any sort of stigma back in the day, he was just quickly forgotten after people started playing all the new awesome games that were getting released. Still he was quite useless back then, kind of an odd thing to bring back. Mr. Game & Watch in SSB makes sense seeing how well Game & Watch sold back then. ROB, not so much.

I think Space Squash and Faceball are both third party games, so they'd need approval for those. V-Tetris was developed by Bullet Proof Software, who were a contracted third party sorta like Argonaut Software, so I think Nintendo owns V-Tetris.

Even if the VB was a failure, Nintendo should have released a VB compilation for 3DS. Maybe not when the 3DS was starting out and was having a lack of software (remember all the cancellations?), but now would be a great time.

[Tanooki]

I think is some f'd up way the ROB is to Mario as Alex Kidd is to Sonic. Their first public face/mascot of the company officially speaking, but then when they figured out it was a lame gimmick with no much going for it other than the few who really liked it, they ditched it for something with far better mass appeal.

You're probably right, it wouldn't help as a crutch having games of their one commercial system failure to be pushed out as a plug for a hole in the software lineup. Now with the NES Remix package on 3DS it would be genius. They could do that Game & Watch Gallery original/modern mash up, but even as a tip of the hat to the other game, put in some screwball remixes as well. Also since almost no one ever got to experience it due to the lame way it was setup, make the multiplayer games fully functional over wifi. Imagine people going at it with Mario Clash, 2P tetris (3d or not), Teleroboxing, and better yet Galactic Pinball battles for a high score.

[Jorpho]

I think Nintendo would rather people forget about the Virtual Boy than remember it.It still turns up here and there. There was a Mario Clash bit in the original WarioWare, and it also appears as a hat in Mii Plaza and in some very strange sequence in Tomadachi Life.

[Guntz]

It still turns up here and there. There was a Mario Clash bit in the original WarioWare, and it also appears as a hat in Mii Plaza and in some very strange sequence in Tomadachi Life.

I think those are more intended to be nods that only longtime Nintendo fans would catch. Commercially it seems Nintendo wants to bury the Virtual Boy. I think the humerous mentions of the VB in games like Tomodachi Life are meant to mock it more than anything.

[Gamevet]

When blockbuster had them on clearance I bought one with the cool case for $30
and then got most of the games for under $5.

I wish I bought extra copies but at that time I never dreamed of the future
with internet, collectors, ebay etc..

That's how I got my VB. I'd bought every title for the system, for @ $4 each. I ended up selling Water World on the cheap, because I'd thought that the game was complete crap. Water World is the only North American release that I don't have for the system.

I had a second VB unit that I'd bought from Blockbuster for $30, but I'd sold it for @ $60 shipped with a second copy I had of the Wario game. I'm kind of kicking myself for doing that deal.