How Exciting! My First Virtual Boy Game!

[Nz17]

This is so cool! I found, in the wild, a Virtual Boy game! This is the first time that's ever happened to me and, like, only the third time I've even seen a Virtual Boy game in a store. The previous stores were classic/retro game shops, not a general thrift store, making this find ever more awesome. Not only that, but Golf, the game I found, normally sells on eBay, cart-only, for $18, while I got to pay only $2 for it!

Now I have even more reason to acquire a Virtual Boy some day!

[jb143]

I've only ever found Mario's Tennis in a thrift store years ago, which was the pack in game. It's also the only Virtual Boy game I've played (besides emulation) on a store display at Walmart back in the day. I have yet to find the system for sale other than on eBay and the like.

I've had the idea in the back of my head to try making a Virtual Boy emulator for Google Cardboard but know I would have no time for such a project.

[Aussie2B]

Nice, I've never come across anything Virtual Boy in the wild. I had to get all my Virtual Boy stuff on here and eBay. It's tempting to get more VB games and even to go for a full set considering how small the library is, but I imagine prices are considerably worse than back when I first got into Virtual Boy. Plus, I don't have any of the biggest rarities like Jack Bros. and Waterworld (and, seriously, who wants to drop a load of cash on something like Waterworld). I am glad that I at least have manuals for most of my VB games, and a few of them are complete even. The packaging for VB games was pretty cool, in my opinion. I usually prefer Japanese box art more than US box art, but I think I prefer the distinct red and blue packaging of US VB games over what the Japanese versions got.

[Cornelius]

Wow, this thread surprises me. It's been many years, but in my garage sale and craigslist trolling days I found a good amount of VB stuff so that I have a complete in box system, another fully working system, a broken one w/ controller, and a working store display system (countertop type). For games I recently splurged and picked up Waterworld for $58, leaving me one (big) game short of a US set, the rest were all wild caught. I know I've sold a console setup in the past, and duplicates of all but the rarest two US games, some many times over. So yeah, totally different experience for me. Really wish Jack Bros wasn't a $250 game now. I should just get the Japanese version and call it done, but ugh, so close.

[Steve W]

I used to find VB stuff quite a bit back in the day. Hell, my first Virtual Boy I bought came boxed with about six games, including Waterworld. I haven't seen a unit in the wild in several years, but I still find games in game stores. The retro game store closest to me actually had Waterworld, for something like $120 or roundabouts.

I have pity for anybody attempting to get into retro game collecting now. There's not too many flea market bargains or amazing thrift store finds to be had in this day and age. I've been to a few retro game stores where they'll look up prices on eBay right in front of you to figure out how much to charge you. Most everything gets sold at artificially inflated prices dictated by crazy people on eBay who think their copy of Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt should fetch $1000 because it's "rare".

[WulfeLuer]

I found one at a yard sale for $8, 20 years ago now. I don't remember what happened; I think I traded it in for a couple of SNES games at a flea market a couple years later, but I'm not sure. Mario Tennis carts float through the local Goodwill, but I've never seen the VB itself. if you manage to get one to play your game, take it very easy or you might start tasting colors.

[fergojisan]

I never see VB stuff in the wild, only in stores. I had a complete US CIB collection, which I sold way too early. I bought all my games save one at (drastically marked down) retail prices, and I snagged a Mario Tennis box from Blockbuster. I got Nestor's Funky Bowling on ebay for 30 bucks, which was the most I paid for a VB cart. I was all over the VB for a few years, but then I took it out to play it maybe twice in ten years, so I sold it.

[Niku-Sama]

I've only ever found a rental system in a hard plastic case in the wild.
I bought a thrashed complete in box one from some one on here a while ago that turned into 2 extra headsets because they freaked out when they went it test before shipping and one of the eye pieces weren't working

[T]

I bought the system and hard case at Blockbuster For $35 when they stopped renting them.

I also bought almost an entire library for under $ 10 for each game.

[AdamAnt316]

I got my Virtual Boy several years before I found a game to play in it. Traded one of my Colecovisions for the VB at one of the old NECG get-togethers, and even though it was in its original box, the pack-in game was missing. It stayed in said box until well over a decade later, when I found a hole-in-the-wall vintage game store that had a selection of Virtual Boy games for sale. I picked out two of the cheap games they had, Mario Tennis ($5) and Galactic Pinball ($10) because I wasn't sure the VB would work. Fortunately, it did, and I was able to find a copy of Wario Land at the MIT Swapfest for $15 last year. Not sure whether or not I'm gonna track down too many of the other games for the system, but it's nice to have, and makes for a neat effect.
-Adam

[Aussie2B]

VB Wario Land really is great. Still my favorite Wario game, and it's the game that makes the VB worth owning, in my opinion (not that there aren't other fun games, though). I've played some other games that rip off its jumping in and out of the background mechanic, like Xeodrifter and Mutant Mudds, but none have the wow factor that VB Wario Land does.