In 1995, long before the Oculus Rift or PlayStation VR, Nintendo tried to make virtual reality (VR) popular with the Virtual Boy. It didn't go well. It sold only about 770,000 units and was canceled in less than a year.
My Experience With the Virtual Boy
This is one of those consoles that you can only play for a little bit. The concept is pretty neat until you plug the console up and realize everything is outlined in red lines. I found this out the hard way once, and I
was rocking at Mario Tennis once I figured the mechanics out. I swear, after I played, I was seeing flashing lines everywhere I looked in my house.
Nowadays, durability is a major factor with the Virtual Boy. Just about 95% of the consoles we buy at The Old School Game Vault suffer from the same problem.
Either the right side doesn't turn on, or the left side doesn't turn on, or the eye sockets work but have vertical lines showing up. So I made a video where I reflowed the ribbon cables going into the eye sockets of the console.
The video shows you how to fix a Nintendo Virtual Boy with lines in the eyes. We use a simple heat gun method. This way, you won't need expensive tools or soldering. You need the heat gun set on the lowest heat setting, not on full blast, as you'll easily melt the ribbon cables. (See Below)
Why the Virtual Boy Failed
Here are the six reasons why it failed:
1. It wasn't actually portable. Nintendo called it a "portable" system, but it was too big and heavy to hold. You had to put it on a tripod and sit at a table to look into it.
2. Health Warnings The box warned that it could cause headaches, eye strain, and dizziness. It even had an "auto-pause" feature that forced you to take a break every 15 minutes so your eyes wouldn't hurt.
3. Boring Games: Only 22 games were ever released. Most were simple 2D games that would have been better on a regular TV. I've played Mario's Tennis, Wario Land, and Red Alarm (the only real shoot-em-up). Most games hurt my eyes after 15 minutes, so I haven't given many a fair chance.
4. Red-Only Graphics To save money, Nintendo used red LEDs. This meant everything you saw was only bright red and black, which was hard on the eyes and didn't look like "real" 3D.
5. Uncomfortable Hardware If you didn't have a perfectly flat table, the tripod would wobble. Plus, leaning over to look into the goggles for a long time made your neck and back hurt.
6. High Price It cost $179.99 in 1995 (which is like paying $377 today). People didn't want to pay that much for a system that only showed one color.
Finding Virtual Boys and Games Today
Most Virtual Boys sold today need repair. About 95% of the consoles we buy have eye display problems. This drives the price down for broken units but makes working consoles more valuable. A fully functional Virtual Boy with all components sells for significantly more than one with display issues.
The games vary widely in price. Water World is the most expensive game - yes, this is based on that terrible Kevin Costner movie. 3D Tetris is also pricey. Mid-range games include Nester's Funky Bowling and Wario Land. Common games like Mario's Tennis are the most affordable.
Complete Virtual Boys with boxes in good condition cost significantly more than loose consoles. We buy Virtual Boy consoles and games at The Old School Game Vault - working or broken, loose or complete - for cash and not promises via store credit.
💰 Sell Virtual Boy Games & Consoles
Here is How to Repair the Eyes on a Virtual Boy Console
Step By Step How to Guide:
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