By Andrew Liszewski
Nintendo-centric news site, Nintendic, recently published a look back at the company’s infamous Virtual Boy system. Believe it or not, the VB was created by Gunpei Yokoi who was also responsible for the Game & Watch, Metroid and the ridiculously successful Game Boy. That’s a pretty solid track record, but unfortunately as we all know, the VB wasn’t exactly a runaway hit.
Nintendo planned to sell 1.5 million Virtual Boys by the end of 1995, but the $180 system only ever sold about 770,000 units throughout its entire lifespan. As a result it was never released in Europe or Australia, and Gunpei Yokoi was ‘forced’ to resign from the company the next year. If you’re interested, you can head on over to Nintendic to read about the whole saga.
Unfortunately due to a broken clip on the legs, my Virtual Boy (which I picked up brand new for about $20 back in the day) still sits in the closet, waiting for the day when I get a hankering for some 3D tennis again. And if anyone has a pair of Virtual Boy legs in good working order they’d like to get rid of, please let me know.
