Difference between revisions of "Virtual boy"

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The Virtual Boy: Conception:


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Gunpei Yokoi: The God Father of Portable Video Games


In many ways, his newest project, The Virtual Boy, was more of a successor to the Game Boy (a portable gaming device with simple, monochrome graphics on a Liquid Crystal Display screen) than to the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) or the Super Nintendo (both of which were home gaming console devices that required a television, instead of coming with its own monitor.) In some ways the Virtual Boy could be seen as a hybrid of the two models. It was self sufficient (battery operated and came with its own screen) like the Game Boy, but it also had a physical seperation between the screen and the controller as well as being a fully immersive audiovisual experience like the Super Nintendo. And yet the Virtual Boy was still unlike either in that its ambition was to alter the traditional conventions of how to view the video game being played.

Market Saturation


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Stereoscope,an early precedent of the Virtual Boy (Resumbrae)


Stereoscopic vision was not a new concept, and had actually existed before the digital era. It was however more static and did not deal with moving objects.

The Virtual Boy: In Utero


The Tech of the Virtual Boy: 2 becomes 1


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A diagram demonstrating how the eyes combined the two separate images and saw one (Patent)


The Setbacks of the Virtual Boy: Seeing Red


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A screenshot from Mario Tennis for the Virtual Boy. With the proper perspective, this would appear 3-D (Resumbrae)


Other Aspects of the Development of the Virtual Boy

What was once supposed to be a sophisticated melding of cutting edge technology with casual entertainment soon became more and more 'neutered' of its appeal. Instead of creating a device on par with some of the contemporary virtual reality headsets that could sell for $599 (Arthur), it became a bit of a joke in comparison. The more Yokoi tinkered with the device, the less high tech it became (in fact, upon its release it was compared more to a Viewmaster than to a true virtual reality head mounted display) (Kent 514). Yokoi avoided using head tracking technology (where presumably the image in the display would be affected by the user's physical movement), he made the unit on a stand (because he felt the device would be too heavy to wear) and instead of using a visor to block out outside light, the console had a rubberized seal similar to that of a diver's mask (Kent 514). The Virtual Boy also featured stereophonic audio to help in the attempt of creating the illusion of total immersion. All of these changes, in addition to the limits of a monochromatic LED display, helped to undermine Yokoi's genuine desire to revolutionize the video game market and bring virtual reality to the masses.

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Diagram of the Virtual Boy in Use (Patent)


The Virtual Boy: Miscarriage

Nintendo announced the development of the Virtual boy in the summer of 1994 and was ready to display for the public that winter at a Tokyo trade show (Kent 515). The Virtual Boy was rushed to the market to compensate for the delay of the launch of what would become the Nintendo 64. This meant that the system did not get the chance to fully live up to Yokoi's vision due to lack of development time. This would prove to have dire consequences on the system's chances for success.

Early Response: Japan

Despite the high hopes of Nintendo, and especially Yokoi, the Virtual Boy was met with a dismal response. One reporter at the event went on to call the Virtual Boy "Virtual Dog" and proceeded to berate it:


This comment demonstrated the general dismissal of the Virtual Boy by the Japanese market. Was it because of a technologically conservative outlook towards gaming? Or was it only focused on the lack of a Killer-App, a system-selling game that is held with high regard by gamers and critics? The negative attention toward the Virtual Boy did not end there.

Fatal Combo

The Virtual Boy was originally slated to be 19,800 yen (about $207) (Kent 515). The people who attended the show were unimpressed by the actual hardware and software that the Virtual Boy had to offer. And one physical reaction to the Virtual Boy that was common was headaches and dizziness that was induced by prolonged usage of the device. Apparently, the combination of staring at red light against a black background, as well as improper focusing of the mirrors inside the device (which produced the 3-D effect) were responsible. The reaction was so strong that the Virtual Boy was shipped with a warning that it may cause headaches. (Kent 515). Soon it would be time for the Virtual Boy to have its shot in the United States.

The Virtual Boy software instruction manuals came with detailed instructions of preventing such adverse reactions. First there was a warning that only children above 7 could use this product because of the risk of eyesight and/or hearing damage (Nintendo 2). Then it gave detailed instructions as to how to focus the mirrors. The process ended somewhat similar to an optometrist's vision test for prescribing glasses (the user had to fine tune the device until the images came into focus in both eyes) (Nintendo 4,5). The device even had a built in timer that would pause every 15 (or 30) minutes in order to force the user to rest their eyes (Nintendo 7). This feature showed that the creator was concerned about the user's health and made an effort to protect it. It is fascinating that a similar feature is not included in other harmful electronic products (like cell phones for example).

The Year of the Virtual Boy


Commercials: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKKK6FH1vGw ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZCmd5mWYxU ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxJAJteeefw&feature=related promised that the Virtual Boy could deliver a unique, revolutionary experience. In fact, in an unusual cross-promotional twist, Nintendo, Blockbuster and NBC joined forces to not only to build hype for the virtual boy but also to promote the fall line up for NBC as well as increase rental profits for Blockbuster. The fall promo deal was worth $5 million and was expected to be a massive boom for all three parties (Lefton). It was understandable why the three were so sure of success. After all, Nintendo was dominating the video game market since 1985. No one foresaw that the Virtual Boy would be a flop, especially not Yokoi. One of the problems with the promotion for the Virtual Boy however was that its 3-D image could not be appreciated unless the person were actually using the Virtual Boy. Sales were estimated to reach 3 million units by spring 1996 (Gillen).

The Virtual Boy was released in the United States in August of 1995 to mixed reviews. (Kent 518). It was universally panned by video game based publications, however, thus showing that Yokoi's device had alienated its target audience. It sold less than a million units in its lifespan (which was considered a major failure) and was discontinued a year later.

The Virtual Boy: Afterlife


The Fall of Gunpei Yokoi

As a form of punishment, Yokoi was forced to man a booth for the Virtual Boy at a gaming exposition in 1996. The booth was neglected for the most part (the main excitement at the event was for the new Nintendo 64 home console that promised rich, colorful 3-D Graphics but without actually having any of the spatial depth that the Virtual Boy attempted to have), but those who visited got a personal demonstration of the device by it creator. (Kent 524)This form of solitary confinement was his 'reward' for thirty ears of excellence and only one of disaster(despite the fact that the Game Boy was still selling extremely well, pretty much dominating the portable games market)) . He left the company the following august. Although he did create his own business, his life was tragically cut short on October 4th 1997 in a car accident. The man who was one of the principal reasons for Nintendo's success died in corporate exile over one mistake.

Why did it fail?

Were people not ready for a shift into virtual reality? Was the overly simplified design of the device and lack of quality software not compelling enough to boost sales? Was the harmful nature of the visual aspect of the device's LED lights being reflected by mirrors too much for people to overcome? Or was it Nintendo's refusal to support it enough to give it time to find an audience? It was most likely a combination of all these that doomed the red-eyed device.




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The Solid Eye, a Virtual Boy-esque add-on for the PSP. It has only been used for one game.



  • Electronic Gaming Monthly
  • Mario Tennis screen shot. //resumbrae.com/ub/dms423_f06/10/virtualboy.jpg
  • Nintendo. 'Mario Clash' Instruction Manual. 1995