| Virtual Boy | |
|---|---|
 The Virtual Boy stand and controller. | |
| Developer(s) | Nintendo |
| Release Date(s) | Japan July 21, 1995 North America August 14, 1995 Discontinued JapanDecember 22, 1995 North America March 2, 1996 |
| Price(s) | $180 USD |
| Units Shipped | Worldwide 770,000[1] |
| Best-selling game | Virtual Boy Wario Land |
The Virtual Boy (バーチャルボーイ Bācharu Bōi) was the first gaming console capable of displaying "true 3D graphics" out of the box.
History[]
The system was developed by Gunpei Yokoi, creator of the Game & Watch and Game Boy handhelds. The Virtual Boy was not intended to replace the Game Boy line of handhelds, and according to the book, Game Over by David Sheff, Yokoi never intended the system to be released in its present form. However, Nintendo pushed the system to market in order to focus more on the Nintendo 64.
Technical specifications[]
- Processor
- NEC V810 (P/N uPD70732)
- 32-bit RISC Processor @ 20 MHz (18 MIPS)
- 1 KB instruction cache
- Memory
- 128 KB dual-port VRAM
- 128 KB of DRAM
- 64 KB WRAM (PSRAM)
- Display
- Reflection Technologies Inc. (RTI) Scanning LED Array (SLA) P4
- 1 × 224 pixel resolution (when scanned; 384 x 224)
- 2-bit monochromatic (black + 3 shades of red)
- 50.2 Hz Horizontal Scan Rate
- Power
- 6 AA Batteries or DC10V 350mA AC Adapter/Tap
- (third-party Performance Adaptor DC 9V 500mA)
- Sound
- 16-bit Stereo
- Controller
- 6 buttons and 2 D-pads
- uses NES controller protocol
- Serial Port
- 8 pin cable
- Hardware Part Numbers
- VUE-001 Virtual Boy Unit
- VUE-003 Stand
- VUE-005 Controller
- VUE-006 Game Pak
- VUE-007 Battery Pack
- VUE-010 Eyeshade
- VUE-011 AC Adapter Tap ("Use With Super NES AC Adapter No. SNS-002 Only")
- VUE-012 Eyeshade Holder
- VUE-014 Red & Black Stereo Headphones
- Weight
- 750 grams
- Dimensions
- 8.5"H × 10"W × 4.3"D
Games[]
- Main article: List of games on the Virtual Boy
Only 22 games were released total, with 19 in Japan and 14 in America.[2]
In regards to the games being ported, President of Nintendo of America Reggie Fils-Aime was asked about possible Virtual Boy releases on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console. He told Kotaku that he couldn't answer that, as he wasn't familiar with the platform.[3]