Topic: Virtual Boy for NSO

Since the Virtual Boy goggles work with both Switch models. Would this be a good use for my original Switch 1? Unless there’s some crazy performance difference between the models, I haven’t used my original switch and figured I could just make it my dedicated VB device.

Yes, it would be a good use.

I've already pre ordered it.

Performance doesn't bother me one single bit, I'm not planning on getting Switch 2 yet.

I'd be surprised if there is much performance difference between Switch 1 and 2. The Virtual Boy was pretty low-end hardware even by mid-90s standards and can be emulated well by even cheap handhelds. There's even a homebrew emulator for it that runs on the 3DS and allows you to play all the games with glasses-free 3D. I always thought that Nintendo missed an opportunity to do it officially there, but better late than never with the Switch outing.

As for the system itself, it's very much at the novelty toy end of Nintendo hardware. There's precisely one good game - Wario Land - and maybe half a dozen others that you might enjoy if you can grit your teeth and allow for the limitations of the system, and you can experience pretty much everything that the system has to offer inside an afternoon. That's something to perhaps bear in mind before dropping money on the headsets.

Anyway, props to Nintendo for putting this out there, when it's a legacy that most other games companies would probably try to throw down the memory and pretend never existed. By the same token, I wonder if we'll ever see the licensed CDi games again?

With my preservationist hat on, I'd like to have at least the possibility of buying a keeper copy of a collection that's not tied to an online subscription, but the same goes for pretty much everything on NSO.

Is there any reason to believe the headsets are anything other than rebranded LABO VR? Presumably just adjusted to fit Switch 2 and, obviously, augmented to be in the Virtual Boy form. I can't see any reason why the games would be able to know you're using the headset

So, in theory, you should be able to also use the LABO VR headset for this. Assuming you're not using a Switch 2. And also you should be able to used these new headsets to play the VR modes for BotW and Odyssey

If you have a switch 1 laying around, and if you are paying for NSO+ any way, and have $100 you need to get rid of.
Why not?

My personal reflection:

2017: SNES mini
Hardware, 21 games, 2 controllers: $80

2025: Virtual Boy
No hardware, 0 games, 0 controllers: $100

Nintendos mentality has really changed.

The fact that you have to rent the games, that just hurts...

Anyone else see that virtual boy accessory thing and go is this for real or are we being played? Are they seriously expecting us to stick our faces in that giant headache inducing headgear to play virtual boy games like it's 1995?

I remember when blockbuster video had the games for rent and it felt like literally a month before they suddenly disappeared into a black hole never to be seen again. Stores couldn't wait to put that trash on clearance and get rid of it. Then sadly soon after the creator was tragically killed in a car accident.

Ill be getting both the replica and cardboard version so I can use whichever is more convenient.

But I highly recommend anyone with a modded 3DS install RedViper Virtual Boy emulator and play all 21 officially released games in glasses-free stereoscopic 3D, changing the color from red to any other color on the spectrum (and its a full gradient spectrum so essentially infinite colors to choose from- I tend to use a darker turquoise blue myself).

The 3D is incredible in the shmup for the system. Not Space Invaders, but Vertical Force. You have to change depth with a button swapping from above to below with enemy ships coming as a mix above and below. You can strategically dodge by changing the depth layer. So cool. Probably the best game on the system. Mario Clash is eh. Warioland actually is probably the best.

@Truegamer79
How can we be "played" when it's a voluntary choice on our part to buy or not buy what we want? If you want to experience these games in 3D in the same way the original hardware provided, they are giving us the ability to do so. A full proper replica for $100 but also a cheaper option for $25 if you just want the experience without making such a large investment. And if you're not interested, then you can simply not buy it.

If you have an old Labo set, or made your own cardboard VR set when they added it to Breath of the Wild and Odyssey, that really ought to suffice.

If you never did, the templates are still available.

https://www.nintendo.com/jp/labo/parts/index.html

Pre ordered this. Never played any games. Never released in UK

Since the new Virtual Boy Cardboard glasses fit the Switch 2, it will be interesting to see if they can work with Labo VR. There was a ton of experiences that only used the motion/gyroscope elements of the joy-on and that could be adapted to Switch 2. In addition perhaps this could be an opportunity for Nintendo to release more VR titles on the Switch 2.

Since I’ve never used Virtual Boy I actually asked Nintendo’s customer service team if they had any info on whether the new headset will be better about inducing headaches. Unsurprisingly they didn’t have much to offer but said they would be able to walkthrough issues after its released and that more info would likely be released closer to release.