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Door staff@engadget.com (Ben Stegner) - 30 Aug 2026
Clearly, the Virtual Boy hit shelves in an incomplete state; it was rushed out so Nintendo could focus on the upcoming N64. Unlike the Wii, where everyone who tried one wanted their own, people trialing the Virtual Boy at a friend's house or through a Blockbuster rental promo realized how shallow it was. Its competition didn't help the situation, either. In North America, the PlayStation arrived a month after the Virtual Boy (in September 1995) and offered far superior 3D graphics.
Aside from a few minor references in other games, Nintendo was mostly silent about the Virtual Boy until September 2025, when it revealed Virtual Boy games would come to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service. Place your Switch or Switch 2 into either a cardboard slot or a replica of the original Virtual Boy and you'll experience what the Virtual Boy was like. Two images are displayed on your system's screen, with lenses creating the 3D effect. Your Switch controller of choice is compatible, while an August 2026 update enabled changing the color to something other than red.
The Expansion Pack is $50/year (there's no option to pay monthly), with the replica model costing $100 and the cardboard version at $25. There's no option to disable the 3D effect, so you can't play these games on the TV. That's quite a cost to try such a limited library of games, but those curious about Nintendo's biggest flop should still have some fun with it.
Aside from a few minor references in other games, Nintendo was mostly silent about the Virtual Boy until September 2025, when it revealed Virtual Boy games would come to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service. Place your Switch or Switch 2 into either a cardboard slot or a replica of the original Virtual Boy and you'll experience what the Virtual Boy was like. Two images are displayed on your system's screen, with lenses creating the 3D effect. Your Switch controller of choice is compatible, while an August 2026 update enabled changing the color to something other than red.
The Expansion Pack is $50/year (there's no option to pay monthly), with the replica model costing $100 and the cardboard version at $25. There's no option to disable the 3D effect, so you can't play these games on the TV. That's quite a cost to try such a limited library of games, but those curious about Nintendo's biggest flop should still have some fun with it.