Nintendo Virtual Boy Revival Confirmed For the Switch 2

Nintendo has never been big on virtual reality. However, the big N did release the Nintendo Virtual Boy VR headset console during the 1990s. The big N has recently confirmed it will relaunch the Virtual Boy as an accessory for its Switch consoles. That announcement to revive a console that was undoubtedly Nintendo’s biggest flop comes as quite a shock.

Remembering the Original Virtual Boy

Nintendo released the original Virtual Boy in 1995. It was Nintendo’s first foray into the world of virtual reality gaming, one of only two notable VR products in the big N’s history. The Virtual Boy was a stereoscopic 3D virtual reality headset with a single red color display. Unlike the VR headsets of today, it had a gamepad controller for playing games. The Virtual Boy also came with a stand for placing it on tables.

It quickly became apparent that the Virtual Boy was a bad idea after Nintendo launched it. The Virtual Boy’s unappealing red-and-black graphical style was an instant turn-off at a time when a new generation of 32-bit consoles with vastly superior graphics quality were emerging. Its VR headset wasn’t very comfortable. Plus, the Virtual Boy’s supposed portability was entirely impractical.

Another issue for the Nintendo Virtual Boy was that third-party developers completely snubbed it. Only three third-party developers released games for the Virtual Boy. That left the console woefully dependent on Nintendo games. There were only 22 games released for the Virtual Boy, leaving the console very short on content.

Nintendo discontinued the Virtual Boy in 1996 when it became clear the console was falling short of expectations. The Nintendo Virtual Boy shifted about 770,000 units before the big N pulled the plug on it. It was the shortest-lived console in Nintendo’s history, which never had a European release.

Nintendo Unveils the Virtual Boy Accessory for Switch 2

It came as a surprise that the Virtual Boy appeared in Nintendo Direct announcement videos during September 2025. Nintendo announced in those videos that it’s reviving the Virtual Boy as a Switch 2 accessory. The new Virtual Boy looks pretty much the same as the old one, except that its headset includes a slot-in port for the Switch consoles.

Nintendo revealed players will be able to play 14 ‘classic’ Virtual Boy games with this accessory. The console did at least have a few reasonably decent games (mostly from Nintendo), such as Virtual Boy Wario Land, Mario Clash, and Red Alarm. Players can now discover the best of what the Nintendo Virtual Boy had to offer on their Switch consoles with this VB accessory.

Nintendo has scheduled the Virtual Boy for a February 2026 release. It’s a gaming accessory for Nintendo Switch Online and Expansion Pack members. The Nintendo site already includes a page for that accessory, where it’s priced at $99.99.

Exactly why the big N is reviving the Nintendo Virtual Boy, a console it doesn’t even recognize on its IR Information page, is somewhat unclear. Nintendo probably feels the Virtual Boy has some good nostalgia value with a small library of half-decent retro 3D games to offer. It will be interesting to see if this relaunched VB accessory can make a bigger impact than its original console.