Virtual boy full#

Reflection pitched the display to toy and video game companies at the time.

The display used a single line of red LEDs and a vibrating mirror to create the illusion of a larger display.

It began with the invention of a relatively high-resolution, portable display created by the Massachusetts-based Reflection Technology.

Virtual boy full#

The full story of the creation of the Virtual Boy is complex and fascinating. An Experiment That Became a Stopgap Release Most of the games could be played just fine without stereoscopic capability. Instead, the Virtual BoyвЂ™s game library mostly relied on traditional console-style games, with 2D sprites that nodded at the systemвЂ™s stereoscopic capability by using 3D layering tricks. Due to this, it shipped with a relatively low-power CPU that was unable to deliver anything resembling the 3D, polygonal virtual world one would expect. It required six AA batteries, but an AC adapter was also available. It was semi-portable, as it was battery powered by default. Unlike legitimate attempts at virtual reality, which provide the illusion of being present in a virtual space, there was no strap-on headset, motion tracking, or hand-movement capture on the Virtual Boy. Its odd form factor required using an awkward table stand. In reality, the Virtual Boy was more like a beefed-up Game Boy with a stereoscopic display (meaning, it could show visual depth). A Japanese ad for the Nintendo Virtual Boy, circa 1995. Unfortunately for Nintendo, that angle set up expectations that were way too high to meet at the time. However, the Virtual Boy wasnвЂ™t really VR-that was just its marketing angle. Judging from its name and headset-like appearance, anyone who hasnвЂ™t used a Virtual Boy would be forgiven for thinking it was a legitimate attempt at a virtual reality console from Nintendo. Retailing for $179.95 at launch (about $303 in todayвЂ™s dollars), it was far more expensive than either the Game Boy or Super NES. The Virtual Boy debuted in Japan on July 21, 1995, and came to the U.S.