Nintendo Virtual Boy Classic (Nintendo Switch) – Hardware

Nintendo has been a pioneer of video game hardware since 1975, but it’s also seen its fair share of blunders over the decades. In 1995, Nintendo released the Virtual Boy, which was promoted as the first system capable of rendering stereoscopic 3D graphics, featuring a red monochrome display viewed through a binocular eyepiece, with games employing a parallax effect to simulate depth.

What was supposed to be an innovative console instead struggled commercially, and users also complained that it caused serious eye strain. Its limited market performance led Nintendo to discontinue production and game development in 1996, with only 22 games released. At the September 2025 Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced that the Virtual Boy games will be joining the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. A new peripheral called Virtual Boy Classic was also announced and is now available for players to insert a Switch or Switch 2 to play these long-forgotten games.

The Virtual Boy Classic comes neatly packaged in a cardboard box with a plastic window to display the headpiece. Also in the box is the stand, a replaceable attachment and an instruction booklet. Overall, the Virtual Boy Classic is an almost one-for-one remake of the original, but with a few differences to accommodate a Switch or Switch 2 console. The stand itself, however, is an exact replica of the original stand and can even be used on the original model and vice versa.

The headpiece easily attaches to the stand by simply opening the clip on the stand and releasing it to hold onto the headpiece. The headpiece can also be adjusted at different angles depending on your height, and the neoprene eye covering and the attachment holding the red lenses can be removed to suit different head shapes and sizes. The attachment holding the red lenses has also received a slight upgrade to fit more comfortably on people’s noses.

When opening the Virtual Boy app, two round screens will appear on the Switch/Switch 2, designed to fit within the lenses’ field of view. Players will be able to adjust the positioning of the two round screens to better suit their individual eyes and face shapes, because not everyone is built the same. A minor inconvenience is that when going back to Home Menu, users will have to tap Close on the touchscreen, meaning they’ll need to physically remove the console just to use the touchscreen for a simple function, though it makes sense because the Home Menu won’t be displayed normally and not as two round screens.

The design of the headpiece also includes all the same features, such as switches, sliders, ports for headphones, a power cable, a controller, and a multiplayer adaptor. None of these is actually functional; they are only there for aesthetic reasons, though they are fun to look at.

A Virtual Boy controller isn’t included, and Nintendo hasn’t announced whether it’ll make one. The controller wasn’t a great design anyway, and there hasn’t been much demand for it, but some serious collectors might want to add it to their collection. The multiplayer adaptor is also not included, but it was also never actually made for the original Virtual Boy before it was discontinued.

A big plus of the Virtual Boy Classic is that there are no wires or cables to worry about, and the games are played with the Joy-Cons or Pro Controller, both of which are far superior to the original Virtual Boy controller. The top of the headpiece folds open easily, and the Switch/Switch 2 screen, with the Joy-Cons removed, simply slides in and fits nicely and securely. There isn’t a way to plug in the charging cable to the console unless the top is open, but the Virtual Boy games don’t use much power anyway.

The attachment already under the headpiece is for the Switch 2 only, but a replaceable attachment to fit the original Switch is included in the box. A screwdriver is needed to remove one attachment and replace it with the other, which is unfortunately not included. Even though most people would have a screwdriver somewhere in their home, it would’ve been nice to have one included just in case.

Being an almost exact replica of the original Virtual Boy, the Virtual Boy Classic has many of the same problems. Because it can only sit on a stand, it has to sit on a table, so players will have to lean forward in their chairs, which can cause back and neck aches when sitting in that position for long periods. A height-adjustable desk would be recommended to reduce any aches. A head strap would’ve been nice, but Nintendo wanted to stay true to the original model, though third-party brands have already made their own versions that attach to your head. An official Nintendo brand cardboard version of the Virtual Boy Classic is also available, which may feel more practical, but that will be covered in a separate review.

The biggest issue with the original model, of course, was the eye strain it caused. Playing the Virtual Boy Classic can still cause eye strain, but in my personal experience, it doesn’t feel as severe as the original model. I still felt some discomfort, though this could vary among users. After taking my face away from the headpiece, I had to take a moment for my eyes to readjust, especially in a well-lit room. Removing the attachment holding the red lenses or switching off the room light could improve the experience and reduce eye strain, but overall, it’s best take breaks every few minutes.

The Virtual Boy had only 22 games released, and currently, seven of those are available to play on the Virtual Boy Classic. They include Virtual Boy Wario Land, Galactic Pinball, Teleroboxer, Red Alarm, 3D Tetris, Golf and The Mansion of Innsmouth, with more confirmed to be added in future. The Virtual Boy had a nice variety of games that made use of its 3D effects, and even though most weren’t that great, they didn’t feel necessary and had better alternatives on other Nintendo platforms at the time; a few did have some potential. Virtual Boy Wario Land is considered the best Virtual Boy game for its fun mechanics, platforming, and level design, and having it available at launch was a smart decision by Nintendo.

The games were designed to feature 3D effects, with certain objects, parts of the environment, and characters that move between the background and foreground. It’s certainly fun to play certain games that make great use of the depth perception, but the novelty gets old quickly and, as mentioned above, can also contribute to eye strain.

When selecting a game from the main menu, all the covers are displayed in full colour before selecting a game to play, and then only red and black are shown. Playing all these games with the same red-and-black look can get old quickly, but different colour filters will be added soon, and we look forward to playing these games with a different look.

Unfortunately, the Virtual Boy Classic games cannot be played in docked mode at all, as a message will appear on your TV screen saying your console needs to be removed from the dock. This is a shame because these games might’ve looked better and clearer on a TV screen. When this was announced during the Nintendo Direct, gameplay footage was shown on-screen, not through the lenses of a Virtual Boy, which implied these games could be played on a TV instead, and players were looking for it.

It’s possible to play the games in handheld mode without the headpiece, but two rounded screens will be displayed, which is designed for the peripheral, and there’s no way to change this. The Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games, as part of the Nintendo Switch Online subscription, don’t need a peripheral to play them and can be played in either docked or handheld mode, so why only the Virtual Boy Classic? Hopefully, Nintendo will allow these games to be played without the peripheral in a future update.

The Virtual Boy Classic may be a peripheral no one asked for, especially given all the issues with the original model, but some of the games had potential and deserve a second chance. It would be nice to be able to play these games on a TV and not be restricted to using the peripheral, but it is a fun novelty and something a serious collector would love to add to their collection. It’s currently priced at $139.95 AUD, much cheaper than what the original Virtual Boy is selling for online. The

Virtual Boy Classic is a great way to play some long-forgotten games in their original format, bringing back a piece of Nintendo history.