Nintendo does what '90s Nintendo could only dream of – sell out of the Virtual Boy

The Nintendo Switch Virtual Boy has done what the original Virtual Boy could never by shifting enough copies to sell out somewhere.

Once Nintendo brought some GameCube nostalgia to the Switch, the question of which console come to Nintendo Switch Online was a hot topic. Wii, DS, and 3DS feel somewhat limited due to technical needs, and most Wii U games are basically already on Switch, so where could Nintendo conceivably go next? And in the September 2025 Nintendo Direct, we got our answer when, instead of teaming up with Sega again for a Saturn or Dreamcast NSO, Nintendo announced its 1995 failure, the Virtual Boy, would be next on the plate, and you'd need to pay for an accessory to play it.

Unlike the console it's based on, the Nintendo Switch Virtual Boy has sold out on the Nintendo Store in the US (via The Gamer) despite its frankly ridiculous $100 price point. While I don't have the exact numbers to hand, I feel it's safe to assume this is the first time anyone has ever said, "The Virtual Boy sold out." It's not just the replica model that sold out either, as the cardboard version that allows you to play the games for a less obnoxious price point – while still paying $25 for cardboard – is gone too.

And despite the prevailing feeling of "who would want that?", it turns out the allure of the console's two good games – Virtual Boy Wario Land and Jack Bros – was enough of a draw. Or perhaps it is the novelty of having access to a cancelled F-Zero spinoff, Zero Racers, and Fire Emblem developer Intelligent Systems' cancelled adventure game, Dragon Hopper (now D-Hopper). Notably, over in the UK – where the Virtual Boy was never actually released – the accessory is still in stock at a still ridiculous but less obnoxious £67, and so is its cardboard variant.

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