I respect the Virtual Boy as a collectable Switch 2 gadget, but it’s not exactly a retro console remake

I’d give anything to be a dorky fly on the wall of Nintendo’s boardroom when it decided to make a Virtual Boy for Switch 2. It’s an absolutely baffling move from a company that could print gold coins by simply making a Game Boy mini or even just adding 3DS games to its online collection. Yet, it decided to transform what could be described as the antithesis of a best retro console contender into an interactive collector’s piece instead, and that’s the sort of sicko behaviour I respect.

What’s potentially more perplexing when it comes to the new Virtual Boy is its price. Despite featuring no innards of its own and completely relying on Ninty’s gaming handheld to provide visuals, it will set you back an absurd $99 / £66.99. The North American MSRP is admittedly a little more upsetting, but instinctively, I’d typically be looking for more than a nice piece of plastic with some lenses inside for my money.

The Virtual Boy pricing situation stings more when you realize that, despite existing among Ninty’s retro controller remakes, it doesn’t come with a gamepad. As someone who has a vast collection of old consoles and pads, but hasn’t got the OG VR headset, I feel personally offended by this decision. But, at the same time, I’ve decided to approach this review with a sense of duality, as while it doesn’t exactly cater to enthusiasts and preservationists, it is still a nice Switch 2 accessory that preserves the vibes of the original setup.

What’s in the box?

Upon cracking open the new Virtual Boy’s appropriately red Switch Online box, you’ll be greeted with the headset in all its glory. It’s sitting right in the middle, looking out the front plastic window like a weird fish in an aquarium, and while getting out, and while you’ll naturally be looking to free it from its cardboard tank, it’ll also look nice on your shelf as it is.

If you aren’t looking to preserve it, though, you’ll find the included Virtual Boy v-shape stand at the bottom of the box, accompanied by an adapter bracket for using the OG Switch. That’s pretty much your whack since, again, you’re not getting a controller with this accessory, and you’ll also have to wait longer (and pay more) for different color physical filters down the road.

Perhaps this is preservationist in me talking, but I would have enjoyed some extras in the box, like replacement eyeshades. The preattached fabric guard is removable, just like with the original, so you can theoretically wash it to remove eventual face sweat. However, my mind is admittedly thinking about owners of the OG headset getting access to compatible parts, but as I’ll get into, this Switch accessory isn’t exactly ideal for that.

Design and features

Insert the Spider-Man pointing meme here, as the Virtual Boy for Switch 2 and the original are almost indistinguishable at a glance. I’d expect nothing more from the console maker at this stage, given it has put out several modern homages to gamepads and even retro handhelds like the Zelda: Game and Watch. In honesty, providing a convoluted peephole to 2D red visuals aside, this thing is made to sit on your shelf where the OG version would if it weren’t so expensive, and largely nails that objective.

For something made almost entirely from plastic, the Switch 2 Virtual Boy is solid. You’re getting the usual blend of high-quality materials that match the original pretty closely, and the near-identical metal V stand actually fits onto the original. That’s a massive win for preservationists looking for a way to restore the ‘90s version, but the fabric eye covers sadly feature slightly different fittings.

What’s more, the rest of the new Virtual Boy is pretty much smoke and mirrors, as again, it doesn’t possess its own electronic innards. This accessory completely relies on the Switch or Switch 2 itself, functioning like one of those pseudo-VR headsets that bring your peepers in close proximity with your phone using split images and lenses. I promise that’s not an insult, as this does produce effective stereoscopic 3D, but it does mean your portable is the beating heart of this remake.

I’ll delve into how the Switch itself slots into the new Virtual Boy, as I have mixed feelings about the approach. The idea is that you flip the red top like a car bonnet, then dock your handheld in between the middle with the lenses facing the screen. The portable itself passes through an old-school cartridge-slot style spring door, then rests on a bottom bracket fixed with screws.

If you’ve already had a peek at my guide on how to set up the Virtual Boy, you’ll already know the Switch 2 bracket is fixed by default. This is bound to be mildly irritating if you’re using the 2017 portable, since you’ll need to provide your own Philips screwdriver to mount the alternative part, and I’m not sure why there’s not just an adjustable bottom. I’d have been slightly more forgiving if a simple tool had been included in the box, but alas, we’re talking about the company that usually doesn’t want you even thinking about unscrewing anything.

As someone who’s also horrified by memories of the original Switch dock and its tendency to scratch screens, I’m also not into the Virtual Boy’s handheld trench. I’m not saying your handheld’s pristine screen is doomed if you shove it into the goggles carelessly, but there’s a lot of hard plastic inside that could scuff up the front or back if you insert it at the wrong angle. Adding some extra padding certainly wouldn’t have hurt, but what does sting is seeing a scratch on your screen protector that you’re 99% certain wasn’t there before (just saying).

Okay, let me circle back to the Virtual Boy’s external features, or lack thereof. The goggles do almost look like the real deal, but the focus and IPD (interpupillary distance) dials are purely for show. This matters far more than I expected pre-release, as while you can adjust the latter using the NSO emulator, it locks the adjustments to that specific library app. That means if, like me, you try to play Zelda: Breath of the Wild in Nintendo Labo mode, you’ll likely end up with an eye strain-induced migraine. Safe to say I’ll get no sympathy from the big N this time around.

The outlines of the OG Virtual Boy’s ports are haunting this remake, and while they almost look real enough to jam something into, they’re an illusion. I enjoy the fact Nintendo included the visual reference on a retro gaming history educational level, but it’s hard not to feel like they could have utilised the inputs in some way. Theoretically, the goggles could have connected to the USB-C or headphone jack to at least make the headphone jack and volume wheel functional, and I would have enjoyed a USB controller port in place of the original.

That brings me onto one of my biggest gripes with the new Virtual Boy goggles: that aforementioned absence of a matching controller. The old double D-padded gamepad is just as weird and iconic as the console itself, and I’d argue its strange button layout is all part of the novelty. Having players simply use a set of Joy-Con or another compatible pad instead almost feels criminal, especially when you’re paying $100 for something that could be a more authentic experience.

Performance

When talking about how the Virtual Boy performs on the field, there’s a hardware and software side to the coin. Both elements really need to feel solid to justify the lofty price point, as it’ll be hard to enjoy even solid emulation and improved visuals over the OG googles if they’re torturous to use. Thankfully, I didn’t feel like I was paying penance throughout this review, and the headset is as comfy as it can be to use.

You perhaps noticed an inherent caveat there, as the actual Virtual Boy format itself remains pretty awkward to this day. The idea is that you perch the goggles on a surface and shove your face into them, rather than slapping them on your noggin with a strap. This means you really have to think beyond the accessory itself when it comes to setup, as you’ll have to use a table that’s tall enough to reach you since the stand isn’t adjustable.

Being able to extend the stand would throw off the V-shaped stability and change its design, so I get why it isn’t a thing with the Virtual Boy. Still, it meant that I ended up on the floor with my coffee table, which was awkwardly authentic. The kicker is that if you decide you’re not into the novelty faff, you’re out of luck, as the app will only display games with round stereoscopic visuals. Essentially, your only choice is to fully embrace the majesty that is looking through the Virtual Boy like you would a tourist telescope, and while I would prefer some playstyle versatility, I can’t really question Ninty sticking to the script.

On the physical side, there’s nothing that’ll cramp the original experience of playing Virtual Boy games. Once you do start firing those red visuals into your eyeballs, you’ll find that the emulation is solid, and I wasn’t able to find a fault with any of the currently available classics. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that, from what I can remember, compared to the OG goggles, the visuals are far clearer on the Switch 2 screen close up than via the oscillating mirrored LEDs used 30 years ago.

That’s hardly surprising, but I guess I am impressed by the fact that the visuals still feel true to the original. You’re very much still getting the same vibe while avoiding the very headaches Ninty’s first attempt was guilty of inducing, meaning I was able to play a chunk of Wario World without ending up in bed. I am grumpy about the fact I *have* to use the headset to play, or otherwise squint at two small circles on the Switch screen, though.

On that note, I do want to dunk on the app for being relatively barebones right now. Simple elements like being able to switch to a full-screen non-3D mode are MIA and might never make it to the software, and there’s a whole weird situation going on with the promised white and green filter options. If you remove the red visor attachment, you can technically see the visuals in other colors, but rather than adding the palette options, Ninety is apparently working on additional parts for the goggles.

I’m really not on board with having to buy additional plastic to play in white or green, and I’m hoping that, since you can’t use a physical filter to provide the former, it will actually be a software option that can be enabled. That throws why you’d even buy the lenses into question, as while they do add a nicer effect when it comes to the red, it’s not that different when removed. I’ll be eagerly awaiting any app updates to confirm whether you can access the color options without paying more money, but the initial trailers are sending pretty weird signals about Nintendo’s future intentions.

Should you buy the Virtual Boy for Switch 2?

Its $100 price tag really isn’t ideal, but the Virtual Boy for Switch 2 does make for an excellent tribute to Nintendo’s weirdest console. Its MSRP, missing elements like a matching controller, and some awkward app decisions are what’s keeping this accessory from greatness, and it’s certainly not what I’d call a proper retro console remake.

As a collectable, though, the new Virtual Boy does largely fit the bill by near perfectly replicating the look and feel of the OG cursed console. It’s pretty much a functional model that can be used to replicate the experience of playing a bunch of games you’ve probably never tried, and while I have pretty huge issues with the Nintendo Switch Online subscription format that extend far beyond this review, classics like Wario World, 3-D TETRIS, and the Japanese exclusive The Mansion of Innsmouth are well worth a look (is that a pun? Perhaps.)

It’s easy to get caught up with Nintendo’s questionable approach to the new Virtual Boy, and I certainly feel like I’m susceptible to that. If I were to take into account the fact that the games are tied to a subscription, and the app forces you to at least use the alternative cardboard model, I’d probably wouldn’t recommend the headset at all. However, the flip side is that this is a pretty detailed collectable that can act like a faux version of the ‘90s VR console, and it does fulfil its promise of doing that while looking pretty on a shelf.

If you can make peace with the caveats, the Virtual Boy is an excellent tribute to an oddball console. Otherwise, you’ll probably want to spend $100 on something that isn’t tied to the Nintendo Switch Online and the intrinsic handheld. I’ve pretty much made peace with the fact Ninty is focused on novelty over standalone hardware, especially since it just released a Game Boy Jukebox instead of a proper retro handheld remake. I’m not going play gatekeeper or yuck anyone’s yum, but it does place these gadgets in their own standalone category.

How I tested the Virtual Boy for Switch 2

Over the course of two weeks, I used the Virtual Boy with my Switch to play the new Online library of classics. Throughout testing, I compared the new headset to my experiences with the original, assessed the experience of assembling the stand and inserting the handheld, and reviewed whether it provides an authentic way to play games like Wario World and 3D TETRIS while embracing modern enhancements and features.

For more information on how we test retro consoles and other gadgets, swing by our full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy for more details.