Virtual Boy arcade cabinet induces blissful nostalgia, headaches

Nintendo's Virtual Boy may largely be remembered as a gaming disaster of epic, eye-straining proportions, but there are some (yours truly) who believe the early 3D console was simply a few design tweaks away from being one of the most totally rad systems of its time. True, this is a stretch, but if this homemade Virtual Boy arcade cabinet constructed by US modder Tighe Lory is any indication, maybe all it ever needed to succeedwas a bigger home.

Lory was inspired to build the cabinet after snagging a Virtual Boy from a local flea market and developing a newfound appreciation for the oft-maligned system.On hisblog, he reflects on his vision for the cabinet, explaining, “The Virtual Boy is considered to be a failure on the part of its designer Yokoi Gunpei. At Nintendo he had designed and produced some of my favorite game and systems. It seemed not right that the Virtual Boy be regarded poorly. So this cabinet was created to bring more attention to the Virtual Boy and how unique and fun it is and I have dedicated it in the memory of Yokoi Gunpei.”

He added he is willing to donate the Virtual Boy cabinet to GR news writer Matt Bradford's personal video game collection, and will even drive it up to Ontario himself free of charge. True, this is another stretch (read: complete fabrication), but it was worth a shot.

You can read Lory's full rundown of the cabinet's creation in the video above or on his sitehere.

June 14, 2011

[Source:Tighe Lory's BlogviaHot Blooded Gaming]

Matt Bradford wrote news and features here at GamesRadar+ until 2016. Since then he's gone on to work with the Guinness World Records, acting as writer and researcher for the annual Gamer's Edition series of books, and has worked as an editor, technical writer, and voice actor. Matt is now a freelance journalist and editor, generating copy across a multitude of industries.