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Virtual Boy: The
First Stereoscopic 3D System
Nintendo released its
Virtual Boy--a "3D virtual immersion gaming system"--in 1995. It
wasn't close to being the first game to offer stereoscopic 3D, but
it was the first video game system totally based on the concept. It
was also one of Nintendo's biggest mistakes.
Stereoscopic 3D is an effect most people have experienced with 3D
movies. In a nutshell, it means adding depth to a two-dimensional
image by "tricking" the eye or presenting it with a different image
on which to fix. (It's a method also used in those Magic Eye
books.) This feat had been done in older video game systems,
including Milton Bradley's 1982 Vectrex
system (when coupled with its optional 3D Imager). Even such PC
games as Pyramide's Wanderer, a 1986 game for the Atari ST computer,
created the effect using simple glasses with blue and red lenses.
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Nintendo legend Gumpei Yokoi created
the Virtual Boy, the first D-pad controller, and the Game Boy
handheld system.
| In addition to creating the
first D-pad controller and the remarkably successful Game Boy
handheld system, Nintendo legend Gumpei Yokoi also created the
Virtual Boy. The system was an apparatus that looked like a large
virtual-reality headset precariously balanced on a stand made of
bent radio antennas. Players looked into the goggles and were
treated to 3D games in two colors (but mainly red). Virtual Boy
failed for many reasons, but primarily because it was underpowered
and its games weren't that much better than their significantly
less-expensive Game Boy counterparts.
The system was also awkward to use. Generally, you had to play
while seated, and the Virtual Boy wasn't as portable as it should
have been. By 1997, all support for the system was discontinued.
During the two years of Virtual Boy production, approximately 20
game cartridges were produced for the system. Although it initially
cost about $179 retail, the Virtual Boy could be had for less than
$10 in its final close-out days.
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