In 2025, Nintendo announced that one of its most infamous failures would get a second life on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 consoles. While we're not talking about the Nintendo Wii U, which also helped add a ton of cool games to the Nintendo Switch library early on, it's the 1995 not-so-classic Virtual Boy console, and 14 of the 22 games this console got during its brief lifetime. The Virtual Boy was, at the time, a revolutionary 3D graphics headset. Far from being an Apple Vision Pro or even Meta's Quest goggles, the Virtual Boy could display stereoscopic 3D graphics.
However, among the reasons this console failed was its high price ($179 in 1995) and very limited library. In a year, the console only got 22 games. Those who could afford the Virtual Boy complained about discomfort while playing games. Besides that, with Nintendo about to release one of its best-selling consoles in 1996, the Nintendo 64, the Virtual Boy ended up being just one of the company's weird (but cool) attempts at making something different. Now, Nintendo has made the Virtual Boy available as an accessory for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.
Could Nintendo repeat the same errors from 30 years ago with the Virtual Boy?
The Virtual Boy accessory for Nintendo Switch costs $99.99 if you want to have the full, original experience or $24.99 if you're fine with a cheaper cardboard replica. In addition to buying the accessory, it also requires Nintendo's most expensive subscription to unlock the games: Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, at $49.99/year or $79.99/year with a family plan. Once you have both products, you can enjoy the Virtual Boy's rich library of 14 games, including titles like "Wario Land," "Mario Clash," "Mario Tennis," "Tetris," "Golf," and "Space Invaders," with more being added at a later date.
While most Switch owners won't subscribe to the Expansion pack just to enjoy Virtual Boy, Nintendo continues to rely on nostalgia to sell this and other accessories, like game controllers for the Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, and GameCube.
On online forums, most users seem to have enjoyed this release. "I laughed when they showed it, and I thought it was the most Nintendo thing possible," said a Redditor. However, most of the community seems to agree that releasing this game only in 3D mode, requiring a paid accessory, and a yearly subscription, might not entice users to spend all that money, especially now that Nintendo Switch 2 games cost so much. That said, aside from reviews from journalists, it seems Nintendo customers once again skipped the Virtual Boy, showing that sometimes Nintendo never truly learns.