I spent $100 on the Nintendo Switch Virtual Boy add-on and I don't regret it

The Virtual boy is one of Nintendo's biggest failures. Originally released in 1995, the Virtual Boy was Nintendo's first major attempt at stereoscopic 3D. Criticized for its high price and utterly uncomfortable gameplay, the Virtual Boy failed to even reach 1 million units sold and was abandoned in less than a year, with its last game being 3D Tetris in March 1996.

Nintendo finally took another crack at 3D with the Nintendo 3DS, and saw much more success with its glasses-free 3D gimmick. When the 3DS started receiving games from Nintendo's older platforms, bringing Virtual Boy titles to the handheld seemed like an obvious choice, even if the device's library wasn't very well received. When that never happened, many assumed that Nintendo was okay with letting Virtual Boy and its games rot in the 90s, which made the reveal of Virtual Boy games coming to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack all the more shocking.

Nintendo Switch Online adds Balloon Kid and Yoshi to the Game Boy: Nintendo Classics app.

Nintendo Switch Online users now have two more Game Boy classics available

Nintendo is surprising Switch Online subscribers with a fresh take on two classic Game Boy titles from the early 90s.

Unlike the 3DS, the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 do not support glasses-free 3D, so playing Virtual Boy games on the console requires a $100 accessory. The Virtual Boy Switch accessory mimics the original device and serves as a shell that gamers can slide their Switch consoles into to play Virtual Boy games close to how they were played in the mid-1990s. Despite Virtual Boy's extremely bad reputation, I took the plunge and bought a $100 accessory to play Virtual Boy games on the Switch, and I was surprised at how much fun I had with it.

Most games for virtual boys are bad, but there is one big diamond

3D Tetris
Galactic pinball
golf (1995)
Mansion of Innsmouth
Red alert
Teleroboxer
Virtual Boy Wario Land

At the time of writing, there are seven Virtual Boy games available on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. Here it is 3D Tetris, Galactic pinball, golf (1995), Mansion of Innsmouth, Red alert, Teleroboxerand Virtual Boy Wario Land. They all look interesting thanks to the 3D gimmick, but in terms of fun to play, they're mostly pretty weak experiences.

The one game that stands out though is Virtual Boy Wario Land. Often hailed as the best Virtual Boy game ever made, Virtual Boy Wario Land is classic 2D Wario Land an adventure where players hunt for treasure and fight unique bosses that cleverly utilize the unique abilities of the device. A really fun platform game, Virtual Boy Wario Land is a blast and should be much more easily accessible now.

Virtual Boy Wario Land Being part of the Nintendo Classics Switch Online + Expansion Pack lineup is appreciated even more because of the general scarcity Wario Land on duty. Here it is Wario Land 3 and 4but the first two Wario Land games have yet to be added. If nothing else, Virtual Boy Wario Land is a great way to wind down while you wait for the rest of the classics Wario Land games to finally debut.

More Virtual Boy games are on the way

D-Hopper
Jack Bros.
Mario Clash
Mario's tennis
Space Invaders Virtual Collection
Virtual bowling
V-Tetris
Zero racers

Besides Virtual Boy Wario LandI had some fun with the arcade shooter on the rails Red alert and Punch-out-style Teleroboxer. Mansion of Innsmouth is also an interesting horror game for the Virtual Boy, although its execution leaves a lot to be desired.

In any case, more Virtual Boy games are on the way for the Nintendo Classics lineup. Jack Bros., Mario Clash, Mario's tennis, Space Invaders Virtual Collection, V-Tetrisand Virtual bowling all should be released by the end of 2026. Even two unreleased Virtual Boy action-adventure games will be added to the service D-Hopper and racing game Zero racers. I've heard good things about it Mario's tennis and I'll be sure to try out all the upcoming Virtual Boy games.

Virtual Boy on the Switch is much cheaper than the alternative

Look, there isn't much of a market for Virtual Boy hardware and games, but if you're someone like me who cares about the platform, the Switch is a way to save money. Virtual Boy headsets are listed for around $200 on sites like eBay, and games can cost $30 or more. Virtual Boy Wario LandThe price is close to $100, so you can save a lot of money by just buying the $100 Virtual Boy accessory for the Switch.

It's not perfect, but I still don't regret buying it

At the time, some of the main complaints about the Virtual Boy were that it gave people headaches and was uncomfortable to use. Personally, I didn't get any headaches while playing the Virtual Boy, but I did suffer from neck pain during longer gaming sessions. Still, I knew what to expect, and while the Virtual Boy section of Nintendo Classics doesn't get nearly as much attention from me as the other consoles on the service, I'm looking forward to revisiting it. Virtual Boy Wario Land and viewing other games that have been added to the Nintendo Classics library.