Editing Virtual Boy (section)

{{short description|Video game console by Nintendo}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| title = Virtual Boy
| logo = Virtualboy logo.svg
| logo_size = 200px
| image = Virtual-Boy-Set.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption = Virtual Boy with controller
| developer = [[Nintendo Research & Development 1|Nintendo R&D1]]
| manufacturer = [[Nintendo]]
| type = [[Video game console]]
| generation = [[Fifth generation of video game consoles|Fifth]]
| releasedate = {{vgrelease
  |JP|July 21, 1995
  |NA|August 14, 1995
  }}
|price = {{USD|179.99|1995|round=-1}}
| lifespan = 1995–1996
| discontinued = {{vgrelease|JP|December 22, 1995|NA|August 1996}}
| unitssold = 770,000<ref name="Famitsu Express">{{cite magazine|url=https://imgur.com/hXXa6DE|title=Weekly ''Famitsu'' Express|magazine=[[Famitsu]]|volume=11|issue=392|date=June 21, 1996|access-date=August 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191015083428/https://imgur.com/hXXa6DE|archive-date=October 15, 2019|url-status=live}} Lines 4 and 16 have units sold in Japan and other regions, respectively.</ref>
| media = [[ROM cartridge]]
| display = 384×224
| cpu = [[NEC]] [[V850#V810 (obsoleted)|V810]] @ 20 [[Hertz|MHz]]
| memory = 64 KB work [[Static random-access memory#Pseudo SRAM|PSRAM]]<br />128 KB graphics [[Dynamic random-access memory|DRAM]]<br />128 KB [[Video RAM (dual-ported DRAM)|Video RAM]]
| related = [[Famicom 3D System]]<br />[[Nintendo 3DS]]
| successor = 
| units shipped = 
| top game = ''[[Mario's Tennis]]'' {{small|(US [[Glossary of video game terms#pack-in game|pack-in game]])}}
}}

The '''Virtual Boy'''{{efn|{{Nihongo|Virtual Boy|バーチャルボーイ|Bācharu Bōi|lead=yes}}}} is a [[32-bit console|32-bit]] tabletop portable video game console developed and manufactured by [[Nintendo]] and released in 1995. Promoted as the first system capable of rendering [[stereoscopic 3D]] graphics, it featured a red monochrome display viewed through a binocular eyepiece, with games employing a [[parallax]] effect to simulate depth. The console struggled commercially, and its limited market performance led Nintendo to discontinue production and game development in 1996, following the release of only 22 titles.

The Virtual Boy’s development spanned four years under the codename '''VR32'''. Nintendo entered a licensing agreement with the U.S.-based company Reflection Technology to use its stereoscopic LED eyepiece technology that had been under development since the 1980s. In preparation for mass production, Nintendo constructed a dedicated manufacturing facility in China. Over the course of development, escalating production costs, health concerns related to the display, and the diversion of resources to the [[Nintendo 64]] resulted in the downscaling of the project. Additionally, the company's lead game designer, [[Shigeru Miyamoto]], had minimal involvement in the Virtual Boy’s development. The system was ultimately pushed to market in an unfinished state in 1995 to focus on the Nintendo 64.

The Virtual Boy was panned by critics and was a [[List of commercial failures in video games|commercial failure]], even after repeated price drops. Its failure has been attributed to its high retail price, unappealing red-and-black display, unimpressive stereoscopic effect, poor ergonomics, lack of true portability, and reports of adverse health effects such as headaches, dizziness, and eye strain. Stereoscopic technology in video game consoles was later successfully revived, notably including Nintendo's [[Nintendo 3DS|3DS]] handheld console. {{As of|2025}}, it remains a notable outlier in Nintendo’s hardware history, holding the distinction of being the company’s lowest-selling standalone console, with just 770,000 units sold—significantly trailing the [[Wii U]], which ranks second-lowest at 13.6 million units.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/hard_soft/index.html|title=IR Information : Sales Data – Hardware and Software Sales Units|website=Nintendo Co., Ltd.|access-date=March 11, 2021|archive-date=June 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621033554/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/hard_soft/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>