Editing Virtual Boy (section)

==History==
===Development===
Since 1985, a red LED eyepiece display technology called Scanned Linear Array was developed by [[Massachusetts]]-based Reflection Technology, Inc. (RTI).<ref name="GPro67"/><ref name="Unraveling the Enigma"/> The company produced a stereoscopic [[Positional tracking|head-tracking]] 12-inch display device prototype called ''Private Eye'', featuring a tank game.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Benj |date=2024-05-15 |title=Virtual Boy: The bizarre rise and quick fall of Nintendo's enigmatic red console |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/05/virtual-boy-the-bizarre-rise-and-quick-fall-of-nintendos-enigmatic-red-console/ |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-us}}</ref> Seeking funding and partnerships by which to develop it into a commercial technology, RTI demonstrated Private Eye to the consumer electronics market, including [[Mattel]] and [[Hasbro]].<ref name="Unraveling the Enigma"/> [[Sega]] declined the technology, due to its single-color display and concerns about [[motion sickness]].<ref name="Unraveling the Enigma"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://revrob.com/sci-tech/264-tom-kalinske-talks-about-his-time-overseeing-sega-as-its-ceo-in-the-90s-reveals-that-sega-passed-on-virtual-boy-technology-considered-releasing-3do|title=Tom Kalinske Talks About His Time Overseeing Sega As Its CEO In the 90s; Reveals That Sega Passed On Virtual Boy Technology, Considered Releasing 3DO|last1=Vinciguerra|first1=Robert|website=The Rev. Rob Times|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025155922/http://revrob.com/sci-tech/264-tom-kalinske-talks-about-his-time-overseeing-sega-as-its-ceo-in-the-90s-reveals-that-sega-passed-on-virtual-boy-technology-considered-releasing-3do|archive-date=October 25, 2015|access-date=September 21, 2015}}</ref>

Nintendo enthusiastically received the Private Eye, as led by [[Gunpei Yokoi]], the general manager of Nintendo's [[Nintendo Research & Development 1|R&D1]] and the inventor of the [[Game & Watch]] and [[Game Boy]] handheld consoles. He saw this as a unique technology that competitors would find difficult to emulate. Additionally, the resulting game console was intended to enhance Nintendo's reputation as an innovator<ref name="Unraveling the Enigma"/><ref name="Boyer">{{cite magazine |last=Boyer |first=Steven |title=A Virtual Failure: Evaluating the Success of Nintendos Virtual Boy |magazine=[[Velvet Light Trap]] |issue=64 |date=Fall 2009 |volume=64 |pages=23–33 |doi=10.1353/vlt.0.0039 |s2cid=190682178 |url=https://archive.org/details/VirtualFailure/mode/2up}}</ref> and to "encourage more creativity" in games.<ref name="Ultimate History of Video Games"/>{{rp|514}} Codenaming the project "VR32",<ref name="Unraveling the Enigma"/> Nintendo entered into an exclusive agreement with RTI to license its display technology.<ref name="GPro67">{{cite magazine|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/c/c7/GamePro_US_067.pdf|title=April Brings Virtual Boy|date=February 1995|magazine=[[GamePro]]|url-status=live|issue=67|page=162|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007040143/https://retrocdn.net/images/c/c7/GamePro_US_067.pdf|archive-date=October 7, 2018}}</ref> While Nintendo's [[Nintendo Research & Development 3|Research & Development 3 division]] (R&D3) was focused on developing the [[Nintendo 64]], the other two engineering units were free to experiment with new product ideas.<ref name="Boyer" />

Spending four years in development and eventually building a dedicated manufacturing plant in China,<ref name="Unraveling the Enigma"/> Nintendo worked to turn its VR32 vision into an affordable console design. Yokoi retained RTI's choice of red LED because it was the cheapest,<ref name="Boyer" /> and because unlike a backlit LCD, its perfect blackness could achieve a more immersive sense of infinite depth.<ref name="Unraveling the Enigma"/> RTI and Nintendo said a color LCD system would have been prohibitively expensive,<ref name="Unraveling the Enigma"/><ref name="Guardian Super Mario"/> retailing for more than {{USD|500|1995|long=yes|round=-1}}.<ref name="Ultimate History of Video Games"/>{{rp|514}} A color LCD system was also said to have caused "jumpy images in tests".<ref name="Guardian Super Mario"/> With ongoing concerns about motion sickness, the risk of developing [[Amblyopia|lazy eye]] conditions in young children, and Japan's new Product Liability Act of 1995, Nintendo eliminated the head tracking functionality and converted its headmounted goggle design into a stationary, heavy, precision steel-shielded, tabletop form factor conformant to the recommendation of the Schepens Eye Research Institute.<ref name="Unraveling the Enigma"/><ref name="Ultimate History of Video Games"/>{{rp|514}}

{{blockquote|[W]e experimented with a color LCD screen, but the users did not see depth, they just saw double. Color graphics give people the impression that a game is high tech. But just because a game has a beautiful display does not mean that the game is fun to play. ... Red uses less battery and red is easier to recognize. That is why red is used for traffic lights.|Gunpei Yokoi<ref name="Ultimate History of Video Games"/>{{rp|514}}}}

Several {{visible anchor|Technology demonstrations|text=technology demonstrations}} were used to show the Virtual Boy's capabilities. ''Driving Demo'' is one of the more advanced demos; its 30-second clip shows a first-person view of driving by road signs and palm trees. This demo was shown at [[Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3]] and [[Consumer Electronics Show|CES]] in 1995.<ref name="Driving">{{cite web |url=http://www.planetvb.com/modules/games/index.php?t002g |title=F1 Demo « Games « Planet Virtual Boy |publisher=Planetvb.com |access-date=November 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921065852/http://www.planetvb.com/modules/games/index.php?t002g |archive-date=September 21, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> The startup screen of the Virtual Boy prototype was shown at [[Nintendo Space World#Shoshinkai 1994|Shoshinkai 1994]].<ref name="Mario">{{cite web |url=http://www.planetvb.com/modules/games/index.php?t003g |title=Mario Demo « Games « Planet Virtual Boy |publisher=Planetvb.com |access-date=November 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921065824/http://www.planetvb.com/modules/games/index.php?t003g |archive-date=September 21, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="NP Jan 1995 VB">{{cite magazine|date=January 1995|title=Virtual Boy Is Born at Shoshinkai November, 1994|url=https://archive.org/stream/NintendoPower1988–2004/Nintendo%20Power%20Issue%20068%20%28January%201995%29#page/n77/mode/2up|magazine=[[Nintendo Power]]|issue=68|pages=52–53}}</ref> A "very confident" projection of "sales in Japan of three million hardware units and 14 million software units as of March 1996" was given to the press.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Nintendo+introduces+video+game+players+to+three-dimensional+worlds...-a015923459|title=Nintendo introduces video game players to "three-dimensional" worlds with new virtual reality video game system; 32-bit "Virtual Boy" shown at Shoshinkai Software Exhibition in Japan|date=November 14, 1994|publisher=BusinessWire|location=Tokyo, Japan|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327195123/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Nintendo+introduces+video+game+players+to+three-dimensional+worlds...-a015923459|archive-date=March 27, 2019|access-date=June 27, 2018}}</ref> The demo of what would have been a ''[[Star Fox]]'' game showed an [[Arwing]] doing various spins and motions.<ref name="Star Fox">{{cite web |url=http://www.planetvb.com/modules/games/index.php?t006g |title=Starfox Demo « Games « Planet Virtual Boy |publisher=Planetvb.com |access-date=November 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921065910/http://www.planetvb.com/modules/games/index.php?t006g |archive-date=September 21, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Cinematic camera angles were a key element, as they are in ''[[Star Fox 2]]''. It was shown at E3 and CES in 1995.

As a result of increasing competition for internal resources alongside the flagship Nintendo 64, and little involvement from lead game designer [[Shigeru Miyamoto]], Virtual Boy software was developed without Nintendo's full attention.<ref name="Unraveling the Enigma"/> According to [[David Sheff]]'s book ''[[Game Over (Sheff book)|Game Over]]'', the increasingly reluctant Yokoi never intended for the increasingly downscaled Virtual Boy to be released in its final form. However, Nintendo pushed it to market so that it could focus development resources on its next console, the [[Nintendo 64]].<ref name="Game Over by David Sheff">{{cite book | last1=Sheff|first1=David|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b_N5FzzD3hsC|title=Game Over: How Nintendo Zapped an American Industry, Captured Your Dollars, and Enslaved Your Children|last2=Eddy|first2=Andy|publisher=GamePress|year=1999|isbn=978-0-9669617-0-6|oclc=26214063|author-link=David Sheff}}</ref>

===Release===
''[[The New York Times]]'' previewed the Virtual Boy on November 13, 1994.<ref name="NYT Nintendo counts">{{cite news|first=John | last=Markoff|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/14/business/nintendo-counts-on-a-new-virtual-game.html|title=Nintendo Counts on a New 'Virtual' Game|newspaper=New York Times|page=2|date=November 14, 1994|access-date=August 25, 2020 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205015527/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/14/business/nintendo-counts-on-a-new-virtual-game.html | archive-date=February 5, 2018}}</ref> The console was officially announced via press release the next day, November 14. Nintendo promised that Virtual Boy would "totally immerse players into their own private universe".<ref name="press1">{{cite web |url=http://www.planetvb.com/modules/advertising/?r17 |title=Nintendo introduces video game players to three-dimensional worlds with new virtual reality video game system « Press Releases « Planet Virtual Boy |publisher=Planetvb.com |access-date=November 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628124825/https://www.planetvb.com/modules/advertising/?r17 |archive-date=June 28, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> Initial press releases and interviews about the system focused on its technological capabilities, avoiding discussion of the actual games that would be released.<ref name="Boyer" /> The system was demonstrated the next day at Nintendo's [[Nintendo Space World#Shoshinkai 1994|Shoshinkai 1994]] [[trade show]].<ref name="Boyer" /> [[Nintendo of America]] showed the Virtual Boy at the [[Consumer Electronics Show]] on January 6, 1995.<ref name="press1" />

Even with cost-saving measures in place, Nintendo priced the Virtual Boy at a relatively high {{USD|179.95|1994|round=-1}}.<ref name="Unraveling the Enigma">{{cite web|url=http://www.fastcompany.com/3050016/unraveling-the-enigma-of-nintendos-virtual-boy-20-years-later|title=Unraveling The Enigma Of Nintendo's Virtual Boy, 20 Years Later|last=Edwards|first=Benj|date=August 21, 2015|work=[[Fast Company]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707231258/https://www.fastcompany.com/3050016/unraveling-the-enigma-of-nintendos-virtual-boy-20-years-later|archive-date=July 7, 2018|access-date=December 21, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Boyer" /><ref name="Ultimate History of Video Games">{{cite book |last=Kent |first=Steven L. |author-link=Steven L. Kent |title=The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World |date=2002 |publisher=Random House International |location=New York |isbn=978-0-7615-3643-7 |oclc=59416169 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PTrcTeAqeaEC |pages=513–515, 518, 519, 523, 524 |access-date=October 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709060608/https://books.google.com/books?id=PTrcTeAqeaEC&printsec=frontcover |archive-date=July 9, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|513}} Though slightly less expensive and significantly less powerful than a home console, this was considerably more costly than the Game Boy handheld. With seemingly more advanced graphics than Game Boy, the Virtual Boy was not intended to replace the handheld in Nintendo's product line, as use of the Virtual Boy requires a steady surface and completely blocks the player's peripheral vision. ''[[Design News]]'' described the Virtual Boy as the logical evolution of the [[View-Master]] 3D image viewer.<ref>"BreakTime: Virtual Boy Updates the Viewmaster Idea." Design News. 6 (1995): 192.</ref>

The Virtual Boy was released on July 21, 1995, in Japan and on August 14, 1995, in North America<ref name="NYT Intro">{{cite news|title=Introduction by Nintendo|work=New York Times|page=D.7|date=August 22, 1995 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/22/business/introduction-by-nintendo.html |access-date=May 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707203354/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/22/business/introduction-by-nintendo.html |archive-date=July 7, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=February 2023|reason=August 16 does not seem to be present on the page in any way; it contains "introduced Virtual Boy today" and was printed on August 22, 1995.}}<ref name="launchdate">{{cite press release |author=<!--Not stated--> |title=VIRTUAL BOY LAUNCH DATE ANNOUNCED |url=https://www.virtual-boy.com/events/e3-1995/articles/733039/ |location= |publisher=Nintendo of America |agency= |date=May 11, 1995 |access-date=2023-02-15}}</ref> with the [[launch game]]s ''[[Mario's Tennis]]'', ''[[Red Alarm]]'', ''[[Teleroboxer]]'', and ''[[Galactic Pinball]]''.<ref name="LAT">{{cite news|last=Curtiss|first=Aaron|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-08-31-ca-40702-story.html?_amp=true|title=Valley Weekend; VIDEO GAMES; Virtual Boy a Blend of Familiar and Strange; although Hardware for the Latest Nintendo Offering is Odd and Cumbersome, the Play Action is Big and Loud|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|page=14|date=August 31, 1995|access-date=May 24, 2012|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308122012/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-08-31-ca-40702-story.html?_amp=true|url-status=live}}</ref> It was not released in PAL markets. In North America, Nintendo shipped ''[[Mario's Tennis]]'' with every Virtual Boy sold, as a [[pack-in game]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/dionisio/2833237521/sizes/o/in/photostream/ |title=Virtual Boy 'Third Dimension' Ad (1995)|publisher=Flickr |access-date=November 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904094440/https://www.flickr.com/photos/dionisio/2833237521/sizes/o/in/photostream/ |archive-date=September 4, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> Nintendo had initially projected sales of three million consoles and 14 million games.<ref name="press1" /> The system arrived later than other 32-bit systems like [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]], [[3DO Interactive Multiplayer|3DO]], and [[Sega Saturn|Saturn]], but at a lower price.<ref name="Guardian Super Mario" />

<!-- sales predictions and figures -->
At the system's release, Nintendo of America projected hardware sales of 1.5 million units and software sales numbering 2.5 million by the end of the year.<ref name="NYT Intro"/><ref name="WSJ">{{cite news|id={{ProQuest|398447594}} |title=Nintendo co.: U.S. unit begins shipping virtual boy video system|date=August 22, 1995|work=Wall Street Journal|page=B10-B10}}</ref> Nintendo had shipped 350,000 units of the Virtual Boy by December 1995, around three and a half months after its North American release.<ref name="Ty">{{cite news|author=Ahmad-Taylor, Ty|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/04/business/behind-the-scenesa-crowded-field-portable-video-games.html|title=A Crowded Field: Portable Video Games|work=New York Times|page=D5|date=December 4, 1995|access-date=May 24, 2012|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308142324/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/04/business/behind-the-scenesa-crowded-field-portable-video-games.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The system is number 5 on ''[[GamePro]]''{{'}}s "Top 10 Worst Selling Consoles of All Time" list in 2007.<ref name="gamepro">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamepro.com/gamepro/domestic/games/features/111823.shtml |title=The 10 Worst-Selling Consoles of All Time |access-date=November 25, 2007 |first=Blake | last=Snow |publisher=[[GamePro]]|date=May 4, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070508035815/http://www.gamepro.com/gamepro/domestic/games/features/111823.shtml |archive-date=May 8, 2007}}</ref>

<!-- additional development and end -->
The Virtual Boy had a short market timespan following its disappointing sales. The last game officially released for the Virtual Boy was ''[[3D Tetris]]'', released on March 22, 1996.<ref>{{cite web|title=''"3-D" Tetris'' for VBOY |website=[[GameSpot]]|access-date=January 21, 2009 |url=http://www.gamespot.com/virtualboy/puzzle/3dtetris/index.html| url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130204134955/http://www.gamespot.com/virtualboy/puzzle/3dtetris/index.html |archive-date=February 4, 2013}}</ref> More games were announced for the system at the [[Electronic Entertainment Expo]] in May 1996, but these games were never released.<ref name="Boyer" /> The Virtual Boy was discontinued on December 22, 1995, in Japan and August 1996 in North America without any announcement.<ref name="Boyer" /><ref name="gamepro"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Benj |date=August 21, 2015 |title=Unraveling The Enigma Of Nintendo's Virtual Boy, 20 Years Later |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3050016/unraveling-the-enigma-of-nintendos-virtual-boy-20-years-later |access-date=February 19, 2023 |website=Fast Company |archive-date=February 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220044534/https://www.fastcompany.com/3050016/unraveling-the-enigma-of-nintendos-virtual-boy-20-years-later |url-status=live }}</ref> In June 1996, Nintendo reported to ''[[Famitsu]]'' worldwide sales of 770,000 Virtual Boy units, including 140,000 in Japan.<ref name="Famitsu Express"/> ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' reported that 13,000 Virtual Boy units were sold in December 1996.<ref name="Life in the Old Dogs Yet">{{cite magazine | title=Life in the Old Dogs Yet? | magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] | url=http://www.next-generation.com:80/news/020697c.chtml | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970606032050/http://www.next-generation.com/news/020697c.chtml | archive-date=June 6, 1997 | access-date=June 27, 2018}}</ref>

===Promotion===
Nintendo extensively advertised the Virtual Boy and claimed to have spent {{USD|25 million}} on early promotional activities.<ref name="Boyer" /> Advertising promoted the system as a paradigm shift from past consoles; some pieces used [[Caveman|cavemen]] to indicate a historical evolution, while others utilized psychedelic imagery. Nintendo targeted an older audience with advertisements for the Virtual Boy, shifting away from the traditional child-focused approach it had employed in the past.<ref name="Boyer" /> Nintendo portrayed the system as a type of virtual reality, as its name indicates. Nintendo also focused on the technological aspects of the new console in its press releases, neglecting to detail specific games.<ref name="Boyer" />

Challenged by showing three-dimensional gameplay on two-dimensional advertisements, the company partnered with [[Blockbuster (retailer)|Blockbuster]] and [[NBC]].<ref name="Boyer" /><ref name="GPro83">{{cite magazine|date=August 1995|title=At the Deadline|url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_073_August_1995/page/n119/mode/2up|magazine=[[GamePro]]|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|issue=83|page=118}}</ref> A {{US$|5 million|long=no}} campaign promoted NBC's late 1995 lineup alongside the Virtual Boy.<ref name="NYT addenda">{{cite news |first=Elliott |last=Stuart |title=THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING -- ADDENDA; CBS and NBC Take Promotion Partners |work=New York Times |date=June 1, 1995 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/08/business/media-business-advertising-addenda-good-war-comes-good-marketing-opportunities.html |access-date=August 25, 2020 |archive-date=May 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526142523/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/08/business/media-business-advertising-addenda-good-war-comes-good-marketing-opportunities.html |url-status=live }}</ref> American viewers were encouraged via television advertisements on NBC to rent the console for $10 at a local Blockbuster. This affordable demonstration<ref name="Boyer" /> provided 750,000 consoles for rent, some in a clamshell Blockbuster case.<ref name="Mediaweek">{{cite news|title=Nintendo/Nickelodeon/Blockbuster|work=Mediaweek|volume=6|issue=30|date=1996|pages=36–|publisher=ABI/INFORM Global|via=ProQuest|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/213638266/3957B3B8A4424A83PQ/|access-date=August 25, 2020|archive-date=February 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207095415/https://www.proquest.com/docview/213638266/3957B3B8A4424A83PQ|url-status=live}}</ref> Upon returning the unit, renters received a coupon for $10 off its purchase from any store.<ref name="GPro83"/><ref name=BB>{{cite magazine|title=Vid Game Promos As Entertaining As Game|last=Gillen|first=Marilyn A.|date=August 26, 1995|magazine=Billboard|page=98|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wAsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA98|via=[[Google Books]]|access-date=August 25, 2020|archive-date=February 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207095407/https://books.google.com/books?id=wAsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA98|url-status=live}}</ref> The promotion included 3,000 Blockbuster locations, and sweepstakes with prizes including trips to see the taping of NBC shows.<ref name="NYT addenda" /> The popular rental system proved harmful to the Virtual Boy's long-term success, allowing gamers to see just how non-immersive the console was.<ref name="Boyer" /> By mid-1996, Blockbuster was selling its Virtual Boy units at $50 each.<ref name="EGM86">{{cite magazine|date=September 1996|title=Gaming Gossip|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/2/2e/EGM_US_086.pdf|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=86|page=34|access-date=September 12, 2020|archive-date=August 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821193530/https://retrocdn.net/images/2/2e/EGM_US_086.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The marketing campaign overall was commonly thought of as a failure.<ref name="Tomb Space">{{cite book |last1=King |first1=Geoff |last2=Krzywinska |first2=Tanya |year=2006 |title=Tomb Raiders and Space Invaders : Videogame Forms and Contexts}}</ref>