Virtual Boy: Any Yay, or All Nay?

LBD_Nytetrayn

Ok, so I haven't touched a Virtual Boy since they were on display at Blockbuster over a decade ago, and I hear they've become sought-after as collector's items of a sort. I might be able to get one at a decent enough price, but I'm still a little unsure.

I'm most curious about Wario Land for it, which I've heard different things about, but it seems to command the most money of anything on the system. Has anyone here played through that? And if so, what are your thoughts? Is it worth getting the system just for that one game? (Be nice if Nintendo remade it as Wii Ware with 3D graphics or something)

Or are there any other games that weren't so bad after all? Needless to say, I'm wondering if this is worth pursuing now, or just waiting until I have tons of money to pitter away just for the sake of "collecting."

Clearly, no one thought it was worth the... what, $180? it was asking when it came out, with the N64 right around the corner, but what about secondhand today? Is $20 a good price for the unit? What's good for the Wario Land game? I've seen that command more than the system in some cases.

And are counterfeit games even a problem for this? Is there anything else worth considering?

Improvolone

I got it as a Christmas present when it came out. It just looks cool. Well worth $20 even if you play it for three hours.
Just always have it on display.

Burtletoy

Mario Tennis rocks pretty hardcore if I remember my friends Virtua Boy from back in the day, and don't listen to those chumps that say that Red Alarm is anything other that garbage. Seriously I've never been able to tell the red lines of the plane apart from the red lines of everything else in that game.

Shooter Mcgavin

I love this thing. Get two of 'em, and play Mario Tennis with a friend. Best multiplayer tennis experience EVAR.

TOPolk

I've got one. Had it since late 96 when Nintendo decided they were done with it. I begged mom for one at launch... Let's just say she's a better judge of success than I am. We wound up picking on up from Walmart for $30 and nine of the 14 games for $5 each. At the time Walmart was trying to clear out all of its VB related stock. If I would have known that a decade later it would have been a collector's item, I wouldn't have been so picky. I definitely left Virtual League Baseball, Golf, and Mario Clash sitting on the shelf.

However out of the games I do have none of them are complete garbage -- except Red Alarm. Imagine playing Star Fox, but instead of polygons you have nothing but vectors. Throw in horrible collision detection, bad music, and a framerate somewhere in the single digits and you have Red Alarm.

The rest of the collection is fairly average. VB WarioLand and Panic Bomber standing above the rest. 3D Tetris and Vertical Force (a 3D shmup) are pretty solid as well. VB WarioLand is good fun for a few hours, but there's nothing overly "3D" about it. Why it hasn't been ported to the GBA is beyond me.

Legacy

Mario Tennis and Teleroboxer are awesome.

MegaMan001

I rented the Virtual Boy once and I had a really good time with the boxing game and Mario tennis.

TubularLuggage

VB WarioLand is good fun for a few hours, but there's nothing overly "3D" about it. Why it hasn't been ported to the GBA is beyond me.

My money would be on Nintendo still trying to deny that the virtual boy ever existed.

I may be picking up a virtual boy of my own from a friend of mine who just bought 3 from someone. They're all in perfect working order.

FyreWulff

LBD_Nytetrayn wrote: »

Ok, so I haven't touched a Virtual Boy since they were on display at Blockbuster over a decade ago, and I hear they've become sought-after as collector's items of a sort. I might be able to get one at a decent enough price, but I'm still a little unsure.

I'm most curious about Wario Land for it, which I've heard different things about, but it seems to command the most money of anything on the system. Has anyone here played through that? And if so, what are your thoughts? Is it worth getting the system just for that one game? (Be nice if Nintendo remade it as Wii Ware with 3D graphics or something)

Or are there any other games that weren't so bad after all? Needless to say, I'm wondering if this is worth pursuing now, or just waiting until I have tons of money to pitter away just for the sake of "collecting."

Clearly, no one thought it was worth the... what, $180? it was asking when it came out, with the N64 right around the corner, but what about secondhand today? Is $20 a good price for the unit? What's good for the Wario Land game? I've seen that command more than the system in some cases.

And are counterfeit games even a problem for this? Is there anything else worth considering?

I wouldn't pay more than 20$ for one, that's what Toys R Us was selling them for after it crashed.

And since you wanted to know, it was 300$ when it came out, although it might have had a last second cut to 250$.

Ah_Pook

it will hurt your eyes, i wouldnt recommend getting one for anything beyond novelty display value

Shooter Mcgavin

Ah_Pook wrote: »

it will hurt your eyes, i wouldnt recommend getting one for anything beyond novelty display value

It seems to depend on the person. This was not true in my case.

Cameron_Talley

I payed $30 for mine. $20 is a good price. Make sure it works first, though.

Games I have: Mario Tennis (good), Red Alarm (I liked this one...apparently someone above did not), Wario Land (great platformer, but it will make your eyes hurt to play it as long as you need to play a platformer for), and Vertical Force (a Shmup).

I play mine every now and then when I'm feeling nostalgic. It's obvious to see why it failed, but the games themselves aren't too bad.

Inzigna

Paid.

On that note, what the hell is a Virtual Boy, I believe it was before my time. Seems to me it was a retarded child of Nintendo's.

Raiden333

Inzigna wrote: »

Paid.

On that note, what the hell is a Virtual Boy, I believe it was before my time. Seems to me it was a retarded child of Nintendo's.

Edit: That's right. Two D-pads.

Bionic Monkey

I still remember when everyone was proclaiming the DS to be the second coming of the Virtual Boy.

FyreWulff

Bionic Monkey wrote: »

I still remember when everyone was proclaiming the DS to be the second coming of the Virtual Boy.

"You'll be able to walk in on Wii launch day and get one".

Burtletoy

FyreWulff wrote: »

Bionic Monkey wrote: »

I still remember when everyone was proclaiming the DS to be the second coming of the Virtual Boy.

"You'll be able to walk in on Wii launch day and get one".

I was SO banking on that idea, didn't get one till like 6 months later.

Edit: By camping out for like 20min at 9am

Inzigna

To the kind soul who posted pictures of the Virtual Boy. Thank you.

Thank you and what the fuck was that.

Sheep

I liked the Virtual Boy. Was pretty smooth and detailed for it's time. Just... the Red. Lawd.

Shooter Mcgavin

Inzigna wrote: »

what the fuck was that.

The geatest piece of video game hardware you will never play.

AbsoluteZero

The sad thing about Virtual Boy...



When it died, it took the Mario Land series with it.

powersurge

One thing to note if your buying used is the stand's center plastic piece over time can tend to crack a little.

ArcSyn

Virtual Boy was awesome, and the closest we'll be to in-home virtual reality for a while yet.

I'm still mad at my friend for throwing it away when he moved.

leaf

I'd pay $20 for one of these, would give me a reason to cleanup the coffee table for some display space.

CZroe

I did play through Wario and I loved every second. It was the first good Wario game (yes, I am dissing SML3:Wario Land). Get it, Mario Clash, and Mario Tennis (the pack-in).

Word to the wise: The VB stands crack even with non-use. Nintendo no longer carries them so it is now the most important part for a collector. If yours is not cracked, DO NOT USE IT. Do not even display your VB with it. If you must, take a plastic brace from the elbow of the stand and fit it at the mechanical hinge instead. My replacement stand was never used and I did this but it cracked anyway (albeit, at a slightly different place). Nintendo's parts store will never restock. Someone needs to make some after-market VB stands.

Shooter Mcgavin wrote: »

I love this thing. Get two of 'em, and play Mario Tennis with a friend. Best multiplayer tennis experience EVAR.

The link cable was never released and there was never a confirmed 2p mode in Mario Tennis AFAIK. Nintendo suggested that a girl's little brother would "swing a mean racket" when he turned 7 and could play his own VB, but that's hardly confirmation.

Saddler

Teleroboxer made the best use of the 2 d-pads.

CZroe

The two D-Pads were the precursor to a "3D control stick" (as Nintendo calls the N64 thumbstick). They figured that they'd need a control method for the added degrees of freedom/depth.

FyreWulff wrote: »

LBD_Nytetrayn wrote: »

Ok, so I haven't touched a Virtual Boy since they were on display at Blockbuster over a decade ago, and I hear they've become sought-after as collector's items of a sort. I might be able to get one at a decent enough price, but I'm still a little unsure.

I'm most curious about Wario Land for it, which I've heard different things about, but it seems to command the most money of anything on the system. Has anyone here played through that? And if so, what are your thoughts? Is it worth getting the system just for that one game? (Be nice if Nintendo remade it as Wii Ware with 3D graphics or something)

Or are there any other games that weren't so bad after all? Needless to say, I'm wondering if this is worth pursuing now, or just waiting until I have tons of money to pitter away just for the sake of "collecting."

Clearly, no one thought it was worth the... what, $180? it was asking when it came out, with the N64 right around the corner, but what about secondhand today? Is $20 a good price for the unit? What's good for the Wario Land game? I've seen that command more than the system in some cases.

And are counterfeit games even a problem for this? Is there anything else worth considering?

I wouldn't pay more than 20$ for one, that's what Toys R Us was selling them for after it crashed.

And since you wanted to know, it was 300$ when it came out, although it might have had a last second cut to 250$.

What country do you live in? In the US, it was $30 and TRU in the end and it launched for $180. I still have the 3D issue of Nintendo Power (glasses FTW).

Shooter Mcgavin

Oh man. That's a screenshot of the cancelled "Zero Racers", a spinoff of F-Zero. It was originally designed by someone who played the first 5 seconds of Star Fox, where you're zipping down that tunnel with the loudspeaker blaring "EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!" and they thought "Man, I'd like to play a whole game of JUST this."

brynstar

I got one of these after it crashed, and really loved the thing. I was super-obsessed with the idea of VR at the time.

My favorite games were Mario Tennis, Teleroboxer, and weirdly, Waterworld.

If they made another VB, I'd buy it.

EDIT: Tetris was also pretty fantastic.

Tal

This is a good thread. You reminded me of the fleeting awesome that is / was the Virtual Boy *and* you did it while I'm visiting my parents so I can actually dig through the closet to find it.

I don't think I ever used that stand. I would always play while laying down and just resting the visor on my face.

But yes, for $20 you should buy it. I think that's what I paid when I got mine, plus the $5 per game or so. Even it was crap I knew it'd be fun long enough to justify the cost. Some of those games were a pleasant surprise.

Bionic Monkey

Christ, where do you people find these things for $20? Last time I checked on eBay, these things still went for $80+.

taliosfalcon

the thing i remember most vividly about the virtual boy was popping two extra strength tylenol to stave off the inevitable crippling headaches whenever I wanted to play mario tennis. It was truly the masochist's system

Deusfaux

Wario Land is probably one of the better or best platformers of all time.

Red Alarm
Teleroboxer
and Galactic Pinball

are all tops

xWonderboyx

I had one displayed on top of a book shelf in my room when I was in college. I played it every now and then and had some decent fun.

Then my house burned down and the thing melted into a pile of black and red plastic goo.

R.I.P. Virtual Boy (just mine).

Edit: This was back in '04

Gosling

I tried one of these at this year's Midwest Gaming Classic.

At least, I attempted to try it, but my eyes did not even hold out long enough for me to grab a controller.

.la1n

the bomberman puzzle game pretty addicting as well, can't remember the name of it tho.

Sharp10r

brynstar wrote: »

I got one of these after it crashed, and really loved the thing. I was super-obsessed with the idea of VR at the time.

I'm still obsessed with the idea of VR. Never had a Virtual Boy, but I would snatch one up for $20 in a heartbeat just for the novelty factor!

Sterica

I remember seeing them on sale. For some reason I also think of that Sega edutainment system whenever I hear of the VB. What was it called? Pico?

Sheep

xWonderboyx wrote: »

I had one displayed on top of a book shelf in my room when I was in college. I played it every now and then and had some decent fun.

Then my house burned down and the thing melted into a pile of black and red plastic goo.

R.I.P. Virtual Boy (just mine).

Edit: This was back in '04

Didn't you post pics of the rubble? If so, I remember that. Was horrible. My soul ached for you and your virtual boy.

the bomberman puzzle game pretty addicting as well, can't remember the name of it tho.

Panic Bomber.

And yeah. That edutainment system was the Pico.

slash000

Games I own and recommend you get:

Galactic Pinball
Mario Clash
Mario Tennis
Panic Bomber
Red Alarm
Teleroboxer
Vertical Force
Wario Land


Games that I remember reading about being good, but never bought:

Nester's Funky Bowling - d'no, GamePro loved it
Virtual League Baseball - Some people love this game, others hate it
Waterworld - This is a weird yet really fun arcade-style game. It's kinda repetitive but really fun in short bursts


I also remember good things about these, reading about them, but I don't know anything about them:
Jack Bros
3D tetris

LBD_Nytetrayn

Sleep wrote: »

I liked the Virtual Boy. Was pretty smooth and detailed for it's time. Just... the Red. Lawd.

Which reminds me; anyone know of the games were actually made in red, or if it was just the lenses you look through that made it appear that way?

AbsoluteZero wrote: »

The sad thing about Virtual Boy...



When it died, it took the Mario Land series with it.

That one saddened me, in a way. Some relief, as since it never came out, I didn't miss it, but still... that, and the Zelda-like top-down stuff looked pretty cool:

Tal wrote: »

This is a good thread. You reminded me of the fleeting awesome that is / was the Virtual Boy *and* you did it while I'm visiting my parents so I can actually dig through the closet to find it.

Thanks, and you're welcome.

Bionic Monkey wrote: »

Christ, where do you people find these things for $20? Last time I checked on eBay, these things still went for $80+.

Believe it or not? eBay. That's why I wanted to be a little more educated in the matter before proceeding.