the

Encyclopedia Book
 DaddaRuleKonge
This is book is made for people who collect for or are interested in
the VirtualBoy. I made this book cause` I like to catalog and catego-
rize stuff, and to learn more about the system.
I have tried to make the book well presented and easy to look
through. If you are happy with the book then please look at some of
the web-sites on the “Reference Guide” page. Find a site that you
like and give them some spending money.
If you are annoyed, or the owner of some of the content i took from
you, send an email to me: sennep@hotmail.com. The book is free,
and I hope the information and pictures I use comes under free-use.
I hope you will get some use of this book, and maybe help you in
your quest on collecting, or just having fun with this great system.

Similar books/PDF`s in the same format are books on NES, SNES,

PSX, SMS, N64, GC, Game&Watch, NeoGeo, including several
other book in the same vein, from TMNT toys to Point and Click
games.
http://daddarulekonge.itch.io/
DaddaRuleKonge.com

NoCopyright © 2014 by DaddaRuleKonge

All rights are NOT reserved. EVERY part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher. I do not own anything in
this book. You use part of this publication on your OWN RISK though. As places in this book may have a copyright by the original owner.
 CONTENT

Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Refrence Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Virtual Boy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1. Virtual Boy Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2. Unreleased Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3. System packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
4. Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
5. Unreleased Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
6. Check-List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

6
 Refrence Guide

Most of the information is pure transcript. I have tried to give credit to the web-sites i have used. I know that
having a poor knowledge of the english language is no excuse to take others material. But what`s a guy to do.
Information is free, right? If owners of content in this book feel used, then please e-mail me, and i will make the
necessary adjustment to suit your wish.

Planet Virtual boy

Web-site: http://www.planetvb.com/modules/newbb/
“a 3-D site for a 3-D world”
The biggest and one of the few Virtual Boy sites. This is the site I mainly
used, not including Wikipeida, when researching for the Virtual Boy. It is a
great site for information and pictures of the console. Also clean and nice
to look at.

Video Game Console Library

Web-site: http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/index.html
A great site dedicated to providing detailed information, history, pictures,
videos and objective reviews for both the classic and current generation
systems, including the Virtual Boy.

Nintendo Wiki

Web-site: http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Nintendo_Wiki
A big wikipedia site on everything Nintendo, including Virtual Boy.

8
 wikipedia.com

In the early 1990s, Nintendo and Sega Initial press releases and interviews about
had seen success with their 16-bit con- the system focused on its technologi-
soles but the games market had stalled. cal capabilities, avoiding discussion of
There was still a period of delay before the actual games that would be released.
the 32-bit consoles would launch, and The company entered into an exclusive
competitors such as the PlayStation were agreement with Reflection Technology
readying for launch. In this context, Nin- to license the technology for the Scanned
tendo and Sega hoped “to reignite the Linear Array displays.
market for their games.”
Problems emerged when Nintendo at-
The New York Times previewed the Vir- tempted to turn its vision into an afforda-
tual Boy on November 13, 1994. The ble console, searching for low-cost hard-
console was officially announced via press release hardware components. Yokoi opted for red LEDs be-
the next day, November 14. Nintendo promised that cause they were the cheapest; Nintendo said a color
Virtual Boy would “totally immerse players into display would have been prohibitively expensive.
their own private universe.” The system was for- Color was also said to have caused “jumpy images
mally unveiled the next day at the Shoshinkai Show. in tests.” Even with cost-saving measures in place,
Nintendo of America showed the Virtual Boy at the Nintendo priced the Virtual Boy at a relatively high
Consumer Electronics Show on 6 January 1995. US$180. While slightly less expensive than a home
console (and significantly less powerful), this was
While Nintendo’s Research & Development 3 divi-
considerably more costly than the Game Boy hand-
sion (R&D3) was focused on developing the Ninten-
held.
do 64, the other two engineering units were free to
experiment with new product ideas. The Virtual Boy With seemingly more advanced graphics, the Virtual
was designed by Gunpei Yokoi, the general manager Boy was not intended to replace the Game Boy in
of Nintendo’s R&D1, and the inventor of the Game Nintendo’s product line, as use of the system requires
& Watch and Game Boy handheld consoles. He saw a steady surface and completely blocks the player’s
the Virtual Boy as a unique technology that competi- peripheral vision. According to David Sheff’s book
tors would find difficult to emulate. Additionally, the Game Over, Yokoi never actually intended for the
console was intended to enhance Nintendo’s reputa- console to be released in its ultimate form. However,
tion as an innovator. Nintendo pushed the Virtual Boy to market so that it
10
could focus development resources on the Nintendo
64. Design News described the Virtual Boy as the
logical evolution of the View-Master 3-dimensional
image viewer.
A number of technology demonstrations were used
to show what the Virtual Boy was capable of. Driv-
ing Demo was one of the more advanced demos; its
30-second clip showed a first-person view of driving
by road signs and palm trees. This demo was shown
at E3 and CES in 1995. The start-up screen of the
Virtual Boy Prototype was shown at Shoshinkai in
1994. The demo of what would have been a Star Fox
game showed a Star Fox-like Arwing doing various
spins and motions. Cinematic camera angles were
a key element, as they were in Star Fox 2. It was
shown at E3 and CES in 1995.

Nintendo extensively advertised the Virtual Boy,

and claimed to have spent US$25 million on early
promotional activities. Advertising promoted the
system as a paradigm shift from past consoles; some
pieces used cavemen to indicate a historical evo- in a coordinated effort. A $5 million campaign pro-
lution, while others utilized psychedelic imagery. moted NBC’s fall lineup alongside the Virtual Boy.
Nintendo targeted an older audience with advertise- American viewers were encouraged via television
ments for the Virtual Boy, shifting away from the advertisements on NBC to rent the console for
traditional focus on children it had employed in the US$10 at a local Blockbuster. This made it afford-
past. able for a large number of gamers to try the system,
Nintendo portrayed the system as a type of virtual and produced 750,000 rentals. 3,000 Blockbuster
reality, as its name indicates; it was to be more than locations were included in the promotion, which in-
just another gaming console. Nintendo also focused cluded a sweepstakes with prizes including trips to
on the technological aspects of the new console in its see the taping of NBC shows. Despite its popular-
press releases, neglecting to detail specific games. ity, the rental system proved harmful to the Virtual
Boy’s long-term success, allowing gamers to see
Confronted with the challenge of showing 3-dimen- just how un-immersive the console was. Taken as
sional gameplay on 2-dimensional advertisements, a whole, the marketing campaign was commonly
the company partnered with Blockbuster and NBC thought of as a failure.
11
The Virtual Boy was released on July 21, 1995 in Hardware
Japan and on August 14, 1995 in North America
The Virtual Boy was Nintendo’s first 32-bit system.
with the launch titles Mario’s Tennis, Red Alarm,
The Virtual Boy system uses a pair of 1×224 lin-
Teleroboxer, and Galactic Pinball. It was not re-
ear arrays (one per eye) and rapidly scans the ar-
leased in PAL markets. In North America, Nintendo
ray across the eye’s field of view using flat oscil-
shipped Mario’s Tennis with every Virtual Boy sold,
lating mirrors. These mirrors vibrate back and forth
as a pack-in game. Nintendo had initially projected
at a very high speed, thus the mechanical humming
sales of 3 million consoles and 14 million games.
noise from inside the unit. Each Virtual Boy game
The system arrived later than other 32-bit systems
cartridge has a yes/no option to automatically pause
from Sony, 3DO, and Sega, but at a lower price.
every 15–30 minutes so that the player may take a
At the system’s release, Nintendo of America pro- break before any injuries to the eyes. One speaker
jected hardware sales of 1.5 million units and soft- per ear provides the player with audio.
ware sales numbering 2.5 million by the end of the
year. Nintendo had shipped 350,000 units of the Vir-
Display
tual Boy by December 1995, around three and a half
months after its North American release. The system The Virtual Boy was
made number 5 on GamePro ‘​s the “Top 10 Worst the first video game
Selling Consoles of All Time” list in 2007. console that was sup-
posed to be capable of
The Virtual Boy did not live very long following its
displaying “true 3D graphics” out of the box, in a
disappointing sales. The last official title to be re-
form of virtual reality. Whereas most video games
leased for the Virtual Boy was 3D Tetris, released
use monocular cues to achieve the illusion of three
on March 22, 1996. Nintendo announced additional
dimensions on a two-dimensional screen, the Virtual
titles for the system at the Electronic Entertainment
Boy creates an illusion of depth through the effect
Expo in 1996, but these games never saw the light of
known as parallax. In a manner similar to using a
day. The Virtual Boy was discontinued in late 1995
head-mounted display, the user looks into an eye-
in Japan and in early 1996 in North America. Nin-
piece made of neoprene on the front of the machine,
tendo killed the system without fanfare, avoiding an
and then an eyeglass-style projector allows viewing
official press release.
of the monochromatic (in this case, red) image. Nin-
tendo claimed that a color display would have made
the system too expensive and resulted in “jumpy”
images, so the company opted for a monochrome
display.

12
 Control Connectivity
The Virtual Boy was During development, Nintendo promised the ability
meant to be used sit- to link systems for competitive play. The system’s
ting down at a table, EXT (extension) port, located on the underside of
although Nintendo the system below the controller port, was never of-
said it would release ficially supported since no “official” multiplayer
a harness for players games were ever published, nor was an official link
to use while standing. cable released. (Although Waterworld and Faceball
One of the unique features of the controller is the were going to use the EXT port for multiplayer play,
extendable power supply that slides onto the back. the multiplayer features in the former were removed
It houses the six AA batteries required to power the and the latter was canceled.)
system. This can be substituted with a wall adapter,
though a “slide-on” attachment is required for the
switchout. Once the slide-on adapter is installed, a
power adapter can be attached to provide constant
power.
The Virtual Boy, being a system with heavy empha-
sis on three-dimensional movement, needed a con-
troller that could operate along a Z axis. The Virtual
Boy’s controller was an attempt to implement dual
digital “D-pads” to control elements in the afore-
mentioned 3D environment. The controller itself is
shaped like an “M” (similar to a Nintendo 64 con-
troller). One holds onto either side of the controller
and the part that dips down in the middle contains
the battery pack.
In more traditional 2-dimensional games, the two
directional pads are interchangeable. For others
with a more 3D environment, like Red Alarm, 3D
Tetris, or Teleroboxer, each pad controls a different
feature. The symmetry of the controller also allows
left-handed gamers to reverse the controls (similar
to the Atari Lynx).

13
 Games
Nintendo initially showcased three games for the
Virtual Boy. They planned to release three titles at
launch, and two or three per month thereafter. Giv-
en the system’s short lifespan, only 22 games were
released. Of them, 19 games were released in the
Japanese market, while 14 were released in North
America.
When asked if Virtual Boy games were going to be
available for download on the Virtual Console for
the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo of America President
Reggie Fils-Aime said he could not answer, as he
was unfamiliar with the platform. He noted that, giv-
en his lack of familiarity, he would be hard-pressed
to make the case for inclusion of the games on the
Virtual Console.

1. 15
 3D Tetris 6.9
Developer T&E Soft
Publisher Nintendo
Release date (us) March 22, 1996
Genre Puzzle
“Value” $39.99

A version was planned for Japanese markets, called Polygo

Block (meaning literally Polygonal Block). However, produc-
tion of games was ceased due to lack of interest in the Virtual
Boy system. This was the last game released on the Virtual Boy
in North America.
This version of the game of Tetris uses a three-dimensional play-
ing field as opposed to the traditional two dimensions.
Rarity US: 5

Bomberman: Panic Bomber 7.4

Developer Hudson Soft
Publisher Hudson Soft
Release date (us) December, 1995
(jp) July 21, 1995
Genre Puzzle
“Value” $19.49

Bomberman: Panic Bomber was originally developed for the PC

Engine CD-ROM and later ported to the Neo Geo and Virtual
Boy, where it was known simply as Panic Bomber.
The game is a “falling blocks” puzzle game based on the Bomb-
erman franchise. The goal of the game is essentially to cause the
opponent to lose by causing their gameplay field to fill to the top
Rarity US: 2
Rarity JP: 2 with objects.

16 1.
 8.1 Galactic Pinball
Developer Intelligent Systems
Publisher Nintendo
Release date (us) August 14, 1995
(jp) July 21, 1995
Genre Pinball
“Value” $10.50

Galactic Pinball often known for its Space Harrier-esque tagline

that comes at the end of the intro: “Welcome to the space world.
Let’s go!”, as well as a hidden Metroid themed bonus stage.
Galactic Pinball is based on the rules of pinball and players user
flippers to control a ball and keep it in-bounds. It is a relatively
simple pinball game, containing only five tables on which play-
ers play for a high score. Rarity US: 3
Rarity JP: 3

6.1 Golf
Developer T&E Soft
Publisher (JP) T&E Soft/Nintendo
Release date (us) November 1995
(jp) August 11, 1995
Genre Sports
“Value” $14.82

Golf was directed by Tadashi Nakatsuji and its sound specialist

was Ken Kojima. It was released within months of the Virtual
Boy console. Nintendo cut Virtual Boy’s price multiple times,
one drop coinciding with Golf’s release.
The game uses standard golf rules and is set in the fictional 18-
hole Papillion Golf & Country Club.
Rarity US: 3
Rarity JP: 2

1. 17
 Jack Bros. 8.4
Developer Atlus
Publisher Atlus
Release date (us) October 1995
(jp) September 29, 1995
Genre Action
“Value” $272.60

Jack Bros. was the first game in the Megami Tensei series to be
released in the United States.
Jack Bros. allows players to play as one of characters - Jack Frost,
Jack Lantern, or Jack Skelton. The game uses an over-head style
similar to the Gauntlet series of video games and uses a three-
dimensional red-and-black presentation.
Rarity US: 7
Rarity JP: 4

Innsmouth no Yakata 6.4

Developer Be Top
Publisher I’Max
Release date (jp) October 13, 1995
Genre First-person shooter
“Value” $xx

Insmouse no Yakata is an action game where the player must

survive many mazes filled with mutated monsters.
The goal of each maze is to first find a key and then locate the
exit door while avoiding monsters when possible. Finishing a
level quickly will put the player on the path of harder mazes as
well as the best ending.

Rarity JP: 7

18 1.
 7.3 Mario Clash
Developer Nintendo R&D1
Publisher Nintendo
Release date (us) October 1, 1995
(jp) September 28, 1995
Genre Platform, Action
“Value” $21.24

Mario Clash was developed by Nintendo R&D1, with director

Gunpei Yokoi, the same team that was responsible for the devel-
opment of the Virtual Boy itself. The game is a 3D reimagining
of the original Mario Bros. game.
Reception for the game was mixed, with reviewers feeling that
while the Virtual Boy hardware itself held the game back, it had
its positive traits as well. Rarity US: 3
Rarity JP: 4

7.4 Mario’s Tennis

Developer Nintendo R&D1
Publisher Nintendo
Release date (us) August 14, 1995
(jp) July 21, 1995
Genre Sports
“Value” $5.99

Mario’s Tennis was released at the launch of the Virtual Boy,

and even as a pack-in game in North America. As such, the
North American game never had a original game box, though the
Blockbuster chain had some for display purposes.
Mario’s Tennis is a sports game in which the player controls one
of seven different Mario characters and engages in tennis match-
es. Rarity US: 2
Rarity JP: 1

1. 19
 Nester’s Funky Bowling 6.5
Developer Saffire Corporation
Publisher Nintendo
Release date (us) February 26, 1996
Genre Sports
“Value” $29.99

Nester’s Funky Bowling was only released in North America,

and it was the second-last game released for the system before it
was discontinued.
Players control Nester, a character from the Nintendo Power
comics, or his twin sister Hester, as they compete to see who is
superior. It features standard bowling mechanics and rules, en-
couraging players to get 300 pins . It has three modes of play
Rarity US: 5 - Bowling, Challenge, and Practice.

Red Alarm 8.4

Developer T&E Soft
Publisher Nintendo
Release date (us) August 14, 1995
(jp) July 21, 1995
Genre Shooter
“Value” $12.99

Red Alarm takes place 70 years in the future (from the game’s
release), where a computer named KAOS threatens to take over
the world and destroy mankind. The player’s mission is to enter
KAOS using a Tech-Wing Fighter plane and destroy it.
The game is set in a full 3D environment, using wire frame graph-
ics similar to those used in games like Atari’s Battlezone and Star
Rarity US: 2 Wars arcade games, as well as Starglider and X.
Rarity JP: 2

20 1.
 6.4 SD Gundam Dimension War
Developer Locomotive Corporation
Publisher Bandai
Release date (jp) December
Genre Turn-based strategy
“Value” $650.00

Each mission in the game begins with both armies arranged on a

square grid. The player can move their Gundams in close to at-
tack, try to hit a target from long range, or hide in an attempt to
ambush the enemy on their turn.
SD Gundam Dimension War is one of console’s rarest games.
Along with Virtual Bowling this game was the last video game
officially released for the Virtual Boy in Japan.

Rarity JP: 10

7.5 Space Invaders Virtual Collection

Developer Taito
Publisher Taito
Release date (jp) December 1, 1995
Genre Shooting
“Value” $xx

Space Invaders: Virtual Collection features 2D and 3D versions

of the original game and Space Invaders Part II.
Two challenge modes are available for both games: Time attack,
where the player is tasked with clearing a screen as fast as pos-
sible on a single life, and Score attack, where the player aims for
the highest score possible on only three lives, with an extra life
awarded every 1,500 points.

Rarity JP: 8

1. 21
 Space Squash 8.5
Developer Tomcat System
Publisher Coconuts Japan
Release date (jp) September 29, 1995
Genre Sports
“Value” $46.67

The plot of Space Squash revolves arounf an intergalactic Squash

tournament, being held in space, and champions from all corners
of the galaxy compete.
Space Squash is a first person Squash game, similar in game-play
to Super Glove Ball and Pong. After choosing a character, play-
ers control a robot on the screen as it moves up, down, left and
right to intercept the ball and hit it against the wall.

Rarity JP: 6

Teleroboxer 7.1
Developer Nintendo R&D1
Publisher Nintendo
Release date (us) August 14, 1995
(jp) July 21, 1995
Genre Fighting
“Value” $46.67

Teleroboxer is a boxing simulator played in the first person view,

similar to the boxing game Punch Out!!, where the player ducks
to the left and right avoiding blows from the robotic competitor,
getting jabs in when they’re off guard.
Teleroboxer was originally known as Teleroboxing, and was dis-
played at the 1994 Consumer Electronics Show.
Rarity US: 2
Rarity JP: 1

22 1.
 6.9 V-Tetris
Developer Bullet-Proof Software
Publisher Bullet-Proof Software
Release date (jp) August 25, 1995
Genre Puzzle
“Value” $xx

V-Tetris was a Japanese-exclusive.

The game is not to be confused with the similar Virtual Boy ti-
tle 3D Tetris, as the two games are entirely different. V-Tetris
is mostly the same as the original Tetris games, the only differ-
ence being the cylindrical puzzle mode in which blocks could be
placed in a 3-D spiral. By using the L and R buttons, or the right
D-pad, the screen shifts a block left or right respectively.

Rarity JP: 1

7.7 Vertical Force

Developer Hudson Soft
Publisher Nintendo
Release date (us) December 1995
(jp) August 12, 1995
Genre Shoot ‘em up
“Value” $24.99

Vertical Force is a vertically scrolling shooter, with two layers, to

utilize the 3-D features of the system.
Like in most vertical shoot ‘em ups, the player controls a ship
whose purpose is to shoot any enemy that enters the screen. Col-
lecting powerups will change the weapon used. By pressing a
button, the ship can move into the foreground to avoid or shoot
enemies or collect powerups that lie on the ground below. Rarity US: 2
Rarity JP: 1

1. 23
 Virtual Bowling 7.3
Developer Athena
Publisher Athena
Release date (jp) December 22, 1995
Genre Sports
“Value” $900.00

Virtual Bowling is a bowling game, not too dissimilar from

Nester’s Funky Bowling.
The game includes Standard Mode, Training Mode and Tourna-
ment Mode.
Virtual Bowling and SD Gundam Dimension Wars were the final
official Japanese releases for the Virtual Boy, and thus, some-
thing like a “Holy Grail” for Virtual Boy collectors.
Rarity JP: 10

Virtual Boy Wario Land 9.5

Developer Nintendo R&D1
Publisher Nintendo
Release date (us) November 27, 1995
(jp) December 1, 1995
Genre Platforming
“Value” $21.24

Virtual Boy Wario Land for the Virtual Boy is very similar to
Wario’s other platforming roles.
Virtual Boy Wario Land is generally considered as one of the
better games for the Virtual Boy, if not the best. The game was
originally meant to have the name Wario Cruise, and the name
appeared on the Virtual Boy system’s box and in Nintendo Power
Rarity US: 3 magazine.
Rarity JP: 5

24 1.
 5.7 Virtual Fishing
Developer Pack-In-Video
Publisher Pack-In-Video/THQ
Release date (jp) October 6, 1995
Genre Sports
“Value” $xx

Virtual Fishing is a simple fishing simulator. The player casts

their lure into the spot and waits for a bite. When a fish is hooked
it can be reeled in, but reeling while the fish is fighting will cause
the line to break.
Players can select from several different fishing spots, and either
a tournament or, if the tournament has already been won, time
attack mode.

Rarity JP: 5

4.6 Virtual Lab

Developer Nacoty
Publisher J-Wing
Release date (jp) December 8, 1995
Genre Puzzle
“Value” $xx

Virtual Lab is a Japanese-exclusive puzzle game for the Virtual

Boy.
Due to rushed production, the game is very incomplete. Each
level gives a password after completion, yet the menu lacks a
screen to input them, rendering the passwords completely use-
less. Nintendo is also incorrectly spelled twice, both on the game
cartridge and the game box. Virtual Lab is often thought of as
being one of the worst Virtual Boy game released.
Rarity JP: 9

1. 25
 Virtual League Baseball 5.2
Developer Kemco
Publisher Kemco
Release date (us) September 11, 1995
(jp) August 11, 1995
Genre Sports
“Value” $14.99

Virtual League Baseball had a sequel planned, Virtual League

Baseball 2, but later canceled due to the Virtual Boy console’s
poor sales.
The game is notable for being one of a few games playable for
the Virtual Boy system at Electronic Entertainment Expo 1995
with coding so broken that it was literally impossible for the
Rarity US: 1 player to hit the ball.
Rarity JP: 1

Waterworld 3.7
Developer Ocean of America
Publisher Ocean Software
Release date (us) November 21, 1995
Genre Action
“Value” $50.00

The game is focused around the Mariner’s trimaran, which the

player moves around a 3-D world, shooting enemies on personal
water crafts called Smokers. It is a form of 3D shoot ‘em up, sim-
ilar to that of the All-Range Mode in Star Fox 64. The objective
is to keep the Smokers from grabbing Atollers placed around the
playing field.
Waterworld received widespread negative reviews and is gener-
Rarity US: 6 ally considered to be the worst game of its 22 releases.

26 1.
 Unreleased Games
planetvb.com

These pages consict of some of the unreleased games that were planned and developed in the Virtual Boy life
span. Several incomplete, or maybe even finished prototypes exist, sincee some games were close to production
but weren’t released because it would have cost more money to bring them out than it would have brought in.
Plus there were some unreleased games shown on tradeshows or reviewed by magazines like Nintendo Power
and those protos must have gone somewhere. If you would like to get a more detailed decription or content of the
games, or information on other unreleased games, please visit the web site: planetvb.com.

3D Tank
Developer Boss Game Studios

3D Tank was supposed to be a 1st person sci-fi tank sim. Statements regarding how
far the development on 3D Tank had come are conflicting. None of the assets from the
game have been attainable for the public, or even seem to have survived.
The pictures on the right, are mockups, created by Defunct Games in 2002, to give an
idea of what the game might have looked like.

Bound High!
Developer Nintendo/Japan System Supply
Planned Release (jp) February 23, 1996

Originally developed by Japan System Supply, Nintendo liked the game idea of Bound
High! and took over the project later. In the game, the player control Chalvo, a bounc-
ing robot who travels through space In full 3d-D motion in pursuit of invaders.
At the time of cancellation, the game already was completely finished.

2. 27
 Dragon Hopper
Developer Intelligent Systems
Planned Release 26 August, 1996

The game is a 3D Action Adventure played from a direct overhead view, where one
control the dragon Dorin. The game contains adventure elements like exploring the
levels, interacting with helpful creatures and battling foes.
A prototype definitely exists, the game was shown on Space World 1995 and E3 1996
and was even previewed by Nintendo Power.

Faceball
Developer Bullet-Proof Software
Planned Release (jp) Mars, 1996

Faceball was going to be one of the games to support the unreleased Virtual Boy
GameLink cable. Like the Faceball games on other consoles, the Virtual Boy version
could be described as a shooter with smiley balls.
The game is often referred to as “NikoChan Battle”.

GoldenEye
Developer Rareware

If GoldenEye was in the making at Rare or Nintendo is still unclear, but one thing is
for sure, the game would have had nothing to do with Rare’s N64 title. Instead of a
first person shooter, the Virtual Boy version is an action racing game, in which one
could have taken seat in one of Bond’s dream cars.
There is only one known screenshot of the game.

28 2.
 Shin Nihon Pro Wrestling
Developer Tomy
Planned Release (jp) December, 1995

There’s not much to show from Shin Nihon Pro Wrestling Gekitou Densetsu besides
a single screenshot.
There are rumours that this game has been released in Japan in very small numbers,
also speculated in some magazines, but it is doubtful.

VB Mario Land
Developer Nintendo

Practically, VB Mario Land is a prototype of Mario Clash. Mario Clash was once a
Jump’N’Run with adventure elements, which is the now unreleased VB Mario Land,
but this prototype also contained a mini game, a 3D version of the classic Mario Bros.
game, which was later released as a stand-alone game called Mario Clash. The game
is very similar to the first Super Mario Bros. on the NES, it features a similar levels
structure and even has a small castle and a flagpole.

Virtual Block
Developer Bottom Up
Planned Release (jp) December, 1995

Virtual Block was going to be a 3D version of Breakout. One where controlling two
paddles, from which one had let a ball bounce up to the blocks. Each of the two Digital
Pads was used for one of the paddles and that made it very difficult to play.
Virtual Block was playable on Nintendo Space World 1995, so a Prototype definitely
exists.

2. 29
 Virtual Bomberman
Developer Bottom Up
Planned Release (jp) 29 February, 1996

Virtual Bomberman was supposed to be a typical, but 3-dimensional Bomberman

game with 3D explosions. The “Story Mode” uses multilayer maps like in any Bomb-
erman game. In the new “Challenge Mode” the player had to finish a level in a time
limit of two or five minutes.
The game was shown on Famicon Space World ‘95 at the Hudson booth.

Virtual Double Yakuman

Developer Vap inc.
Planned Release (jp) 1 February, 1996

Virtual Double Yakuman was going to be a Mahjong game for the Virtual Boy. After
Game Boy and Super Famicon, the VB would have got its own version of the “Double
Yakuman” series, called “Virtual Double Yakuman”.
Much isn’t known about this game, but one could have chosen between a classic bird
eye view or a 3D perspective.

Virtual Gunman
Developer Victor
Planned Release (jp) Mars, 1996

Virtual Gunman was going to be a first person shooter like, for example Virtua Cop.
The player progresses through five levels, in which numerous enemies move towards
him.
The game was shown on Famicon Space World 1995.

30 2.
 Virtual League Baseball 2
Developer Kemco
Planned Release (jp) Mars, 1996

This wasa going to be the successor of Virtual League Baseball, or Virtual Pro Base-
ball ‘95 as it was called in Japan.
The design of the japanese version has realistically shaped players like in Virtual
League Baseball instead of the deformed ones.

Worms
Developer Team 17

The develoment of the game didn’t come very far, Team17 stopped working on it a
few weeks into the pre-production when the Virtual Boy more or less got cancelled
in Europe. A statement from Team 17’ said; “work never really started on Worms for
the Virtual Boy. We basically declined to develop it after we had a mess around and
look at the machine which we felt was doomed to failure (and were largely proved
correct)”.

Zero Racers
Developer Nintendo
Planned Release (us) Fall ‘96

Zero Racers was going to be a sequel to F-Zero from the Super Nintendo. The play-
er take seat in verhicles strongly resembling spaceships, and speed through up- and
down-, left- and right-turning tunnels.
A prototype exists, because the game was previewed by Nintendo Power.

2. 31
 System packages
planetvb.com

The Virtual Boy was released on July 21, 1995 in Japan and on August 21, 1995 in North America with the
launch titles Mario’s Tennis, Red Alarm, Teleroboxer, and Galactic Pinball. It was not released in PAL mar-
kets. In North America, Nintendo shipped Mario’s Tennis with every Virtual Boy sold, as a pack-in game.
Nintendo had initially projected sales of 3 million consoles and 14 million games.
Confronted with the challenge of showing 3-dimensional gameplay on 2-dimensional advertisements, the
company partnered with Blockbuster and NBC in a coordinated effort. A $5 million campaign promoted
NBC’s fall lineup alongside the Virtual Boy. American viewers were encouraged via television advertisements
on NBC to rent the console for US$10 at a local Blockbuster. This made it affordable for a large number of
gamers to try the system, and produced 750,000 rentals. Upon returning the unit, renters received a coupon
for $10 off the purchase of a Virtual Boy from any store. 3,000 Blockbuster locations were included in the
promotion, which included a sweepstakes with prizes including trips to see the taping of NBC shows. Despite
its popularity, the rental system proved harmful to the Virtual Boy’s long-term success, allowing gamers to see
just how un-immersive the console was. Taken as a whole, the marketing campaign was commonly thought
of as a failure.

Virtual Boy (Japan Release) Content

Release date (jp) July 21, 1995 • VUE-001 Virtual Boy
MSRP ¥15,000 • VUE-003 Stand
Items sold 140,000 • VUE-005 Controller
• VUE-007 Battery Pack
The first release of the Virtual Boy feature the • VUE-010 Eyeshade
console with a stand. Controller and a battery • VUE-012 Eyeshade
pack. And the usual manuals and adverts. Holder
• VUE-S-RA-JPN-2
Manual

32 3.
 Virtual Boy (U.S. Release) Content
Release date (jp) August 14, 1995 • VUE-001 Virtual Boy
MSRP $179.95 • VUE-003 Stand
Items sold 630,000 • VUE-005 Controller
• VUE-006 Game Pak
The North-American came with the same acces- (Mario Tennis)
sories of the Japanese release, but also the game, • VUE-010 Eyeshade
Mario Tennis. The game came with only the cart • VUE-012 Eyeshade
and the manual. The box was never released (out- Holder
side the blockbuster “not-for-sale” version). • VUE-USA Manual
Besides the regular US and japanese versions of
the Virtual Boy, there were also special ones sent
to stores together with the store displays. It is
known as the Mosaic version.

Virtual Boy (Blockbuster) Content

When the Virtual Boy was phased out, Block- • VUE-001 Virtual Boy
buster started selling their rentable Virtual Boy • VUE-003 Stand
systems. As it was mostly sold used it was sold • VUE-005 Controller
in various different packages. Often the system • VUE-010 Eyeshade
came complete with a official Blockbuster Video • VUE-012 Eyeshade
hardshell rental case. Holder
• VUE-USA Manual
• Blockbuster
Case

3. 33
 Accessories
planetvb.com

The VirtualBoy did not release many accessories. These three pages include some of the more known or
common accessories for the system. For more on accessories, please visit planetvb.com.

AC Adapter Set
Manufacturer Nintendo
MSRP $19,95

For playing without batteries. Includes a 9V adapter (identical to the NES and SNES
ones) and a tap to connect the adapter to the Virtual Boy controller.

Rarity: 4

AC Adapter Tap
Manufacturer Nintendo
Release date (jp) 21 July,.1995
MSRP ¥600

Coupling to connect a standard NES/FC or SNES/SFC AC Adapter (SNS-002) to the

Virtual Boy controller.
Besides the normal Japanese tap there’s also a very rare version of it which has a “mo-
Rarity: 2
Rarity (mosaic): 8 saic” pattern box. Those were the first ones produced and used for demo displays in

34 4.
 Eyeshade
Manufacturer Nintendo
MSRP ¥500

Replacement eyeshade for the Virtual Boy. Used to rest your face on while playing
and for dimming environment light.

Rarity: 6

Soft Case
Manufacturer STD Entertainment

Soft carrycase that holds the Virtual Boy system plus some games.
When the VB failed, the manufacturer repacked the carry cases and sold them as “32-
Bit System Transporter”. But they kept the same warranty card, which referred to the
item as a “Virtual Boy Carrying Case”.
Rarity: 6

Stereo Headphones
Manufacturer Nintendo
Release date (jp) 1995

Stereo headphones for the Virtual Boy. Not special in any way, but official.

Rarity: 4

4. 35
 TravelMaster
Manufacturer Southern Case

The TravelMaster is a hard case that is very similar to the official Blockbuster case.
Both cases where made by the same company

Rarity: 8

Virtual Boy Adaptor

Manufacturer STD Entertainment
MSRP $14.99

The Virtual Boy Adaptor was for playing without batteries. It was a 9V adapter with a
tap for connection to the Virtual Boy controller.

Rarity: 4

Virtual Boy Case

Manufacturer Southern Case

It`s another case...

Rarity: 4

36 4.
 FlashBoy
Developer Richard Hutchinson
Distributor Planet Virtual Boy
Release December 13, 2007
Price € 90
Package Content • FlashBoy Cartridge
• Box
• A to B (mini) USB cable
• Quick Reference Card
• CD-R (software, manual, ROMs)

In August 2006, Richard Hutchinson, who also created hardware like the Vec-
Flash, a Vectrex flash cartridge, before, started working on a Virtual Boy flash
cart based on his Vectrex cart. After more than a year in development, the Flash-
Boy, a commercially available Virtual Boy flash cart was made.
The FlashBoy Plus is the second entry to the FlashBoy family and expands the
previous design by an internal save battery and allow Virtual Boy homebrew de-
velopers to make use of game saving mechanisms in their games. Or, better put,
it will finally allow people to actually use save game functionality of homebrew
and commercial games on hardware.
The FlashBoy is a very easy, fast and inexpensive way to test homebrew projects
on real hardware. Also, users can store all their original games safely in their
boxes and just load the ROMs to the FlashBoy to play, or play all those rare
games they just can’t afford to buy.

4. 37
 Unreleased Accessories
planetvb.com

While the Nintendo Virtual Boy library may be limited to a mere 22 official releases, several of the unfinished
and unreleased titles which were due to hit the system have since surfaced online. Joining these elusive proto-
types is different hardware accessories, either appearing on action sites or seen as promos in magazines.

Adjustable Stand
Manufacturer Nintendo
MSRP ¥3,000

Virtual Boy stand made of steel, which could be adjusted in its height.
Release was planned to be on August, 3rd 1995.

GameLink® Cable
Manufacturer Nintendo

Link Cable like the one of the Game Boy. Used to connect two Virtual Boys for mul-
tiplayer games. The only games which support the link cable are homebrew releases.
US Release was planned for early 1996.

38 5.
 Rechargeable Battery Adapter
Manufacturer Nintendo

As the name says a rechargeable battery adapter for the Virtual Boy, an alternative to
batteries.
The only hint at this adapter can be found in issue 73 of Nintendo Power magazine
(Page 73, bottom).

Shoulder Harness
Manufacturer Nintendo

A Virtual Boy stand, which is worn aroud the neck. For playing the Virtual Boy freely.
Although there is no other info on the shoulder Harness than this early drawing, it is
said to have been very far in development.

5. 39
 U.S. Games List

These two small pages consist of every VirtualBoy games. The games are listed in two categories: North-
American and Japanese. The Checklist are made for people to cross out the games they have. “C” measn the
cart. “I” is the manual/information. “B” is the box. And “S” is for collectors who collect sealed games.

Game Title Developer Rel. GAME-ID Pg C I B

3D Tetris T&E Soft 1996 VUE-VPBE-USA
Galactic Pinball Intelligent S. 1995 VUE-VGPJ-USA
Golf T&E Soft 1995 VUE-VVGE-USA
Jack Bros. Atlus 1995 VUE-VJBE-USA
Mario Clash N. R&D1 1995 VUE-VMCJ-USA
Mario’s Tennis N. R&D1 1995 VUE-VMTJ-USA
Nester’s Funky Bowling Saffire Corp. 1996 VUE-VNFE-USA
Panic Bomber Hudson Soft 1995 VUE-VH2E-USA
Red Alarm T&E Soft 1995 VUE-VREE-USA
Teleroboxer N. R&D1 1995 VUE-VTBJ-USA
Vertical Force Hudson Soft 1995 VUE-VH3E-USA
Virtual Boy Wario Land N. R&D1 1995 VUE-VWCJ-USA
Virtual League Baseball Kemco 1995 VUE-VVPE-USA
Waterworld Ocean 1995 VUE-VWEE-USA

40 6.
 Japan Games List

This is the list of Japanese releases. The NTSC-J releases can be easily recognised on the different cover de-
sign. The list is organized alphabetically by the games’ localized English titles, or their rōmaji transliterations.

Game Title Developer Rel. GAME-ID Pg C I B

Bomberman: Panic Bomber/Tobidase! Panibomb Hudson Soft 1995 VUE-VH2J-JPN
Galactic Pinball Intelligent S. 1995 VUE-VGPJ-JPN
Golf/T&E Virtual Golf T&E Soft 1995 VUE-VVGJ-JPN
Jack Bros./Jack Brothers no Meiro de Hīhō! Atlus 1995 VUE-VJBJ-JPN
Innsmouth no Yakata Be Top 1995 VUE-VIMJ-JPN
Mario Clash N. R&D1 1995 VUE-VMCJ-USA
Mario’s Tennis N. R&D1 1995 VUE-VMTJ-JPN
Red Alarm T&E Soft 1995 VUE-VREJ-JPN
SD Gundam Dimension War Locomotive 1995 VUE-VSDJ-JPN
Space Invaders Virtual Collection Taito 1995 VUE-VSPJ-JPN
Space Squash Tomcat Sys. 1995 VUE-VSSJ-JPN
Teleroboxer N. R&D1 1995 VUE-VTBJ-JPN
V-Tetris Bullet-Proof 1995 VUE-VTRJ-JPN
Vertical Force Hudson Soft 1995 VUE-VH3J-JPN
Virtual Bowling Athena 1995 VUE-VVBJ-JPN
Virtual Boy Wario Land: Awazon no Hihō N. R&D1 1995 VUE-VWCJ-JPN
Virtual Fishing Pack-In-V. 1995 VUE-VVFJ-JPN
Virtual Lab Nacoty 1995 VUE-VJVJ-JPN
Virtual League Baseball/Virtual Pro Yakyū ‘95 Kemco 1995 VUE-VVPJ-JPN

6. 41