The Reality of Virtual Boy

After Nintendo achieved world-shaking success with its Game Boy handheld system, a next-generation follow-up seemed inevitable. Yet few could have predicted the form it would take—or how poorly it would fare with critics and consumers alike. That device, Virtual Boy, stands as a rare black mark on Nintendo’s long legacy of console hardware: An abject commercial failure, retired after only half a year of life. But was it really as bad as all that? 25 years after Virtual Boy’s rocky launch, this book provides a comprehensive and open-minded exploration of the Virtual Boy and its library from start to finish.

Packed with history, critiques, direct-feed screenshots, and complete packaging photography for the console’s entire library (and then some), this is the definitive chronicle of Virtual Boy’s history.