Virtual Boy
Nintendo's red-screen 3D tabletop console
- 1995Released
- 5thGeneration
- NintendoDeveloper
Virtual Boy Specifications
- Processor
- NEC V810 RISC Processor (32-bit)
- Processor Speed
- 20MHz
- RAM
- 1MB DRAM, 512KB P-Sram
- RAM
- 1 KB
- Colors Available
- 4 (32 Levels of Intensity)
- Resolution
- 384 x 224 pixels
- Sound
- 16-bit Stereo
Overview
The Virtual Boy is a 3D video game console released by Nintendo in 1995, and one of its biggest failures.
Nintendo promoted it as the first portable console able to display 3D graphics out of the box, but the idea never caught on with players. The console sold so poorly that it was only ever released in Japan and North America.
One of its biggest weaknesses was that its display could only show red monochrome images, which undermined the immersion it was meant to offer. Players also found that few games made real use of its 3D; most treated it as a gimmick while playing like ordinary 2D games.
Key Features
3D Display
Promoted as the first portable console showing 3D graphics.
Red Monochrome
The display could only show red monochrome images.
32-Bit RISC
An NEC V810 32-bit RISC processor running at 20 MHz.
Stereo Sound
Produces 16-bit stereo sound for its games.
