I was curious where you first heard about the Virtual Boy.

I originally thought I had heard about it from the AVGN episode or from one of my sister’s old Nintendo Power magazines, but going back and playing one of my favorite GBA games, Wario Ware Inc., I believe my first time seeing a Virtual Boy was 9-Volts stage where a Virtual Boy is in the intro and Mario Clash is a micro-game.

reading gaming mags in the 94/95 and then playing a demo unit at Toys R Us.

It was around X-Mas of 1995. I was walking around in an Electronic Boutique. There were ads all over for the Virtual Boy. I wanted one so bad, but Dad said he wouldn’t buy me one. That was the first time. Then in about 2008 or so, I got sweet revenge on Dad by buying one in a used video game store. And the collection grew from 5 games to what it is now.

Like Lester Knight… in magazines in 94-95 (I had been a subscriber to Nintendo Power for years). I was a huge fan of VR, 3D, etc. (my friends and I used to play a lot of simulators on the PC, trying to make them as real as possible)… so when I heard Nintendo was coming out with a 3D system, I was really excited.

I was only 11 when it launched, so I didn’t have much money, so my friend and I split the $10 Blockbuster rental when it launched. Then every chance we could, we’d get our parents to take us to Toys R Us, Electronics Boutique, and Blockbuster, and we’d play it there (Electronics Boutique just had a system on the counter, playing Mario’s Tennis… Toys R Us had Wario Land on the big countertop display, and Blockbuster had Red Alarm on the small countertop display). We both were blown away by it, but the $180 price tag was too much (I figured I’d wait for a price drop, then ask for it for Christmas, like every other system).

Well… then we got the price drop… down to $25… so we both bought a system (though we were disappointed when the guy at Electronics Boutique told us at there was no link cable 🙁 ) and went around to all the Toys R Us, Electronics Boutiqe, Best Buy, and Blockbuster stores and bought up as many cheap games as possible. The ones that I never found price dropped were Jack Bros, Waterworld, and Virtual League Baseball (any stores that still had them, had them at regular price… maybe because they were 3rd party games). There were also a few games that I never found (3D Tetris and Nesters Funky Bowling, that I remember). Strangely enough, Electronics Boutique had stacks of Japanese games for 99 cents (Vertical Force, Panic Bomber, V-Tetris, Golf, and Baseball were ones that I remember getting).

Then a few years later when ebay became big, and I got a job, I started collecting the rest of the games that I hadn’t already gotten. I would mostly buy up lots with one or two games I needed, take them, and resell the rest… so I did it on the cheap. That job is also the one where I had TONS of free time, so I spent it reading through David Tucker’s, Alberto Covarrubias’, and Ferry Groenendijk’s webpages (and posting on the vgchat board). Heh, now that I think about it… there are probably a lot of you who don’t know any of those people. 😉

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. 🙂

DogP

WOW, this is taking me back. I think I may have read about it in a publication with footage from Shoshinkai from late 1994, but I may have first saw it at CES January of 1995, I just can’t remember which came first.

I also got to play it again at the first E3 that year as well. Sadly, I had just moved out on my own that year, so when the VB was released my funds where kind of tight. LOL

So when Blockbuster had there closeout sale, I grabbed a unit and some games for way cheap. I also remember seeing Target selling them new in the box at clearance for like $15 dollars. To this day, that is still one of my most regretted shopping moments.

Since I was new to responsibility and living on my own, and I already had the VB from BB, I just didn’t see the need to own another unit(new or not). Soon after that time, I started making decent money, and began to start collecting video games, and then I realized my mistake in passing on the new units at target.

I actually sold most of my collection a few years ago, but I still have my Blockbuster unit in its original hard case, as it is still one of my most prized purchases.

Display unit at Toys ‘R’ Us, back probably around 1996, because it was right on the cusp of when the N64 was about to be released. There were (original) Game Boy displays, N64, SNES, PS1, and Saturn kiosks set up. Every once in a while you’d see a Pico too. *rolls eyes*

I joined PVB in 2007 while in college, after lurking for a couple of years. Had just bought my first VB off of a childhood friend of mine and thought it would be fun to develop for. Back when David Tucker and Alberto would still pop in every once in a while… 😉

I was excited about the VB from Nintendo Power and couldn’t wait to buy one. So I purchased it on “Pass and review” weekend at the Navy exchange. I only bought Red Alarm at the time. I still remember my Dads question “Is it 3d?” and my reply “surprisingly… yes”. We (You and I)are the few the proud who actually read the instructions instead of dismissing the Virtual Boy. Yes I was part of the blockbuster clearance event and no I have nothing to show for it. Nor did I sell the VB. I owned 3 at the time and I gave 2 of them away the first I kept for myself along w the performance bag and 9 games thanks to blockbuster. I then got out of the Navy and went to school where my VB got stolen leaving me w/ nothing. But all is not lost. One of the VB’s that I gave away the person didn’t want to get games from Ebay so she asked me if I wanted it back….DID I! Yeah baby!

Years went by and it was around 2003 where I Saw the site and determined to make my own color VB I asked David Tucker and Alberto Covarrubias if they could help me and they said no it really couldn’t be done without way too much reconstructing. More years later finally accepting the VB for what it is and not trying to make it something it’s not I joined PVB and have been an active member ever since.

Well that’s my story and I’m stickin to it.:vb:

First time I ever heard of Virtual Boy was in Wario Ware Inc. for GBA, the microgame that’s based on Mario Clash. Then years later I saw AVGN’s review of the Virtual Boy. It was entertaining, but didn’t take the criticisms seriously.

During 2013, a friend of mine wanted to do some trading, I had some low end Sega Saturn stuff I didn’t want anymore, he was big into Saturn. He had a broken Virtual Boy with intact stand, controller, AC tap and Mario’s Tennis along with some other stuff. I accepted the VB stuff. In the end, I never got that Virtual Boy system working, but the system definitely had me wanting more out of it. I got a refurbished VB off someone on NintendoAge, but it wasn’t a permanent fix. After much trial and error I have that unit working 99%, sometimes the left display gets errors on overly bright screens. Right one seems ever so slightly dim. I also bought a 3rd VB system that is definitely in need of repair, but haven’t had time to do anything with it yet.

Thanks to Planet VB I have been able to try more Virtual Boy games, it really is a fun system. It could use more games, but at least there’s a homebrew scene going on. I can’t say I’ve ever played a system as strange and unique as the Virtual Boy. The name is awesome too.

In 1995 being in the UK all we ever saw was articles in magazines, I wanted one and would have had to import and that would have cost a heap, with no job at the time and other things needing my monies it went to the recesses of my mind.
Then in 2008 my wife bought me one as a surprise, it sure was a surprise and also how good it was having seen pretty much nothing but derogatory remarks and reviews, and I’ve loved it since.

I first heard about VB in the pages of Nintendo Power when it was codenamed VR32. I counted the days to its release, saving up my money and reading everything I could about it. I was there on launch day to buy one from Software Etc. for $170.

I was excited to bring it home, but I could tell that it wasn’t going to be a great seller since the store I bought it from was empty. No one was at the store to buy a VB and the clerk said I was the first one to buy one that day (and I arrived in the late afternoon). Still, I didn’t care and have enjoyed it ever since!

I first heard about the Virtual Boy on Wikipedia in 2012. I was looking up what all of the wario land games were (because I had all the others) and I saw “Virtual Boy Wario Land”. I clicked on it and saw what it was. From that page I went to the Virtual Boy’s page. I thought and still think it is so cool! My dad and I were shopping in Sandusky and went to a video game store called POP!. I was looking through the shelves at video games and I looked up and saw the Virtual Boy! I wasn’t allowed to get it that day.. We went back to POP! a few times that month. On the last time I begged my dad to let me get the Virtual Boy and to my surprise he let me! I bought it for $100 on 11/5/2012 (I still have the receipt). I later got Virtual Boy Wario Land, Teleroboxer, Nester’s Funky Bowling, Mario Clash, and an AC adapter off eBay for only $40!
When I tried the Virtual Boy for the first time I found out the left eye had a glitchy display. It made me sad. But it works fine now though! I started collecting the games. About a year later I was in Columbus going to some video game stores and one store had a Virtual Boy in box(The box wasn’t in very good shape but it was decent) with Galactic Pinball, virtual Boy Wario Land, and Mario’s Tennis all with their manuals for $120! My dad let me get the new Virtual Boy because he knew how much I loved it(also because my other VB had a cracked stand. I played it in the car one day and stretched the stand too far)! I play my Virtual Boy all the time and have 13/14 of the games. I’m just missing 3D Tetris. I just got Waterworld for my birthday 2 months ago. I even have a Flashboy+! To this day the Virtual Boy is my favorite console and I’m only 14!

The first I heard of it was in or around the year 2000. I remember the N64 still being a big deal, but near it’s end. My brother brought home this bizarre Red Console I’ve never seen or even heard of before (odd since I was big into games as a kid, not so odd because I don’t remember a single advert for the thing on TV). It was missing the stand, but had Red Alarm and Golf. I ended up trying it out. I popped in Red Alarm, by the time the intro was over I had goosebumps. I ended up playing it for a few hours, and had loads of fun even though the IPD was off (I had no idea at the time). Then my brother said the friend he was borrowing it off of was willing to trade it for my N64. Well, I regrettably said no because I had only recently got the N64 and I was still stoked on finally having one. That and I had no idea there was a stand so I thought it would always be awkward to play, having to prop it up on random furniture.

Fast forward to June of 2013, I saw something on Red Alarm for the VB. I got a faint sensation..it was familiar..and all of a sudden I had a flashback to that time 13 years ago, sitting on the floor hunched over a chair trying to beat the fist level of one of the most atmospheric games I had played. I had to feel that way again. So on to eBay, which was quite new to me, dropped $250(shipped) for a console with instructions, a few boxed games, AC tap etc. (ouch, should have traded way back when=P)
When it arrived, I set it up, and turned it on.. Suddenly I was transported back in time, the goosebumps came back, and I couldn’t stop smiling. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it ever since.

Yep Nintendo Power man! That was how I found out anything about games and I was so stoked. I remember the local walmart where my grandparents live had one on display and I’d play the Mario Clash demo every chance I got. It wasn’t until I was out of college that I finally got one off of ebay.

I saw it in my old Nintendo Power magazines. In fact, that legendary issue (#75?) with the 3D cards was my favorite issue. Being a .poor farm kid in Vermont, I couldn’t afford one right away. My family gave me $100 for my birthday in mid ’96…by that time, KB toys had huge bins of VB stuff in the mall’s corridor. $25 per system…$5 per game, any game. I ALMOST bought Jack Bros because I loved the ghoulish artwork and storyline. “$5 for a cool looking game that I may never play? Sure!”. I remember holding a copy or two of the game, sealed, mint, only $5 each…then my stupid brother quoted some bad review and I scrapped the whole idea. My next crazy idea was to get an entire system’s library with console and AC tap for that $100, but I saved up for the N64 🙁

My first experience playing VB was the stand-up demo unit. The controller was like nothing I’d seen before, the graphics too.