Nintendo Virtual Boy – console

Nintendo Virtual Boy – console. Virtual Boy was first released in August of 1995. Galactic Pinball, Mario’s Tennis, Red Alarm, Teleroboxer were available at launch.  Other Japanese games available include: Insmouse, SD Gundam Dimension War, Space Invaders, Space Squash, Virtual Fishing, Virtual LAB and V-Tetris.

We have some in perfect cosmetic condition (and fully working with no problems), some with superficial scratches on the body (but fully working), one or two with broken legs on the stand (but fully working), some with slight issues on the LCD display (superficial hazing or dirt), others with somewhat faulty LCDs and others with buttons that have wear and tear etc. Prices can vary but basic working model with possible wear and tear, discolouration or small damage which does not affect function is listed above.  More  pristine / A1 condition models can be priced at approximately USD$250-300.  In order to proceed, please let us know your specific requirements and we will ensure to work with suppliers to attain one accordingly. Please note, all our consoles are sent out checked and tested according to customer requirements, guaranteed. Please also be aware that shipping costs can be significant due to box and system weight.

The Virtual Boy is a RISC-based 32-bit system, which produces high-resolution red 3D images against a deep black background using two mirror-scanning LED (Light Emitting Diode) displays. The 3D experience is enhanced through stereo sound and a new specially-designed, double-grip controller that accommodates multidirectional spatial movement.  It is powered by either six AA batteries or a separately sold AC-adapter.  The system does not have a full 384 x 224 array of LEDs as a display. It uses a pair of 1 x 224 linear arrays (one per eye) and rapidly scans the array across the eye’s field of view using curved mirrors. These mirrors oscillate at very high speed (they are what produce the mechanical humming noise from inside the unit).  A full color Virtual Boy was impossible to release in 1995, due to the fact that high-efficiency InGaN (Indium Gallium Nitride) blue and green LEDs only became available from Nichia in 1996. While blue LEDs did exist before then, they were extremely inefficient, resulting in very low brightness. The Virtual Boy, which uses a oscillating mirror to transform a 1-D line of dots into a 2-D field of dots, requires high-performance LEDs in order to function properly. Because each pixel is only in use for a tiny fraction of a second (384 pixels wide, 50.2 Hz scan rate = approximately 52 µs per scanline), high peak brightness is needed to make the virtual display bright and be comfortable for the user to view. Without the technology of high-efficiency blue and green LEDs, the Virtual Boy was limited to a red-only display.

Awesome Little retro machines.