Unraveling The Enigma Of Nintendo's Virtual Boy, 20 Years Later
How the 1990s VR craze inspired an infamous—and still misunderstood—failed video game console.
Twenty years ago, on August 21, 1995, Nintendo released the Virtual Boy in North America. The stilt-legged tabletop gaming console, which offered a unique red stereoscopic 3D display, attempted to ride a wave of popular interest in virtual reality. It was a risky, innovative gamble for Nintendo that didn't pay off, leaving many to wonder why it existed in the first place.