Over three decades later, Nintendo remembers the Virtual Boy exists

Even as Nintendo has endlessly mined its classic consoles for nostalgic re-releases in recent decades, the company has seemed to completely ignore the existence of the Virtual Boy—its abortive 1990s dip into the world of early virtual reality. That's finally set to change next February with Nintendo's first-ever official re-release of Virtual Boy games—at least for players who invest $100 in a required Virtual Boy-shaped Switch dock (or a cheaper cardboard holder) to make them work.

Subscribers to Nintendo Switch Online in the US and Canada will soon be able to purchase that $100 dock, which Nintendo says "recreates the form of the original Virtual Boy hardware," or a slender $25 cardboard alternative. Then, starting on February 17, those players will be able to play downloaded Virtual Boy games (included with an Expansion Pack subscription) by inserting a Switch or Switch 2 into one of those retro replicas. The system will presumably display those games in a split-screen mode that can be viewed through special lenses to replicate the Virtual Boy's original 384×224 resolution, four-shades-of-red stereoscopic display.

Nintendo's announcement says you'll "need this dedicated accessory" to play Virtual Boy titles through a Switch, suggesting that flat-screen play on a console without one of the custom docks won't be possible. And while "purchase limits apply" to the plastic Virtual Boy replica (which seems likely to be a collectible available only in limited supplies), the cheaper cardboard model seems designed for wider availability.

Nintendo also says that "Joy-Con or Joy-Con 2 controllers are required to play," suggesting we won't be getting replicas of the Virtual Boy's unique, dual D-pad controller (as we have for other classic Nintendo pads).