Virtual Boy: Difference between revisions
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|successor=[[Game Boy Color]]
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The '''Virtual Boy''' is a video game system developed by [[Nintendo]] and released in 1995. It consisted of a red box on black legs with a black visor which players would look into for game play. It was created by [[Gunpei Yokoi]], and his 60-headed research team, together with Reflection Technologies. This team worked on the console for over three and a half years. Virtual Boy game images are 3D and are displayed using mirror-scanning technology. They appear on LEDs in four shades of red with a black background. The image is reflected off of oscillating mirrors, which create the apparent thickness of the image. This type of graphics was once referred to by Nintendo as "true 3D". Digital stereo sound is emitted from the self-contained speaker system found on either side of the visor. The console was a commercial failure for many reasons, including its lack of portability and the headaches gameplay caused in a matter of minutes. Concern regarding Nintendo's warnings that the Virtual Boy could cause eye problems also detracted potential customers, though the Virtual Boy would automatically pause every 15 minutes.
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==Production==
[[File:Virtual Boy First Concept Drawings.png|thumb|The first concept drawings for the Virtual Reality project]]
When [[Gunpei Yokoi]] first had the idea of a Virtual Reality gaming console, he referred to it as "Virtual Utopia Experience".<ref>[http://www.planetvb.com/modules/hardware/?type=vb&sec=protos&show=2 Virtual Utopia Experience]</ref> However, {{wp|Argonaut Games|Argonaut}} was working on an advanced virtual reality gaming system called the "Super Visor" for Nintendo, which Yokoi canceled in favor of his own idea.<ref>Hamill, Jasper (September 26, 2018). [https://metro.co.uk/2018/09/26/secrets-of-lost-nintendo-console-revealed-by-british-gaming-pioneer-who-led-its-design-7980023/ Secrets of lost Nintendo console revealed by British gaming pioneer who led its design]. ''Metro'' (retrieved June 4, 2019).</ref> The first concept drawings showed the possibilities of 3D images by displaying two slightly different images using mirrors. During development, the system was codenamed "VR32", meaning "Virtual Reality 32-bit". The early patents of VR32 were made public in 1994, with diagrams showing that the controller was originally going to have three buttons on the right, near the D-Pad. The system was officially announced at the Japan Shoshinkai event on November 15 and 16, 1994,<ref>''[[Nintendo Power Volume 68]]'', January 1995, page 52.</ref>
Several different pre-production models were later created in Japan, sharing characteristics of both the first prototypes as well as the final design. The plastic was more smooth than the final, and without any writings engraved in it. The adjustment knobs on top are black instead of grey, and the controller reached its final design. North America soon got its own pre-production model. These had the Virtual Boy logo on the side of the system, and the logo on the controller is a bit thicker than on retail units. These pre-production models were given to Nintendo of America's game testers to review Virtual Boy games, and the testers were later allowed to take them home.<ref>[http://www.planetvb.com/modules/hardware/?type=vb&sec=protos&show=10 Pre-Production Model (USA)]</ref>
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