Galactic Pinball on the Virtual Boy app.
Credit: Nintendo
Nintendo has released its new Virtual Boy app for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers. In the 1990s, the Virtual Boy was a short-lived 3D console; now, it’s a piece of software that pairs with a new Nintendo accessory. The app is called “Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics,” and users can download it now on both Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 consoles.
The app is designed for use with Nintendo’s new Virtual Boy‑style viewer, which holds the Switch or Switch 2. The headset comes in a plastic version for $99.99 or a cardboard version for $24.99. While the plastic viewer comes with a stand that can sit on a table or desk, the cardboard version must be held up to your face by the Joy-Cons attached to the console.
At launch, the Virtual Boy app includes 3D Tetris, Galactic Pinball, Golf, The Mansion of Innsmouth, Red Alarm, Teleroboxer, and Virtual Boy Wario Land. Nintendo says it will add more games over time, including Mario Clash, Mario’s Tennis, Jack Bros, Space Invaders Virtual Collection, Virtual Bowling, Vertical Force, V‑Tetris, plus two previously unreleased titles, Zero Racer and D‑Hopper, VGC reports.
The app supports typical Nintendo Switch Online emulator features, such as save states, rewind, and controller remapping. Nintendo is also planning to introduce a color setting that lets players move away from the original all‑red look. The Virtual Boy app download is free, but it works only with Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, the service’s highest tier.
