Miyamoto: Virtual Boy Not a Failure, Just Misunderstood

[GiantRedButton]

it wasnt portable, how is that not a failure for a game boy successor?

Did you read the article? Myamoto thought it was a marketing failure to call it the virtual boy, precisely because it implied a connection to the game boy when it really shouldn't be seen as having anything to do with one.

Regardless, I have no idea if what he's saying can be considered valid...

It certainly has all the hallmarks of a game console, so trying to argue that it isn't one is a little strange.

How does the fact that he admits it was a mistake make it any less of a reason for its failure?
Everyone who saw it judged it by it's qualities as a follow up to the game boy, and it wasn't even portable, though it tried with the batteries etc to fit that niche.
So nobody bought it which led to its failure.
Yeah i'm aware that Miamota agrees with me on this.

It's not about the fact he admits it's a mistake. What CrystalShadow is saying is that it's not a Game Boy successor to begin with, so it shouldn't be deemed a failure as a successor to the Game Boy any more than we'd say that the GameCube fails as a Game Boy successor. That's what the article said as well, not so much that Miyamoto thought the machine was a mistake, but that naming it "Virtual Boy" was a mistake.

P.S. Thanks

Thanks for elaborating
Our basic misunderstanding was that I meant financial failure i think.
Necause the misbranding is what lost sales of the device, made its install base non existant, and so prevented it from having any games.
But yes as a idea it was neat.
It was a new way to give you a 3d experience without quality reducing filters or expensive screens.
Thinking out of the box and cheap technology are nintendos forte.
But it only had a few good titles, which where the ones that used 3d least.
Wario land for example. Kinda like alot of the best wii titles like Mario galaxy use the wiimote very little. which is a different discussion i guess.

 

[WilliamRLBaker]

Wow...thats worse then Sony's claims that PspGO was a success.

 

[Tom Phoenix]

I gotta say that's probably the nicest thing anybody from Nintendo will say about the thing, given how they treated the guy who made it.

That said, the health problems inherent in its use probably don't really make up for it being misunderstood.

How did they treat they guy who made it?

You mean Gunpei Yokoi, the father of the Game Boy? He was forced to leave the company. The sad thing is that even though he was the one who kept warning about the Virtual Boy's flaws and that it was not ready for release in its state, the top management wanted to finally release the Virtual Boy so that development could focus on the Nintendo 64. But when the Virtual Boy flopped, it was he who suffered blame for it. As much as I respect Nintendo, they definitely deserve criticism due to their negligence which costed a man's career. The only bright side is that Yokoi already planned to retire several years prior.


To be honest, this is definitely Miyamoto and Iwata trying to downplay the Virtual Boy's failure. It also possibly shows that back then, Nintendo was still partially stuck with the mentality that it had as a toy company prior to when they turned their attention to video games. Either way, though, I still think it was a valuable lesson for Nintendo and one which will allow them to garner more success this time around.

Plus, it wouldn't be the first Nintendo developed a technology that was way ahead of its time. Remember the Power Glove?


While it may have been a terrible product at the time, the lessons learned from it probably helped create the Wii Mote. Regardless what you may think of motion controls or even the Wii Mote specifically, it's quite undeniable that they managed to achieve sucess with the technology the second time around. As such, it is not a stretch to think that the lessons learned from the Virtual Boy may end up contributing to the 3DS's success.

As for remaking Virtual Boy games on the 3DS....sure, why not? As far as I know, many people who actually played the games said that some of them were preety good. I know for myself that I would love to see Wario Land, Teleroboxer and Jack Bros. remade for the 3DS. However, I do not think merely rereleasing these games is a good idea; the red-and-black colour scheme was hideous then and it is hideous now. Somehow, though, I get the feeling that Nintendo will do everything to avoid directly associating the 3DS with the Virtual Boy.

 

[AdamRBi]

Man, sometimes Miyamoto is just too boyish for he own good. Good thing he's also, y'know, the best and most influential game designer of all time. He's got that going for him.

When you stop and think about it that's why he's such an influential game designer in the first place.

Though if the Virtual Boy has anything going for it it would be a prime example of something way beyond it's time, so much so it didn't have the proper technology to make it possible. Which is basically why it faltered.

 

[=HCFS=Discoman]

wait...he has a point.
the device was poorly designed, had more than its fair share of problems, basically just sucked, but look what it did:
it tried 3D tech out for a videogame. progress, even if it didn't work at the time. failure, but at least failure because of over ambition.
and look what's happening now-3D is becoming the next big thing for movies, games, tv shows, etc. and look at what gaming device tried it out first.

 

[squid5580]

My god the red is still burned into my eyes 20 effin years later. It wasn't a toy it was a scam put out by the optometrist association. And since I now wear glasses he is absolutely right it was successful

 

[Chiasm]

My god the red is still burned into my eyes 20 effin years later. It wasn't a toy it was a scam put out by the optometrist association. And since I now wear glasses he is absolutely right it was successful

So true, I still have my virtual boy locked up and hidden. If insurance companies ever found about this or that we will willingly looked into one. I am pretty sure every claim would come back as a "pre exiting condition."

 

[infinity_turtles]

My parents bought be a virtual boy when it first came out, and I have to wonder where all the "It kills your eyes" thing comes from. I mean, most of the games were crap, and my neck feels sore just thinking about trying to play it, but I used it fairly frequently and it never hurt my eyes.

 

[pokepuke]

The Virtual Boy was great, except for being too expensive and large.

The controller was alright, and some of the games were good. I really liked how the system covered your eyes so all you saw was the game; I always wanted something like that. Even though the only colors were red and black, the image was sharp and detailed. On two occasions I played on one at a Toys R Us for 2 hours straight without any issues.

 

[Twilight_guy]

I'm sure a little of his soul died when he had to say that with a straight face. I know he can't really say that any Nintendo product is a failure but come on... it's the Virtual Boy it bombed. We understand, just say it.

 

[Asuka Soryu]

How fun is a black and red coloured game that easily causes stress on the eyes and headaches, and calls itself 'virtual', but barely uses said thing and opts for 2D 3D.

The boxing game was the true virtual game, you actually had the fists coming at your face.

Don't get me started on how akward it is to pose it.

 

[Wintermoot]

the Dreamcast was misunderstood the Virtual Boy was a headache inducing failure its a fun adn interresting gadget but not a console

 

[SeniorDingDong]

So, to fire Gunpei Yokoi because of it was a misunderstanding aswell ? Bullshit...