Be at liberty to double-check the calendar… sure, it’s in actual fact September twelfth and not April 1st. Nintendo, all the time managing to shock in a technique or one other, is reviving its infamously failed 3D gaming console, the Digital Boy.
First launched in 1995, the Digital Boy was portrayed as a sort of “digital actuality” expertise, however contemplating its small field-of-view, lack of movement monitoring, and single-color (purple) show, it was functionally only a 3D show on a stand. Nonetheless, the console has been culturally related to “digital actuality” ever since—and it’s not precisely a optimistic affiliation.
Formidable because it was, Digital Boy was an notorious failure of a recreation console, owing largely to its minimal recreation catalog, single-color show, and experiences of movement illness whereas taking part in. It was discontinued lower than a yr after its launch. Even so, the console was not with out its followers.
Now, for some purpose, Nintendo introduced it’s reviving the Digital Boy with a brand new $100 duplicate accent that makes use of the Swap or Swap 2 (however not the Swap Lite) because the brains and show for the machine. And this isn’t only a facade; Nintendo is re-releasing unique Digital Boy video games (first launched 30 years in the past) to be performed on the machine.
The corporate says it is going to launch first with Mario’s Tennis, Teleroboxer, and Galactic Pinball, with 14 video games in complete to be launched over time. That won’t sound like many, however it’s greater than 50% of the complete Digital Boy recreation catalog.
It’s unclear at this level if the video games are merely being emulated or if they’ve been retouched or remastered. In any case, we hope they’ll be at the very least up to date to render on the native Swap or Swap 2 resolutions, reasonably than the tiny 0.086MP (384 × 224) per-eye decision of the unique Digital Boy.
It’s additionally unclear if the brand new Digital Boy accent will enable customers to play a handful of present Nintendo video games with an optionally available ‘VR mode’, like Zelda Breath of the Wild and Tremendous Mario Odyssey, which have been up to date alongside the Nintendo Labo VR Equipment again in 2019.
And talking of notorious VR merchandise, Nintendo goes a step additional to make these retro video games accessible: the corporate can also be releasing a “Digital Boy Cardboard Mannequin,” which definitely brings again some recollections. Priced at $25, it’s positively extra accessible, however it seems just like the accent is performed by holding the complete Swap or Swap 2 console as much as your face with the controllers connected… not probably the most snug factor for various minutes.
Each the duplicate of the Digital Boy and the Digital Boy Cardboard Mannequin might be out there beginning February seventeenth, 2026, immediately from Nintendo.
Bizarre because the transfer could seem, it’s truthfully fairly cool to see an organization revive and revere a chunk of its historical past, even when it wasn’t a very profitable one. In an period the place firms can shut down servers or revoke ‘possession’ of video games from paying clients, Nintendo is bringing again video games that have been basically inaccessible.
