Earlier this year, Nintendo made a somewhat surprising move when it brought back the Virtual Boy. When it first released back in 1995, the Virtual Boy was a pretty resounding commercial failure. But now, it’s available as an add-on accessory to let gamers enjoy certain retro titles through Nintendo Switch Online. Since the accessory arrived, Nintendo has added quite a few games from the old platform to Nintendo Switch Online. And on May 13th, five new titles joined the list, including three that have never released outside Japan.
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To enjoy the latest influx of new Nintendo Switch Online games, players will need a few things. First, Virtual Boy titles are available only to members with the Expansion Pack subscription. Second, you’ll need a Virtual Boy to attach to your console. There are two options to choose from here, a budget-friendly cardboard model and the remake that looks just like the original. If you have the Virtual Boy or are willing to grab one to play some cool retro games, here are the five new titles that NSO members can enjoy starting today.
5 More Virtual Boy Games Join the Nintendo Switch Online Classics Library
On May 13th, Nintendo added 5 new Virtual Boy games to the NSO library. The lineup includes quite a few niche titles, along with more familiar titles like Space Invaders. And for gamers in the United States, there’s another reason to be excited about this drop. Of the new additions, three games have never before released outside of Japan. That means that gamers in the West will be able to experience some Nintendo classics for the very first time. Here’s the full lineup of new games available for NSO + Expansion Pack members right now:
- V-Tetris (1995) – A Virtual Boy version of the classic Tetris, which was never released outside of Japan.
- Jack Bros. (1995) – An action game with a Halloween theme, full of puzzles and battles as players navigate dungeons full of enemies.
- Space Invaders Virtual Collection (1995) – A Virtual Boy version of the arcade classic hit, originally available only in Japan.
- Virtual Bowling (1995) – As its title suggests, an immersive 3D bowling game that also happens to be our third title formerly available only in Japan
- Vertical Force (1995) – A flight simulator battle game where players duke it out with AI Drones.
You can get a quick preview of what each game looks like in the trailer shared by Nintendo of America below:
These 5 new titles join the existing Virtual Boy lineup on Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. This brings the list up to 15 total games. Given the relatively short life of the original Virtual Boy, only 22 games were ever released for the platform. That means the Nintendo Switch Online library now includes nearly every game from the Virtual Boy. It’s likely we’ll have the full lineup soon enough at this rate. Though they are pretty niche compared to the other Classics libraries, it’s still an interesting piece of Nintendo history worth checking out if you’re a fan of retro games.
Along with the new games, Nintendo also released some new profile icons themed around the Virtual Boy. These are available to purchase with points from the Nintendo Switch Online menu on your Nintendo Switch or Switch 2.
Do you have a Virtual Boy for your Nintendo Switch or Switch 2? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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