Nintendo Switch Online’s Virtual Boy Section Will Include Two Unreleased Games

Today Nintendo put out more information regarding their plans to add a Virtual Boy section to their Switch Online service. The news was surprising enough on its own, but it’s now become even wilder: titles that were announced for the system back in 1996 but went unreleased will be part of the library.

When the Virtual Boy section goes live on February 17. it will contain the following games:

• Galactic Pinball
• Teleroboxer
• RED ALARM
• Virtual Boy Wario Land
• 3-D Tetris
• Golf
• The Mansion of Innsmouth

Believe it or not, that last one is a first-person survival horror game released only in Japan. How does it run on something like the Virtual Boy? Not very well! But it’s fascinating that it even exists.

To play these games, the Virtual Boy accessory is mandatory. Yes, they won’t let you play them without an add-on that’s only available on Nintendo’s website. You detach the Switch 2 screen from its Joy-Cons and stick it into a VB-shaped shell. You have two to pick from: a cardboard recreation for $25, or for the collectors, a plastic recreation for $99.99. And the website says they don’t ship until February 17, so if we factor in shipping time, this means on the day of launch, literally no one will be able to play the games. Have you ever heard of anything more Nintendo in your life?

The news gets better. In the months afterward, these additional games will be added:

• Mario Clash
• Mario’s Tennis
• Jack Bros.
• Space Invaders Virtual Collection
• Virtual Bowling
• Vertical Force
• V-Tetris
• Zero Racers (previously unreleased)
• D-Hopper (previously unreleased)

As we said earlier, Zero Racers and D-Hopper (previously called Dragon Hopper) are two unreleased Virtual Boy games that have never leaked online. The news that we can finally play them is nothing short of insane.

But not as insane as this: there was a third completed but unreleased Virtual Boy game, Bound High, that HAS been leaked online, so we know it’s complete and functional. Yet it’s not here! It’s done and Nintendo won’t release it even though they’re releasing these others! It makes no sense! Nothing about this company makes any sense! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!

(ahem)

Virtual Boy becomes reborn on Nintendo Switch Online February 17, though the day people can actually use it won’t be until after that.