Nintendo has decided to revive the Virtual Boy, a console that was launched 30 years ago and is mainly remembered for its resounding commercial failure. Scheduled to be released in 2026 for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, this initiative seems to be an attempt to capitalize on nostalgia, despite the fact that the original console was only available for a few months and had a meager catalog of just 22 video games.
Donkey Virtual Kong
Among the titles that were originally expected for the Virtual Boy was Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest. This video game, which achieved tremendous success on the Super Nintendo, was not initially planned for release on the 16-bit console. However, due to the success of the first Donkey Kong Country, Rare was hired to develop a sequel that maintained the same quality as the original. Before the Virtual Boy was released to the market, it was suggested that Donkey Kong Country 2 could also be developed for this new platform.
Despite a group of Rare employees starting to work on this version of Donkey Kong Country 2, the project was canceled after a short time. The poor sales of the Virtual Boy suggested a bleak future, which led the team to opt for its release on Super Nintendo, where it did achieve success and recognition as one of the best platform games of its time. According to Steven Hurst, one of the programmers at Rare, the game would have shown a stereoscopic 3D effect similar to that of Donkey Kong Land on Game Boy, although its implementation was too complex at that time.
With the imminent arrival of the Virtual Boy to modern platforms, fans can look forward to the possibility of rediscovering this chapter of Nintendo’s history, as well as the potential to reminisce about titles that deserved a better fate.