Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics launches next month, but its most interesting new feature and some important games won’t be there at release. This was revealed by a new overview trailer released by Nintendo ahead of the Switch Online-related hardware’s release.
On February 17, Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics will be added as a benefit for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers. On top of that, Nintendo is releasing a new accessory modeled after the original piece of hardware. Like the original Virtual Boy, this Nintendo Classics release is leaving a lot to be desired at launch.
Only 22 games were ever released for the Virtual Boy. At launch, Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics will only feature the following seven:
- Wario Land
- Teleroboxer
- Galactic Pinball
- Red Alarm
- Golf
- 3-D Tetris
- The Mansion of Innsmouth
If you know anything about Virtual Boy’s game library, there are some pretty glaring additions, like Mario Clash and Mario Tennis, the original Virtual Boy pack-in. Those games, along with the others, will be drip-fed to players throughout the rest of the year.
It’s neat that two of those games, Zero Racers and D-Hopper, had never been released before, but it’s a shame we’ll have to wait for them to be added over time. These are the other nine games you can expect before the end of the year:
- Mario Tennis
- Mario Clash
- Jack Bros.
- Space Invaders
- Virtual Bowling
- Vertical Force
- V-Tetris
- Zero Racers
- D-Hopper
Like other Nintendo Switch Online retro collections, players will be able to rewind, create suspend points, and modify the controls for the Virtual Boy games they are playing at any time. On top of that, Nintendo will also let players change the Virtual Boy’s display color to yellow, green, or gray once they remove the hardware’s lens.
Unfortunately, that color-change feature is also set for release at some undetermined point later this year, rather than at launch. While it’s cool that Nintendo is reviving the Virtual Boy, it’s a bit confusing as to why they’d leave so much to be added post-release.
