In Japan, Nintendos home country, the Virtual Boy lasted just five months.
Both havepreviouslywrittenabout the Virtual Boy during their respective careers.
The conversation below has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
The Nintendo Virtual Boy on white background.Photo: ncppltd (Shutterstock)
And I was wrong about that.
But thats how I started down the path.
Edwards: Yeah, I actually rented the Virtual Boy, when it was new, from Blockbuster.
So, you know, Ive always loved weird, quirky things.
Ive built a career out of writing about really interesting and odd tech history stuff.
And the Virtual Boy just takes the cake there, it really fits in that category.
But you say otherwise.
So why shouldnt it be viewed as just a gimmick?
Lots of people had different ideas and different visions.
And it wasnt necessarily the case of, Yes, graphics will get better.
There were a lot of forks in that road.
And I think the Virtual Boy was an example of that.
Edwards: Its interesting that you say that the future of video games wasnt determined at that time.
He looked at the Super Nintendo and hes like, These are all the same.
Its a game on a screen and how can you go from here?
He was trying to look beyond just a game in a box on a screen, a flat thing.
And so that was him trying to explore the potential of a new direction in video games.
But as far as gimmicks go, there is a lot of gimmickry in the Virtual Boy.
But like Iwrotein 2015, I think that the system typifies Nintendos historical willingness to take innovative risks.
And now we celebrate them because they were so successful.
But the Virtual Boy was just part of that same DNA.
Edwards: Nintendo was deadly serious about trying to make the most out of this.
Edwards: Its a great console, with great games.
But there are a lot of misunderstandings about it, partly because it was only sold to 770,000 people.
There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about it.
Theres the stereotype of it giving everyone a headache, which I never got.
So we do want to rectify some of that and build some new respect for the system.
I also agree that had they marketed it as a toy, it would have been seen differently.
Gizmodo: What do you hope readers most take away from your deep dive into the Virtual Boy?
And so I have a deep intellectual and academic interest in games.
Its the memories you had as a kid.
And I think thats super important and valuable.
And we should be proud of its place in that history.
Gizmodo: Since were all gamers here, what would be your stranded on a island game?
[For the record, this reporters choice would be 2016s XCOM 2.]
Edwards: Im really still into Elden Ring a lot.
I havent finished it, but it seems so deep that I could probably play it forever.
explore different nooks and crannies.
Either that or Skyrim.
I still have been playing that a little bit every year for five years or six years straight.
I havent really finished that either.
But I dont want it to end, because its just like theres a world you live in.
Zagal: I have students asking me questions like this all the time.
And I always have a cop-out answer.
You know, Im a gamer so Im going to attempt to find a loophole.
So I would pick any big MMO.
Maybe its WOW, or maybe its Destiny, since thats my chicken soup game.
Its the game I often go back to when I just want to kind of chill, relax.
And I just go for some old-fashioned tabletop role-playing.
Seeing Red: Nintendos Virtual Boywill be published on May 14 and is available to pre-order atMIT PressandBookshop.
News from the future, delivered to your present.
Those who want a console at launch June 5 should get in line as soon as possible.
