Nintendo Virtual Boy
Shares rank 21 of 29 game consoles by recommenders
Recommended for its bright, crisp display, entertaining Nintendo games, and appeal to retro collectors; critics cite nausea and discomfort from the headset-style design.
Recommended for its bright, crisp display, entertaining Nintendo games, and appeal to retro collectors; critics cite nausea and discomfort from the headset-style design.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 64%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Owned for 24 years
Median of the 3 owners who said how long they have had it.
Each square is one year.
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1.7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Bright, crisp graphics
“I was super impressed with the quality of the graphics”
Comment from 28 Jan 2026 in “Virtual Boy on TV with Intelligent Systems Video Boy” “The picture is very bright and crisp.”
Comment from 28 Jan 2026 in “Virtual Boy on TV with Intelligent Systems Video Boy” Appeals to retro collectors
“I'm a huge fan of it - I was never able to get one while they were officially available”
Comment from 28 Jan 2026 in “Virtual Boy on TV with Intelligent Systems Video Boy” “I have a wonderful collection of retro consoles and games”
Comment from 3 Jan 2026 in “TIL: Parental Controls Aren't for Parents”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Causes nausea and headaches
“It caused nausea, the "headset" was uncomfortable and if the stand broke or was lost you were screwed.”
Comment from 28 Jan 2026 in “Virtual Boy on TV with Intelligent Systems Video Boy” “I may still be nursing a headache from my Virtual Boy...30 years later.”
Comment from 30 Apr 2026 in “Apple Has Given Up on the Vision Pro After M5 Refresh Flop” Uncomfortable to play
“It caused nausea, the "headset" was uncomfortable and if the stand broke or was lost you were screwed.”
Comment from 28 Jan 2026 in “Virtual Boy on TV with Intelligent Systems Video Boy” “very uncomfortable to play”
Comment from 28 Jan 2026 in “Virtual Boy on TV with Intelligent Systems Video Boy” Poorly received, not compelling
“It's not a system that was received fondly for very good reasons.”
Comment from 28 Jan 2026 in “Virtual Boy on TV with Intelligent Systems Video Boy” “It was just not a compelling platform.”
Comment from 28 Jan 2026 in “Virtual Boy on TV with Intelligent Systems Video Boy”
Other game consoles people recommend
The four most recommended other game consoles, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valve Steam Machine | 326 | 240 | 58% | 12 | 1 mo5 owners | — |
| PlayStation 5 | 121 | 181 | 40% | 12 | 3 yrs8 owners | — |
| Xbox console | 62 | 212 | 23% | 12 | 21 yrs6 owners | — |
| Xbox 360 | 41 | 19 | 68% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Nintendo Virtual BoyThis page | 7 | 4 | 64% | 2 | 24 yrs3 owners | — |
What people said
10 of the 11 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I may still be nursing a headache from my Virtual Boy...30 years later.”
“But it was a Nintendo system and had some quite entertaining games.”
“I'm a huge fan of it - I was never able to get one while they were officially available”
“I was super impressed with the quality of the graphics”
“The picture is very bright and crisp.”
“It was just not a compelling platform.”
“It's not a system that was received fondly for very good reasons.”
“It caused nausea, the "headset" was uncomfortable and if the stand broke or was lost you were screwed.”
“very uncomfortable to play”
“I have a wonderful collection of retro consoles and games”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.