During its recent Direct, Nintendo has announced that Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 players subscribed to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription service will be getting access to classics from one of the company’s long-forgotten consoles – the Virtual Boy.
Coming to the Switch and Switch 2 in US and Canada on February 17, 2026, Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics will also require users to purchase the Virtual Boy for Nintendo Switch 2/Nintendo Switch accessory. The announcement was made with a trailer, which you can check out below.
There will be two versions of the Virtual Boy accessories – a full plastic one based on the original Virtual Boy design and priced at $99.99, and one made of cardboard that focuses on only providing the bare essentials, priced at $24.99. Owing to the design and lenses in the accessories, it is also worth noting that the Virtual Boy games available will be playable with stereoscopic 3D, much like the original console.
For the sake of context, the Virtual Boy a gaming console released all the way back in 1995, and was Nintendo’s attempts at tapping into VR gaming. Advertised as a portable device, the Virtual Boy had a stand that players would need to use as they played bespoke titles for the console.
Unfortunately, owing to its cumbersome design despite being a handheld as well as the low visual fidelity of its titles, the Virtual Boy didn’t see much in the way of commercial success. This was further stymied by the fact that there were only ever 22 titles released for the console before it stopped being sold and Nintendo went on to ignore that it ever existed.
Some of the titles that have been confirmed as being part of the Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics collection include Mario’s Tennis, Galactic Pinball and Teleroboxer among others. All in all, Nintendo has also stated that 14 games will be added to the collection over time. Some of the titles confirmed to be coming are Mario Clash, Vertical Force, Jack Bros., and Innsmouth no Yakata.
When it comes out, Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics will join the relatively-recent addition of GameCube games to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription service. Announced back in April during the dedicated Switch 2 Direct, Nintendo has confirmed that some of the games making their way to the Switch 2 through the collection include Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi’s Mansion, and Super Mario Strikers, among many others.
The addition of GameCube titles to the subscription also brought with it other new features, including the option for players to make use of a CRT filter to try and make the games look as close to what they would look like when they first came out in the early-2000s as possible.
Along with bringing the games from the console, Nintendo also launched a GameCube controller for the Nintendo Switch 2. While the company has stated that it is only meant to be used on the GameCube titles, players have discovered that it can be used for just about any game on the system as long as you don’t need more buttons than it can offer.
