Nintendo's little red console that could, the Virutal Boy, has received the interest of many talented programmers and engineers as of late. Following the announcement for brand new ribbon cables in the works, came the introduction of the MultiBoy32. The brain child of Kevin Mellott (VB link cable, Mario Tennis 2 player carts, a VB controller-to-PC adapter, and other inventions), this new Flash Kit is set to be released towards the end of summer, 2019. The price point is currently at $150, making it only $50 more than the single ROM solution FlashBoy. For more information and to get on the waiting list, check the source link below.

Flash space: 32 slots of 32Mbit RAM via a 1Gbit Flash.
RAM space: 256k x 16 SRAM space (8k x 16 per slot) using MRAM (no battery needed).
Full 16bit SRAM bus instead of the production 8bit width.
On board 32bit microcontroller (MCU) for programming slots.
USB input for interfacing and control.
Games loaded via SD card slot.
On screen game selection themed around my 8bit VB character Do-Do.
Arduino compatible MCU (custom firmware development if you're so inclined).

Source

GBAtemp's Official Virtual Boy Review!

 

[Raverrevolution]

The Virtual boy didn't have many games to start with and nowadays you get better results using google Cardboard...

I honesty don't see the point, is not like it had any must play games. I mean the Sega CD had Sonic CD at least...

Wario Land is a must play game on it.

 

[SonyUSA]

The Virtual Boy gets a bad rap from all the people that have never played it creating a big echo chamber of hate. Mario Tennis was decent, same with Clash. The Wario game was really good and Vertical Force is a really cool (but kind of easy) ShmUp. It never gave me a headache, but I adjusted the stand and pupilary distance slider properly xP I've lost my kickstand but I still have all the other pieces and my games for it..

 

[huntertron1]

... why though...

 

[Another World]

Also for those who have been following the VB scene there is a Street Fighter 2 homebrew game for the VB, only a handful of carts was ever made.

The 1st run was 75 carts, and they cost $150 each. They were limited to 2 per-buyer. With a Kevin Mellott link cable it is possible to play 2-player with 2 carts. It's a really fun experience!

Now, there is word that someone have dumped the cart and have the rom but decide against sharing it

I think it's more that a certain someone got a cart to dump the ROM so they could make reproductions to fit a demand. Then another certain someone who was originally involved with the 75 cart run got upset, so those reproductions are now a little hard to come by. Unless you know which certain someone to ask. ;] With that said, JohnnyPhantom at PlanetVB is making a 2nd "official" run with the blessing of the original crew who put out the 75 cart run. He has original boards, so essentially its an extension of the 75 cart run. He just reported that he is settled into his new home and has plans to begin making the 2nd run soon.

-Another World

 

[Another World]

Holy Jesus! The Sega CD version is still the way to go for me, but this honestly looks like a heap of fun to mess around with.

It's the story behind it that gets me. One dev is literally making it as an homage to the person who started it, and then suddenly passed away! The 1st part is amazing! It's really fun on actual hardware, the 3D comes off really well, and the text isn't troublesome to read at all.

-Another World

 

[Another World]

I've lost my kickstand but I still have all the other pieces and my games for it..

https://www.hyperkin.com/virtual-boy-replacement-stand-repairbox.html =)

Holy Jesus! The Sega CD version is still the way to go for me, but this honestly looks like a heap of fun to mess around with.

For anyone looking to experience the Snatcher Act-1 on actual hardware, there are these carts available: https://www.vintex64.com/store/p175/Snatcher-Act-1.html

They were not made with the blessing of the original developer.

-Another World

 

[duwen]

Cool news. Pricey, yes, but not as steep as the NeoSD for the PC-Engine.
I always wanted a VB, if for no other reason than to play Jack Bros as it was intended to be experienced.

 

[Panzerfaust]

Thx for the info...i will buy it. VB is an awesome system

 

[spotanjo3]

Heck no. No thanks. The modern technology of advance video games are better than this for 150 dollars. Nice try. NO THANKS!!

 

[jurai]

no fucking way I would pay $150 for a VB flash cart, I get he's trying to build an end game product but that price point is ridic

 

[raxadian]

Well, there is the original incarnation of Mario Tennis. Mario Clash is not bad either, although there's not a whole lot to it.

Wario Land VB definitely fits the description of must-play though.

Hence it's constant inclusion in the Wario Ware series as a micrograme. They should make a full port already.

 

[the_randomizer]

I don't get the animosity towards this, flashcarts are flashcarts, any and all help preserve games because Nintendo is being a bunch of litigious losers over their games that they don't even distribute. The more flashcarts we have the better for keeping ROMs from disappearing.

 

[MercilessDeth]

For the people with sticker shock: it's not that any flash cart in particular is cheap. None of the Everdrives nor their competitors are very cheap. There's a lot of (reverse) engineering involved, as well as firmware development and then the cost of fabrication which is rather expensive based on volume.

Why is this one $150 when much more popular systems have cheaper flashcarts? Again, volume. The flash solutions for niche systems are always going to be higher cost than for a system that has more customers ready to buy, as the available customer base for this product is small (personally, I've missed out on the VB flashcarts in the past and now may be the time). Still cheaper than buying the complete collection of games for this system.

Many would say why not emulation? There's always the thrill of paying on original hardware. I will admit it's slightly more difficult to justify why I'd like to play on an SNES vs. a RetroPie setup, unless I'm using some odd peripheral device. Yes, there are emulators for the Virtual Boy. Yes, there are ways to display them in a type of "3D" setting either through using those blue-red glasses (I forget the name) or various types of 3D monitor configurations. Unfortunately, no, they do not emulate very well the experience of playing on the Virtual Boy's native and early 3D display. Much like how every early Wii game used waggle or every early DS game tacked on some type of touchscreen functionality, the Virtual Boy games that exist very much are dependent on the 3D depth effect that the system could create. I understand if you've never used one (I've had one since the Toys R Us clearance sale, and the few games I have are CIB) but...yeah. It's not an easily replicated experience, nor can you ever truly replicate the headache an improperly configured one could give you.

To the above poster that quoted my post about Wario Land VB being a must-play title, I have wondered about a port myself. I thought the 3DS would be a perfect target, but I'm not sure if the adjustable 3D slider with the red/black high contrast would have particularly worked well with the backgrounds in the game (anybody who's played it probably knows what I mean). I wonder if they have a VR headset type device in the future if that would be the platform that it could land on.

 

[segasonicfan_designs]

Me want! IMO, the price is totally reasonable but if you guys wanna see a pricey flash cart, check out this.