Created by legendary Nintendo engineer Gunpei Yokoi (who previously lead the creation of the original Game Boy), the Nintendo Virtual Boy attempted to usher in the age of virtual reality… a quarter century too soon.

Released in 1995, the Virtual Boy attempted to immerse players in stereoscopic three-dimensional gameplay. Unfortunately, technical limitations lead to the use of LCD panels which could only display shades of red rather than full-color images.

Furthermore, the Virtual Boy suffered from unclear design: it’s semi-portable and runs on AA batteries stored in the controller, but also semi-stationary and must be played while mounted to a desktop stand. In other words, it’s not quite a portable system like the Game Boy, but not quite a home console either.

Most damning of all though was the simple fact that playing the Virtual Boy for more than a few minutes can cause painful eye strain and pounding headaches - hardly a selling point.

Despite its flaws, the Virtual Boy is home to a small but impressive collection of innovative 3D games, most of which simply cannot be fully experienced or appreciated on non-VR hardware.

The Virtual Boy was an impressive attempt to introduce true immersive 3D worlds, nearly two decades before affordable VR headsets became commonplace. Unfortunately, its technological limitations, unclear design, and often-painful gameplay has left it a rare stain on Nintendo’s otherwise-strong history of popular products.