In brief: Nintendo has launched a selection of classic Virtual Boy games through its Switch Online + Expansion pack membership service. At present, only about a third of the system's total catalog is available to play but more games could be on the way.
The Virtual Boy app is a free download for Switch and Switch 2 owners, but access requires a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership. You'll also need the Virtual Boy add-on accessory – or a cheaper cardboard alternative – to play. The accessory is essentially a replica of the original Virtual Boy, allowing you to slot your Switch or Switch 2 console inside for the visual experience.
Seven games are available to play currently including 3D Tetris, Golf, Galactic Pinball, Red Alarm, Teleroboxer, The Mansion of Innsmouth, and Virtual Boy Wario Land. The Mansion of Innsmouth was a Japanese exclusive when it originally launched in 1995, but all of the other games were available in North America.
The standard Virtual Boy accessory for Switch / Switch 2 retails for $99.99, while the cardboard variant is a good bit cheaper at $24.99. The more expensive model includes a stand but with the cheaper variant, you'll have to hold the console up to your face while playing which sounds incredibly tiring.
Nintendo launched the Virtual Boy in the summer of 1995 as a stopgap between the outgoing Super Nintendo and the upcoming Nintendo 64. Despite employing technology that was well ahead of its time, consumers weren't very receptive. The system was deemed too expensive at $179.99, and only 22 games were ever published for it. Worse yet, some early adopters found the system to be too uncomfortable, reporting headaches and eye strain.
Ultimately, Nintendo discontinued the Virtual Boy in North America after just one year to focus on the N64.
Nintendo's relaunch isn't likely to set the world on fire, but it does afford gamers the opportunity to experience what the original system had to offer and to relive some of its games (or play them for the very first time).