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====== Virtual Boy ======

The Virtual Boy is a portable but not handheld console developed by Nintendo. It was released in 1995, retailing for $179.95 USD ($314.21 in 2020).

The Virtual Boy was renown for its gimmick: stereoscopic 3D achieved by parallax effect. A beam of light would be bounced against a constantly rotating mirror, and depending on where the light was aimed would project the illusion of an image due to persistence of vision.

Due to a lack of polish, little software support, high asking price (compared to a [[systems:gb|Game Boy]]), health concerns, lack of portability (requiring a table to use) and abandonment by Nintendo a year after its launch, the Virtual Boy was a commercial failure. However, the idea of 3D stereoscopic images would leave [[systems:3ds|its impression on Nintendo]] for many years to come...

This system scrapes metadata for the "virtualboy" group and loads the ''virtualboy'' set from the currently selected theme, if available.
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==== Quick reference ====

  * **Emulator:** [[#retroarch|RetroArch]]
  * **Core:** [[#libretro:_vb|libretro: vb]]
  * **Folder:** ''/userdata/roms/virtualboy''
  * **Accepted ROM formats:** ''.vb'', ''.zip'', ''.7z''

===== BIOS =====

No Virtual Boy emulator in Batocera needs a BIOS file to run.

===== ROMs =====

Place your Virtual Boy ROMs in ''/userdata/roms/virtualboy''.

===== Emulators =====

==== RetroArch ====

[[https://docs.libretro.com/|RetroArch]] (formerly SSNES), is a ubiquitous frontend that can run multiple "cores", which are essentially the emulators themselves. The most common cores use the [[https://www.libretro.com/|libretro]] API, so that's why cores run in RetroArch in Batocera are referred to as "libretro: (core name)". RetroArch aims to unify the feature set of all libretro cores and offer a universal, familiar interface independent of platform.

=== RetroArch configuration ===

RetroArch offers a **Quick Menu** accessed by pressing ''[HOTKEY]'' + {{:wiki:south.png?nolink&20|South button (B SNES)}} which can be used to alter various things like [[:advanced_retroarch_settings|RetroArch and core options]], and [[:remapping_controls_per_emulator|controller mapping]]. Most RetroArch related settings can be altered from Batocera's EmulationStation.

Standardized features available to all libretro cores: ''virtualboy.videomode'', ''virtualboy.ratio'', ''virtualboy.smooth'', ''virtualboy.shaders'', ''virtualboy.pixel_perfect'', ''virtualboy.decoration'', ''virtualboy.game_translation''

^ ES setting name ''batocera.conf_key'' ^ Description => ES option ''key_value'' ^
^ Settings that apply to all cores of this emulator ||
| **GRAPHICS API ''virtualboy.gfxbackend''** | Choose which graphics API library to use. Vulkan is better, when supported.\\ => OpenGL ''opengl'', Vulkan ''vulkan''. |
| **AUDIO LATENCY ''virtualboy.audio_latency''** | In milliseconds. Can reduce crackling/cutting out.\\ => 256 ''256'', 192 ''192'', 128 ''128'', 64 ''64'', 32 ''32'', 16 ''16'', 8 ''8''. |
| **THREADED VIDEO ''virtualboy.video_threaded''** | Improves performance at the cost of latency and more video stuttering.\\ => On ''true'', Off ''false''. |

=== libretro: vb ===

== libretro: vb configuration ==

^ ES setting name ''batocera.conf_key'' ^ Description => ES option ''key_value'' ^
^ Settings that apply to all systems this core supports ||
| **COLOR PALETTE (2D) ''global.2d_color_mode''** | \\ => original ''black & red'', black/white ''black & white'', black/blue ''black & blue'', black/cyan ''black & cyan'', black/electric cyan ''black & electric cyan'', black/green ''black & green'', black/magenta ''black & magenta'', black/yellow ''black & yellow''. |
| **ANAGLYPH PRESET (3D) ''global.3d_color_mode''** | Use your physical anaglypth 3D glasses!\\ => Off ''disabled'', red/blue ''red & blue'', red/cyan ''red & cyan'', red/electric cyan ''red & electric cyan'', green/magenta ''green & magenta'', yellow/blue ''yellow & blue''. |

===== Controls =====

{{ :systems:1064px-virtual-boy-controller.jpg?400|Looks familiar...}}

The Virtual Boy's controller is unique, even among Nintendo's [[systems:n64|other consoles]] around the same time frame. Because of that, its controls aren't faithfully replicatable on modern controllers.

Here are the default Virtual Boy's controls shown on a [[:configure_a_controller|Batocera Retropad]]:

{{https://raw.githubusercontent.com/batocera-linux/batocera-controller-overlays/master/solid-4k/virtualboy.png}}

===== Troubleshooting =====

==== Further troubleshooting ====

For further troubleshooting, refer to the [[:support|generic support pages]].