Shank Mods used a real motherboard to build what is likely the world’s first Virtual Boy handheld console.
We’re lucky to have access to several high-quality virtual reality (VR) headsets today. But there were several attempts at VR in the past. A handful of rather gimmicky VR systems were setup in malls and video arcades, but Nintendo’s Virtual Boy was the first console capable of displaying stereoscopic 3D graphics. It was also a massive flop. Nintendo only sold 770,000 Virtual Boy units, compared to more than 32 million units for the Nintendo 64 that hit the market just a year later. Despite their rarity, Shank Mods managed to get a broken Virtual Boy motherboard. He used that to build what is likely the world’s first Virtual Boy handheld console.