Virtual Boy will transport game players into a virtual

utopia

Source: Own video based on Gaming

Historian (2014).
IBCON - Innovation and Technology Management SS 2015
A. F. Rosin | A. Sharma | L.. Muench

Presentation - Virtual
Boy
By Lucia Mnch, Abhishek Sharma and Anna
Frieda Rosin

IBCON - Innovation and Technology Management SS 2015

A. F. Rosin | A. Sharma | L.. Muench

Outline

The following 15 minutes will deal with the innovation

Virtual Boy
1. Introduction
2. Funding
3. Innovation process
4. Intellectual property rights
5. Summary and outlook

IBCON - Innovation and Technology Management SS 2015

A. F. Rosin | A. Sharma | L.. Muench

1. Introduction

Virtual Boy is the first portable 3D video game console

Virtual Boy

First portable 3D video

game console

One of the first 32-bit

processor

Developed by Nintendo

Designed by Gunpei
Yokoi, the inventor of the
Game boy

Released in 1995 in Japan

and North America for
$180 per console

Growth trend

Lifecycle for the 3D game console (1995)

The Virtual
Boy as an
early mover

Time
Developme
nt

Introductio
n

Growth

Maturity

Source: Markoff (1994); Metro (2014).

IBCON - Innovation and Technology Management SS 2015
A. F. Rosin | A. Sharma | L.. Muench

2. Funding

Virtual Boy was a radical product and paradigm shift

for Nintendo

Dimensions of
innovation space
the 4 Ps

Nintendos funding of the Virtual Boy

Paradigm
radical

Virtual
Boy

Process

Incrementel

radical

Product

Nintendo invested $ 4 mn in R&D and even

more marketing
The development team consisted of 60
people
First releases were in North America and
Japan
Expected sales were about 3 mn units for $
180 retail price

Virtual Boy
Release

Position

Virtual Boy as radical

Paradigm
and Product innovation
Source: Next Generation (1995); Scott (2015); Nintendo (2015a).
IBCON - Innovation and Technology Management SS 2015
A. F. Rosin | A. Sharma | L.. Muench

3. Innovation process

Nintendo used its basic knowledge to develop an

invention that was commercialized as the innovation
Virtual
Adoption
Basic boy
Knowled
ge

Inventio
n

Innovati
on

Diffusion

Imitation

Nintendo had great expertise

due to more than 30 years of
experience

First "true 3D graphics"

One of the first 32-bit
systems
First extendable power
supply controller

Hard to imitate
Competitors tried to catch
up in following years (e.g.
Source: Nintendo (2015); Markoff (1994); Metro (2014); Whitehead (2014). Sony)
IBCON - Innovation and Technology Management SS 2015
A. F. Rosin | A. Sharma | L.. Muench

Imitation

Adoption

Projected sales: 3 mn units

Total sales: 850,000 units
No sufficient adaptation
by demand side

4. Intellectual poperty rights

Nintendo filed about 20 patents for Virtual Boy

Nintendos patents:

Patents in different regions of

the world:

Controller, display device &

program catriges

Hardware
Software

Interactions between
system & 3D technology

1. Japan
2. Europe
3. USA

Design

Look and feel of the

Controller

Nintendos trademark:
Brand

Name and Logo of Virtual

Boy

Steroscopic image display device

and storgae devise
Image display device, image
display system and program
cartige
Manipulator for game machine
Converter
Game cartridge
Controller for game
machine
Game machine

Source: Planet Virtual Boy (2015); United States Patent and Trademark Office
(1997).
.

IBCON - Innovation and Technology Management SS 2015

A. F. Rosin | A. Sharma | L.. Muench

4. Intellectual poperty rights

The technology of the display device and the

controller were unique at this time
LED Lights

Patent image display

device:

United States patent

Inventor: Mantani,
Yoshinobu
Authorized to Nintendo
3D
Co. Ltd
Technology
Virtual Boy was the
pioneer for today`s 3D
technology (2015)
M-shape

Patent controller for

game machine:
United States patent
Inventor: Gunpeo Yoki,
Kenichi Sugino

Dual D-pads

Authorized to Nintendo Co.

Ltd
Newer controllers (2015)

Source:
Unitedsimilarities
States Patent and Trademark Office
still have
(1996-1997).

Battery
pack to
carry it
around

IBCON - Innovation and Technology Management SS 2015

A. F. Rosin | A. Sharma | L.. Muench

5. Summary and outlook

Virtual boy failed due to various problems

Reasons for Virtual
Boys
failure

Lack of true portability

Monochrome screen,
only black and red

Not realistic enough

Unimpressive line-up of
games

Absence of head-tracking

Too high price

Poorly handled
marketing campaign

Press published articles

that physical problems:
dizziness, nausea,
Source: Dredge (2014); Kearns (2014); Own video based on Gaming Historian
headaches, eye strain
(2014).
after playing it for a
IBCON - Innovation and Technology Management SS 2015
A. F. Rosin | A. Sharma | L.. Muench
while

5. Summary and outlook

The Virtual Boy did not take off as expected and was
Nintendos worst failure
Summary

First portable video game

console released in 1995
by Nintendo (North
America and Japan)

Only 850.000 units got

sold worldwide in 1995

Discontinuation after one

years due to various
factors such as technical
problems

Nintendos worst failures

and Gunpei Yokois last
product

90
% 0

Nintendo rushed the

Virtual Boy development
to work almost
exclusively
on their
Source:
Klepek (2010).
Nintendo 64
IBCON - Innovation and Technology Management SS 2015
A. F. Rosin | A. Sharma | L.. Muench

10

5. Summary and outlook

Oculus Rift is the new era of the 3D game consoles

Oculus Rift

New reality headset

Developed by Oculus VR,

Inc.

Oculus VR got bought by

Facebook in 25.03.2014
for $2 Billion

Cost price 199 $ for

console (excluding
games)

Final version will be

released in 2016

First prototype was

introduced in 2012

Growth trend

Lifecycle for the 3D game console (2015)

Time
Developme
nt

Introductio
n

Growth

Maturity

Source: Dredge (2014).

IBCON - Innovation and Technology Management SS 2015
A. F. Rosin | A. Sharma | L.. Muench

11

Dicussion round

Nintendo registered a trademark for the virtual boy in

Europe last year in 2014. What could be the reasons
for it?

Source: OAMI (2015).

IBCON - Innovation and Technology Management SS 2015
A. F. Rosin | A. Sharma | L.. Muench

12

Discussion round

Do you think the early movement of Nintendo caused

the product failure?

Growth trend

Lifecycle for the 3D game console (1995)

The Virtual
Boy as an
early mover

Time
Developme
nt

Introductio
n

Growth

Maturity

Source: Pixfans (2014); Metro (2014).

IBCON - Innovation and Technology Management SS 2015
A. F. Rosin | A. Sharma | L.. Muench

13

Contact Details

Please feel free to ask us, if you have any further

questions
Anna Frieda Rosin

Email:
Frieda.Rosin@gmail.com
Phone: 0152 22769696

Abhishek Sharma

Email:
abhishek.230287@gmail.com
Phone: 01521 5666 193

Lucia Mnch

Email: luciamuench@web.de
Phone: 0178 4678849

IBCON - Innovation and Technology Management SS 2015

A. F. Rosin | A. Sharma | L.. Muench

14

Sources (1/2)
Dredge, Stuart (2014): Oculus Rift 10 reasons why all eyes are back on virtual reality. In:
The
Guardian
31
March.
Retrieved
from:
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/mar/31/oculus-rift-facebook-virtual-reality,
last downloaded: 22.06.2015.
Gaming Historian (2014): Virtual Boy Gaming Historian. Retrieved
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jjz4bls_gPs, last downloaded: 22.06.2015.

from:

Kearns, Jonathan (2014): Why hasn`t the Internet made the Virtual Boy cool?. Retrieved from:
http://i.imgur.com/ZUJHD.png, last downloaded: 22.06.2015.
Klepek, Patrick (2010): Remembering Nintendo's First Attempt (And Failure) At 3D Gaming:
Virtual
Boy.
Retrieved
from:
http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/703434/remembering-nintendos-first-attemptand-failure-at-3d-gaming-virtual-boy/, last downloaded: 22.06.2015.
Markoff, John (1994): Nintendo counts on a new virtual game. In: The New York Times 14
November. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/14/business/nintendocounts-on-a-new-virtual-game.html, last downloaded: 22.06.2015.
Metro (2015): The 7 biggest video game console fails in history, in: Metro 27 April. Retrieved
from:
http://www.metro.us/lifestyle/the-7-biggest-video-game-console-fails-inhistory/tmWndA---d6eLOqzz6R5s/, last downloaded: 22.06.2015.
Next Generation (1995): An audience with Yokoi Gumpei. In: Next Generation April: 44-46.
Nintendo
(2015):
Unternehmensgeschichte.
Retrieved
from:
https://www.nintendo.de/Unternehmen/
Unternehmensgeschichte/Nintendo-GeschichteIBCON - Innovation and
Technology Management SS 2015
15
625945.html, last downloaded: 22.06.2015.
A. F. Rosin | A. Sharma | L.. Muench

Sources (2/2)
Nintendo (2015a): Consolidated Statements of Income Transition. Retrived
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/library/historical_data/pdf/consolidated_pl_e1503.pdf,
downloaded: 22.06.2015.

from:
last

Office for Harmonization in the internal market (OAMI): Trademark, Retrieved from:
https://oami.europa.eu/eSearch/#basic/1+1+1+1/Virtual%20Boy,
last
downloaded:
22.06.2015.
Pixfans (2014): Virtual Boy.
downloaded: 22.06.2015.

Retrieved

from:

http://www.pixfans.com/virtual-boy/,

last

Planet
Virtual
Boy
(2015):
Patente.
Retrieved
http://www.planetvb.com/modules/patents/, last downloaded: 22.06.2015.

from:

United States Patent and Trademark Office (1996-1997): Patents, Retrieved

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?
Sect2=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/searchbool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&RefSrch=yes&Query=PN/D375326,
downloaded: 22.06.2015.

from:
last

Whitehead, Thomas (2014): Planet Virtual Boy founder explains his passion for Nintendo`s
failed
system.
Retrieved
from:
http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/05/planet_virtual_boy_founder_explains_his_pass
ion_for_ nintendos_failed_system , last downloaded: 22.06.2015.

IBCON - Innovation and Technology Management SS 2015

A. F. Rosin | A. Sharma | L.. Muench

16