Nintendo's least successful console was not the GameCube or Wii U, but the Virtual Boy, a stereoscopic 3D system released in the mid-1990s that lasted less than a year on the market. Marketed as offering rudimentary 3D visuals through a binocular-style viewfinder mounted on a stand, the device was widely criticised for its uncomfortable design and limited appeal, making it a notable low point in the company's history despite its many successful platforms like the Game Boy and Switch.

The Virtual Boy launched in North America in August 1995 and had sold just 770,000 units by June 1996, far below the Wii U's 13.6 million, making it Nintendo's worst-selling console by a wide margin. Its final North American game, Tetris 3D, arrived in March 1996 before Nintendo quietly discontinued the system, which never launched in Europe at all. Key flaws included an awkward table-mounted stand with no strap, a confusing controller with identically shaped buttons, an isolating single-player design, and a black-and-red-only display that Nintendo said was a cost-saving measure but which frequently caused eye strain and headaches.