Red Headache

In 1995, Nintendo could do no wrong. They dominated the market with the Game Boy and SNES. Then, they released the Virtual Boy. It was a bulky, tripod-mounted headset that displayed games in only two colors: black and stinging red. It caused nausea, neck pain, and headaches within minutes. It was discontinued in less than a year.



"The Red Headache" is the story of Gunpei Yokoi, the legendary inventor of the Game Boy, and his tragic fall from grace. It details the rushed development of the Virtual Boy, driven by a fear of missing out on the "VR craze" of the 90s. The book explains the fatal design flaws: the decision to use cheap red LEDs to save battery life and the warning labels that terrified parents into thinking the device would permanently blind their children.



This is a business cautionary tale about what happens when marketing hype overrides engineering reality. It shows how the failure of the Virtual Boy humbled Nintendo, leading to the departure of its greatest visionary and a strategic pivot that eventually birthed the modern era of gaming.