Love it or hate it, Nintendo Switch Online is doing great things for game preservation. I read a lot of comments from people saying 'as if people pay for old games in 2026,' but playing old GameCube games and N64 titles on the go on my Switch 2 is so easy that I don't mind paying the £35 a year, especially when it means I can play with my friends online too.
It's also pretty cool when Nintendo releases unreleased games to the platform too, and while I'm not the world's biggest fan of the Virtual Boy becuase the original console gave me an otherworldly headache whenever I used it, the news that two previously unreleased games from 1996 have come to Switch Online is a major win for game preservation and great for fans who didn't have many titles to choose from the first time around.
First up is Zero Racers, a game that was designed as the first 3D entry in the F-Zero series. It never released due to the cancellation of the Virtual Boy from production lines, but it was set to introduce the humanoid version of Fox McCloud's dad (which is weird to say the least), James McCloud, who went on to feature in F-Zero X.
Then there's Dragon Hopper, a game where players take Dorin the Dragon Prince on an adventure to rescue fairies and spirits. This game was supposedly completed back in '96 but was also shelved when the Virtual Boy was discontinued. This one looks more my thing than Zero Racers and has magical transformation elements more akin to the platformers and RPGs I grew up playing.
One thing I do like, however, is the new colour change setting that allows you to ditch the horrible red and black colour scheme and actually add some other textures to the games to make them easier to see. Even the solid green colour scheme feels better on my eyes than the red does!
You need to use either the plastic full-size or cardboard Virtual Boy peripherals when playing these games, which means that this news is a little pointless unless you own one or are planning to get one. And if you are planning to get one, there's currently a small discount on the cardboard variant on Nintendo Switch Online!
Head to the Nintendo Website to find out more about the classics collection, the Expansion Service, and the full range of games available!
