Editing Virtual Boy (section)

===Promotion===
Nintendo extensively advertised the Virtual Boy and claimed to have spent {{USD|25 million}} on early promotional activities.<ref name="Boyer" /> Advertising promoted the system as a paradigm shift from past consoles; some pieces used [[Caveman|cavemen]] to indicate a historical evolution, while others utilized psychedelic imagery. Nintendo targeted an older audience with advertisements for the Virtual Boy, shifting away from the traditional child-focused approach it had employed in the past.<ref name="Boyer" /> Nintendo portrayed the system as a type of virtual reality, as its name indicates. Nintendo also focused on the technological aspects of the new console in its press releases, neglecting to detail specific games.<ref name="Boyer" />

Challenged by showing three-dimensional gameplay on two-dimensional advertisements, the company partnered with [[Blockbuster (retailer)|Blockbuster]] and [[NBC]].<ref name="Boyer" /><ref name="GPro83">{{cite magazine|date=August 1995|title=At the Deadline|url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_073_August_1995/page/n119/mode/2up|magazine=[[GamePro]]|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|issue=83|page=118}}</ref> A {{US$|5 million|long=no}} campaign promoted NBC's late 1995 lineup alongside the Virtual Boy.<ref name="NYT addenda">{{cite news |first=Elliott |last=Stuart |title=THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING -- ADDENDA; CBS and NBC Take Promotion Partners |work=New York Times |date=June 1, 1995 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/08/business/media-business-advertising-addenda-good-war-comes-good-marketing-opportunities.html |access-date=August 25, 2020 |archive-date=May 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526142523/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/08/business/media-business-advertising-addenda-good-war-comes-good-marketing-opportunities.html |url-status=live }}</ref> American viewers were encouraged via television advertisements on NBC to rent the console for $10 at a local Blockbuster. This affordable demonstration<ref name="Boyer" /> provided 750,000 consoles for rent, some in a clamshell Blockbuster case.<ref name="Mediaweek">{{cite news|title=Nintendo/Nickelodeon/Blockbuster|work=Mediaweek|volume=6|issue=30|date=1996|pages=36–|publisher=ABI/INFORM Global|via=ProQuest|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/213638266/3957B3B8A4424A83PQ/|access-date=August 25, 2020|archive-date=February 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207095415/https://www.proquest.com/docview/213638266/3957B3B8A4424A83PQ|url-status=live}}</ref> Upon returning the unit, renters received a coupon for $10 off its purchase from any store.<ref name="GPro83"/><ref name=BB>{{cite magazine|title=Vid Game Promos As Entertaining As Game|last=Gillen|first=Marilyn A.|date=August 26, 1995|magazine=Billboard|page=98|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wAsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA98|via=[[Google Books]]|access-date=August 25, 2020|archive-date=February 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207095407/https://books.google.com/books?id=wAsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA98|url-status=live}}</ref> The promotion included 3,000 Blockbuster locations, and sweepstakes with prizes including trips to see the taping of NBC shows.<ref name="NYT addenda" /> The popular rental system proved harmful to the Virtual Boy's long-term success, allowing gamers to see just how non-immersive the console was.<ref name="Boyer" /> By mid-1996, Blockbuster was selling its Virtual Boy units at $50 each.<ref name="EGM86">{{cite magazine|date=September 1996|title=Gaming Gossip|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/2/2e/EGM_US_086.pdf|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=86|page=34|access-date=September 12, 2020|archive-date=August 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821193530/https://retrocdn.net/images/2/2e/EGM_US_086.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The marketing campaign overall was commonly thought of as a failure.<ref name="Tomb Space">{{cite book |last1=King |first1=Geoff |last2=Krzywinska |first2=Tanya |year=2006 |title=Tomb Raiders and Space Invaders : Videogame Forms and Contexts}}</ref>