What the Ars article bodges in its final paragraph is the implication Yokoi retired because of the Virtual Boy. Quite the opposite: it was supposed to be his final gift to Nintendo. He wanted to get back to making proper toys. The VB was a finale, a send-off, something that might mirror the success of the Game Boy and give Nintendo a whole new market for years to come. Which obviously did not work.
It’s okay, though. His apology was to stick around a little longer and crank out the Game Boy Pocket just in time for some second-party game called Pocket Monsters.
What the Ars article bodges in its final paragraph is the implication Yokoi retired because of the Virtual Boy. Quite the opposite: it was supposed to be his final gift to Nintendo. He wanted to get back to making proper toys. The VB was a finale, a send-off, something that might mirror the success of the Game Boy and give Nintendo a whole new market for years to come. Which obviously did not work.
It’s okay, though. His apology was to stick around a little longer and crank out the Game Boy Pocket just in time for some second-party game called Pocket Monsters.