For years the lengend go like this: Gumpei Yokoi creator of Metroid and the Gameboy left Nintendo after dealing with bad press and angry executives due the Virtual Boy. But maybe this isn't true

“In August 1996, Yokoi retired from Nintendo at the age of 54, and a month later he founded Koto, a small toy company, in Kyoto.

At the time, there were whispered speculations that he had left Nintendo to take responsibility for the Virtual Boy’s failure, or that there had been a fight with [Nintendo’s former president Hiroshi] Yamauchi, but Taki — who was there to see — says none of this is true.

Yokoi had originally decided to retire at 50 to do as he pleased. His retirement had simply been a bit later than planned.”

http://tinycartridge.com/post/862046655/virtual-boy-wasnt-gunpei-yokois-downfall

Perhaps this will also crush the rather nasty rumors that Nintendo had him assassinated.

Though if he really was retired, why'd he go work for Bandai on the Wonder Swan?

It was likely just a company retirement.

I always think of what he would be able to do today, I mean this is the man who brough us D-pads and the Game Boy, in todays world of HD, touch screens and motion gaming he could have brough the next big innovation

^^Yeah, I've always wondered what Nintendo's handhelds would be like if Yokoi were still around. Maybe we wouldn't have had to wait nearly 20 for a new Kid Icarus.

Or he might have found a way to make the original DS 3D.

On that note, this and Iwata's comments show they likely understood the VB was too soon, and have been working on a way to make it happen properly.