Nintendohas officially confirmed that it is looking into research and development for the application of virtual reality. From the Wii’s motion controls to the console/handheld format of the Nintendo Switch and its newly released successor,Nintendohas always looked at adding new ways to play. There have been at least a few efforts into virtual reality, though these attempts didn’t quite take the world by storm like Nintendo’s more traditional gaming offerings.
The Famicom 3D Computer System was a stereoscopic headset produced in 1987, though it ultimately failed to catch on and has since faded into obscurity. Nintendo would later develop the Virtual Boy system, but it was also met with a cold reception thanks to its migraine-inducing monochrome display - a reception thatOculus Rift creator Palmer Luckeysays cast a shadow over the virtual gaming landscape for years to come. One of Nintendo’s later Labo kits allowed players to build a makeshift pair of VR goggles out of a cardboard box, complete with later compatibility withSuper Mario OdysseyandThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Nintendo recently released its latest financial report (viaGameRanx), which includes descriptions of what the company’s various departments are working on. This includes Nintendo’s research and development department, which Nintendo says is looking into new ways to incorporate technologies like wireless communication, security, cloud computing, virtual reality,augmented reality and mixed reality, deep learning, and big data analysis into its gaming systems and other areas of home entertainment.
Nintendo is Researching VR
Of course, this is only research for the time being, and there is no guarantee that Nintendo will implement VR or any of the other tech described in its report in the foreseeable future. It does add credence to apatent that Nintendo filedback in 2023 describing a new virtual reality gaming device, though this could have just as easily been for the aforementioned Nintendo Labo VR kit.
At this moment, the Nintendo Switch 2 doesn’t have any kind of VR support, but this financial report could be a sign that a designated VR device is in the works. PlayStation already has its PS VR 2 headset, and Xbox recently launched itsspecial-edition Meta Quest 3S. IfNintendois indeed joining them in the world of virtual reality, it has plenty of games and franchises that would lend themselves well to the format, such asMetroid PrimeorThe Legend of Zelda.
