Miyamoto Has Concerns about Virtual Reality Gaming
By Denny Connolly 15 February 2017
Nintendo may not be fully ready to leap into the world of virtual reality just yet and Miyamoto discusses some of his main concerns with the trendy technology.
Before the Nintendo Switch was officially revealed and detailed, lots of theories were floating around about what Nintendo’s mysterious console was going to be all about. Back when the Nintendo Switch was still just the NX, lots of gamers believed that virtual reality might be a key feature for the Nintendo console. Although that didn’t end up being the case, the idea of VR is still something that Nintendo is keeping its eyes on.
Some Switch games, like Arms, seem almost like they were made with VR functionality in mind. Although there’s no proof of that, lots of VR enthusiasts are still holding out hope that the Switch will add a headset at some point in the future. Certain fans may think it’s a good idea, but not everyone at Nintendo is convinced that mainstream living rooms are ready for virtual reality to take over the traditional gaming experience.
In a recent interview with TIME, legendary Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto discussed the current state of VR and why Nintendo may be avoiding it for the time being…
“When I see people play virtual reality, it makes me worry, just as for example if a parent were to see their kid playing virtual reality, it would probably make them worry…”
Miyamoto started out by praising how far VR has come so far, but he clearly wasn’t ready to fully embrace the tech… “In terms of being together online in virtual reality, I think a lot of the problems have been solved or are starting to be solved.” While discussing other problems and concerns that developers working in VR must face, Miyamoto emphasized the need to, “… create an experience that’s both short enough while also fully fleshed out.”
These concerns aren’t really anything new for those who follow the world of VR, but it is interesting to hear that Nintendo is thinking about the best ways to solve these problems. The Rift and Vive have both proven that high quality VR products can provide incredible gaming experiences, so it’s only a matter of time before gamers see that kind of power attached to a console from all of the major companies. The PS VR is light on software, but games like Batman Arkham definitely prove that the Sony headset is no joke.
There are already some concerns about the hardware power level for the Nintendo Switch, so it would be genuinely surprising to see VR support for Nintendo’s upcoming machine without a significantly expensive add-on. That said, there is the chance that a middle of the road VR experience, similar to Samsung Gear or Google Daydream, could be delivered on the Switch. VR purists would likely be totally uninterested in that sort of solution, but it may provide enough novelty for the average household. Regardless, we’d be very interested to see how Nintendo’s iconic IP could translate to the world of VR gaming if the company ever decides to take the plunge.
What do you think about virtual reality? Would you like to see Nintendo move into the realm of VR? Let us know in the comments.
Nintendo currently has no VR hardware or software scheduled for release.
