Nintendo: Don’t rule us out of the virtual reality space

By Gabe Gurwin October 27, 2016

Virtual Boy Wario Land - Cardboard Test

Nintendo is riding high following the announcement of its upcoming Switch console, with many fans seeing it as a return to the innovation that made the Nintendo Entertainment System, Wii, and DS so popular, but the company isn’t ruling out the possibility of also entering the ever-growing world of virtual reality, as well.

Speaking to Bloomberg, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima said that the company is “interested in VR” technology, though it is unlikely that the Switch will be compatible with third-party virtual reality headsets.

“If you ask us whether there are any possibilities, we can’t say no. It may be that we will build VR software titles,” Kimishima added. “I think that opportunity is available to us.”

Nintendo’s caution to entering the virtual reality space is likely rooted in its failed 1995 console, the Virtual Boy. Forcing players to view games through a small, stand-mounted display and only offering red and black colors, the system is Nintendo’s biggest failure to date.

It only managed to sell 350,000 units during 1995 — the Wii U, which has consistently undersold as well, managed to move more than 3 million units during its launch. In total, the Virtual Boy was supported by less than 25 games, all of which released within a year of the system’s original launch.

Though the Nintendo Switch may not be supported by virtual reality, it will reportedly offer its own take on “augmented” reality. A patent filed by Nintendo appears to show a small projector on the system’s right side, which can be used to virtually place objects in players’ hands. It also appears to offer some form of “gesture detection,” as well.

We’ll know more about Nintendo’s plans for the future on January 12, when the company will reveal the Switch’s release date and price, as well games currently in development.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

Gaming

PSA: Don’t burn yourself out on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s open-world activities

Cloud from FFVII

I'm normally a completionist when it comes to games, but I wish I had told myself to push that mindset to the side before I started Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

I get the desire to do it all, I really do. In the critically acclaimed sequel, we're finally let loose outside of Midgar. Square Enix has laid a huge, lush set of biomes to stretch our legs in after being stuck in the cramped hallways and tunnels of the drab city. Despite most of the world activities in Rebirth being standard open-world fare (activating towers, scanning points of interest, and hunting down specific monsters), there's an undeniable novelty to doing it with Cloud and the rest of Avalanche. What I wish I had known before starting was just how easy it was to burn out on that feeling.

Gaming

Don’t sleep on these one-of-a-kind games that launched in February

A skeleton touches a still life in Please, Touch the Artwork 2.

We're only two months into 2024, but it's already a surprisingly front-loaded year for new games. We kicked the year off with great Like a Dragon, Tekken, and Prince of Persia games in January, but February turned the heat up even more. Persona 3 Reload and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth gave us two excellent RPGs, while Helldivers 2 has been a surprise hit for Sony. Even just trying to keep up with the major releases has been a daunting task.

Those aren't the only great games that have dropped this year, though. February, in particular, was a haven for genre-bending indie projects that are unlike anything we've ever seen before. From a poker roguelike to an open-world puzzle game, we've had our hands full between long RPGs. If you're looking to build up a backlog as we move into what's likely to be a quieter stretch of the year, these are the February releases that you should consider revisiting.
Balatro

Gaming

Whatever you do, don’t skip Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s card minigame

Queen's Blood

If you're getting ready to start your Final Fantasy VII Rebirth adventure, let me offer you fair warning: it is a long game. If you're planning to do every sidequest, minigame, and Chadley combat battle, you'll be wandering around Gaia for 100 hours. That's not an exaggeration; I hit credits in 73 hours and I still had a massive checklist of side content to complete.

Considering that length, you'll want to prioritize the best content if you want to get through the story in a timely matter. Some minigames are safe to skip, but there's one you absolutely should not sleep on: Queen's Blood. Not only is it a surprisingly deep deck-builder, but it contains a secret story all its own that makes it Rebirth's absolute best minigame.
All hail the queen
Introduced early in Rebirth's story, Queen's Blood is an optional card game that appears all over the world. It's essentially Rebirth's Gwent equivalent, giving players an in-world deck-building game to obsess over. That's become a bit of a cliché in modern open-world games, but Queen's Blood is the best take on the idea I've ever seen.