
Nintendo has been famously dismissive of Virtual Reality lately, with NoA boss Reggie Fils-Aimé even going as far as to say that the tech "just isn't fun" right now.
However, with Sony pushing its own VR option and Oculus Rift winning over developers, the VR sector could become a massive part of the games industry. Some are predicting it could be worth over $120 billion in the near future, and that's something that hasn't escaped Nintendo's attention.
In a briefing with investors, Nintendo stated that it is "looking at VR", but stopped short on giving any further details:
Fils-Aimé himself revealed that Nintendo had experimented with VR behind the scenes in the past and the ill-fated Virtual Boy could be considered a very crude precursor to the new wave of headsets about to launch on the market, so the news that Nintendo has this tech on its radar should hardly come as a massive shock. What will be interesting is how its plans for VR link in with its new NX platform, rumoured for launch this year.
Could we see a VR headset launch later on in the console's lifespan, as Sony has done with its own PlayStation-based variant? Or could Nintendo be looking to create an entirely new piece of hardware - like the Virtual Boy - which uses VR exclusively? Perhaps neither of these examples will come to pass, and Nintendo will once again decide that the concept of immersive gaming goes against its core principles.
Let us know your thoughts on this - do you think Nintendo should embrace VR and take it to the next level in terms of gameplay, or should the company steer clear? Post a comment to tell us what you think.
[source twitter.com]
Comments 61
I hope they don't go for it. I don't want all my games to be first person.
I really hope this isn't the future of gaming. I really don't want to wear some headset on my head to play a game.
I wish they could make something like Sword Art Online. I would never leave the world of XCX if that were the case.
They should wait and see if this is a fad or not.
Well if anyone knows how to make gaming fun its Nintendo. Dispite the virtual boy failure like over 15 years ago, this could infact be a great idea.
The Nintendo 3DS is not far off being a virtual reality headset.
The screen is already 3D and all it takes is some suitable lenses to make the screen appear wider and much more virtual.
It doesn't have to have super-resolution or a super-wide field of view, as long as it looks acceptable, is easy on the eyes and fun to play.
A 3DS screen worn on the head will also solve the 3D 'head tracking' stability issue as there wont be any instability.
cough
'Looking at VR' sounds very obligatory in light of the players behind VR at the moment. Its also possible R&D hasn't had any recent experiments in that direction, given Nintendo's familiarity with the concept. Im certain most feel that Project NX will have been developed from some novel concepts as gaming hardware, and I'm sure there's more fresh ideas out there for Nintendo than just VR
Waiting for things to catch on proved to be successfull for them. Amiibo payed off and now they are one of the few smart to just wait and see the market to actually prove it exists.
As if Reggie is actually involved in what direction Nintendo goes.
I don't think Nintendo will get in VR because it's not likely to make big money. It's amazing tech but it's not going to be mainstream so Nintendo won't be interested.
Yeah right. There have been way too many hints along the way, always with a firm "but this isn't what's next". Whenever they start denying things in this way it seems like it's always been right around the corner. I can remember the whole " Nintendo has no plans for smartphone games " era like it was yesterday.
It's time to stop being Virtual Boys, and become Virtual Men.
VR will flop, especially given the price and PC requirements for the Rift. I'd much rather they experimented with AR - imagine a game like Pokken Tournament in your living room!
@Spoony_Tech Agreed. I'd rather play games on a TV screen.
It'll be a niche product at best. Parents already have enough issues with the ubiquity of screens without having them literally glued to their kids faces. Not going to be be mass-market until it can be a shared experience.
I feel that's just PR
Sounds like Nintendo is just fumbling in the dark now a days with no clear direction.
I encourage everyone to read the report on bloomberg. Nintendo Life is taking the same article and breaking up the news in 6 different articles on their site.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-02/nintendo-profit-falls-36-as-lack-of-hits-hurts-holiday-sales
Nintendo needs to worry about getting the NX to be successful. I think this be the one time Nintendo sits back and watches other companies do something first before trying they're hand at it.
Nintendo should just jump to holodecks.
i looked at the lamborghini showroom a while ago. didn't mean i was going to buy one.
@ikki5 i'd agree except that the a.i. keeps trying to take over the ship or mysteriously removing the safety protocols.
Virtual Boy 2?
More like Virtual Man.
For once I want Nintendo to be the last one to jump on board with a gimmick. If anything they can watch how the tech grows an release a superior product down the line if the fad doesn't die.
It'd actually be funny if Nintendo was the one with the traditional console and MS and Sony go to gimmicky stuff.
VR seems very non-Nintendo to me; isolating experience (unless used for social virtual worlds), expensive technology, and only useful for a few specific types of games (like sitting in a cockpit).
VR is just about the only thing that I can think of that I would want to be completely optional in a game. Many other features need to be mandatory for certain types of games, but VR is something that I think can be completely optional.
With VR being sold at high prices and at losses, not surprising that most companies are avoiding it at the given time.
VR won't be profitable for a long while if ever.
Maybe they will add a second color to the Virtual Boy 2
I feel about VR as a lot of people felt about motion controls.
Can't wait for everybody to stop talking about it.
@Pod
Ironically (or not) that motion controls are the main input for nearly every VR platform but one.
Give me a holodeck or get back to work.
Seems like no one's really interested in VR. That's a shame
@H_Hunter
VR is too expensive for it's own good and hasn't been proven in hardware and software sales yet.
I had a feeling would have an eye on VR but wait n see how it goes on the other platforms, if anyone can make VR work I'm pretty sure Nintendo can its just too expensive at the mo tho.
I rather see Nintendo do new stuff instead...
Meh... too little too late. Focus on the console, as the house that Mario Built isn't big enough...
If Nintendo truly has any interest in innovation and new experiences they should definitely look into VR, it's the next logical step for the industry. I think with the NX set to be a range of different devices VR would be best as its own device and they can start by giving it a few exclusives and enhancements to see if it catches on first.
Until things like SAO is possible, I can really care less about VR. However I won't deny that certain games would look cool like Metroid, Starfox, Splatoon, etc.
I never thought I'd ever write the following sentence, but this marks the first time one of the many "not anytime soon" news concerning Nintendo makes me glad to hear the three words in question.
I don't think even Nintendo know what they are doing, first they publically dismiss VR by saying "it just isn't any fun". & now thay are saying thay are looking into VR, no wonder investors are not investing in Nintendo.
'T'aint "looking" anywhere near hard enough imo.
PS. "just isn't fun" is blatant rubbish. Ask all the people enjoying a whole bunch of great games and experiences on VR right now. Like these for example: http://www.inceptional.com/2016/01/15/heres-a-few-cool-vr-videos-i-recently-watched/
Or these: https://share.oculus.com/category/toprated#eyJjYXRlZ29yeSI6ImFsbCIsInNvcnQiOiJ0b3ByYXRlZCIsInBsYXRmb3JtIjpbInBjIl0sImdlbnJlIjpbXSwib2Zmc2V0IjowfQ==
Or these: http://uk.ign.com/articles/2016/01/28/valve-vr-hands-on-with-12-vive-games
And with games like Lucky's Tale and Eve Valkyrie launching in the box with Oculus Rift, I think people are gonna have a lot of fun on VR.
It's a sensible strategy, and I've said before that it would be wise for Nintendo to have people looking into this. There's no way to know yet whether this is the next big thing or whether it'll fizzle out, but it's good for Nintendo to have a small amount of resources looking at this so they can hedge their bets incase it becomes huge.
Still wish they'd done more with AR..
Why the heck didn't they make use of it in Ssb4 (3ds)?
And Pokemon battles!! It would certainly revive interest & give the TCG sales a boost -.-;
@kenzo play the minecart levels in capt toad and tell me that's isn't almost vr. The gamepad gives you 1st person with sounds, tracking, while the to displays something else.
@abbyhitter Well the tech isn't that far away. I know a person with an I.Q. over 200 working on a simular device. Though it's not a full headset but a needle into the brainstem.
@Peach64 I 100% agree with you on this one.
I would love to lay in my comfy bed and watch vudu movies on VR .
Me no likey...
I'd be into it. VR doesn't mean it always has to be first-person, BTW.
The price will be a lot more affordable in 18 months or so, and there's a lot of relevant tech that nintendo already has experience with (motion controls, LED-tracking controllers, low-latency video streaming, small form-factor devices and stereoscopy immediately spring to mind).
I think that if the rumours of nx being a family of devices with a largely shared software and hardware architecture are true, then a pretty decent Nintendo-made NX-based VR device of some sort would be relatively easy to produce.
If Nintendo really didn't want to produce their own headset, but wanted to hedge their bets just in case VR really takes off, then they could avoid becoming irrelevant by simply making sure that NX is adaptable for Oculus Rift compatibility somewhere down the line...
Oh, and this should go without saying, but they shouldn't use the Virtual Boy brand for their new VR device, that brand is even more tainted than the Wii brand is now.
In all seriousness **** da VR. It would be cool to have but I know I would get sick of the non porn games pretty quick.
I think the biggest takeaway from the information we were apprised to today was no real information. Nothing new. I know I shouldn't be surprised, but I have got to wonder what they are waiting for. Tells me NX will most likely not hit until next year.
What in the world does not too far in to the year suggest? We won't get another financial until end of June or July. If they wait that long to give us anything on NX, I don't see how it's ready before the end of the year.
I will be the first to tell you that I'm a Nintendo apologist. I am one of the 10 million who will by the next system no matter what it is. However in today's society, it would be nice to get info straight from the horses mouth. We literally have to wait for leaks from others to get any information of any kind.
Nintendo fits better with AR in the direction of HoloLens more than isolating VR sets debuting this year. It's not going to be something Nintendo will use seriously until a group can get together and share the experience in one room, in my opinion.
Just imagine the fun you could have while your friends are wearing VR headsets, you could have just as many comedy moments on camera as you can from drunken passed out people. They'd be so out of the loop they wouldn't know what pranks you could get up to while they're immersed.
@fortius54
A financial briefing is not the time to make a sales pitch on a new product.
It is, however, a time to talk about specific previously announced potential revenue streams are going to play out in the near future. The fact that it's focused on very near term sales means they are focusing on the next quarter and not much else.
Overall, Nintendo seems to be avoiding talking about anything 2nd half of 2016, though. Even Zelda U has dropped off the radar as far as substantial teases. To me that suggests that there is some larger strategy that Nintendo is waiting to unveil together. Sounds like a product launch to me. Is it a portable 3DS replacement? Home console? Or a grand strategy of key titles to keep either or both strong for another year? I don't know.
@NintendoFan64 @Spoony_Tech I actually love posting my wii u on my 1080 HD projector on my bedroom wall! Got a 93 Inch screen in gorgeous HD! Splatoon, Xcx and Hyrule Warriors are an absolute joy!
It's funny that people are talking about VR being a fad.
When we're on a Nintendo page.
Less than 5 years removed from the Wii.
Less than 4 years from the DS.
While Nintendo supports a tablet controlled console and a 3D handheld.
VR was a fad when Nintendo made the Virtual Boy and Nintendo fans seem to forget 20 years have come and gone.
It's easy to sit at your desk, couch, whatever and slam VR as a fad. But please, don't be immature about it. If you haven't actually experienced it, you don't actually know.
At the same time, I think more people need to realize that wages have nearly tripled since VR first debuted, so 600$ isn't exactly the super premium that 3rd world country gaming media would have us believe.
PS3 launched at 600$. I made 29k that year.
Oculus launches at 600$. I'll make 34-36k before September this year.
Just like the kids that bought games with their allowance then spend alot more on games now.
If we're talking the kind of hardware Nintendo buys from the wholesale store down the street, then maybe I wouldn't care.
But VR is using tech that Nintendo would be jealous of. Based on these little snippets, I get they are interested but don't have the stones to make that move.
You guys are right. They'll wait.
Especially after they did motion controls and then literally everyone ended up doing it better than them. They just get all the props because a bunch of casual morons bought into it.
Let's drop this one fact:
Nintendo made a mint on Wii.
But by cutting costs and not advancing the graphics engine nearly enough, they really poured the Wii U's chances down the drain.
By the time Wii U was announced, it was already 2 years past its technical prime.
Because, like the Wii, they cut the tech corners to save gamers money.
Even though the Wii U is still 100$ more than what it should be selling for.
Link's Crossbow Training 2...with a little more depth to the game would be a good one, and a new Wii Sports...but nintendo probably won't come out with anything for a few years. I think they'll end up seeing how Playstation and Microsoft's sell before they consider...at least that would be the smart thing to do. But, in all honesty, if they wait too long, they could lose the money for when they eventually do have it come out, so it's a win-win or no-win situation, but I think the company should first focus on getting back into the game with their next system first.
@aaronsullivan I understand where you are coming from, but investors want specifics as far as when to expect and some time soon isn't specific enough. Shares are currently down 2% coming out of the meeting. They have to give a better window than some time soon.
Again, I love Nintendo. I just don't understand their thought process. It is so hard to keep a secret, and whatever news that comes out, leaked or otherwise, always is best said from those in charge. If not, speculation takes over, and no one wants that.
From the vague comments, NX could slip to 2017. Do l think that will happen? No. I think that would kill the stock unless they have something major up their sleeve. Again, I love'em. I just don't understand them.
It would be strange if Nintendo did not carry their 3D stereoscopic technology far into the future.
Firstly, many Wii and GameCube games perform successfully in 3D with the Dolphin emulator - on PC.
Secondly, the existing base of 3DS games are in 3D.
Thirdly, Nintendo have secured the intellectual property rights and patents to use its 3D technology for at least 20 years - until the relevant patents expire.
Knowing that Nintendo have made such a risky bet on 3D and have been successful, it seems a sound business decision to continue building upon its existing 3D infrastructure into the future, for both software and hardware.
I can see a hybrid WiiU and 3DS gamepad.
In portrait mode the gamepad displays in 3D and works just like a 3D version of the 2DS.
In landscape mode the gamepad works conventionally in 2D mode.
It can be done now.
See you at E3, Nintendo!
Finally, Nintendo ON could become a reality:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxjxdhQUz0Y
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