In an interview with French publication Les Numeriques, Lavoue expressed his doubts about VR being viable for mainstream audiences. This echoes similar sentiments from Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamto and Nintend of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, who have also downplayed the possibility of Nintendo exploring virtual reality hardware.
Nintendo Switch owners who are fans of virtual reality may be disappointed to hear this news, but all hope may not be lost. Last year, Nintendo filed a patent for what appears to be a virtual reality headset for the Switch, which could indicate that such technology is in active development. Of course, technology companies file patents all the time that never come to fruition, so Nintendo’s patent could just be the Big N covering its bases.
Another reason why VR fans may not want to give up hope about Nintendo pursuing virtual reality is thanks to comments by Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima. Last year, Kimishima teased that while Nintendo may not necessarily be developing its own VR headset, it could create VR software for other platforms.
In the past, it would be out of the question for Nintendo to create software for any system that isn’t its own, but things have changed in recent years. Nintendo has started branching out to other platforms, particularly in the mobile space where it has released some successful games like Fire Emblem Heroes and Super Mario Run.
While there may be some hope that Nintendo pursues VR in some capacity, don’t expect any announcements on that front any time soon. If Nintendo does eventually decide to create VR content, though, it will be interesting to see what the Big N can come up with to differentiate itself from the competition.
Source: Game Informer
