This week has featured two big technology events both on the same day. Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) held its PlayStation Meeting in New York City, announcing two new consoles, the PlayStation 4 Slim and the PlayStation 4 Pro. While Apple held its launch event for the iPhone 7, Apple Watch 2 and AirPod earphones and more. One of the surprise announcements came from Nintendo in the form of Super Mario Run coming to iOS. But in a recent interview Japanese gaming icon Shigeru Miyamoto has reiterated the company’s stance towards virtual reality (VR), saying Mario ‘doesn’t really fit well’ with the technology.
Talking to USA Today, Miyamoto was asked if Mario would be coming to VR to which he responded: “I would agree that adapting Mario to new platforms is a key to keeping him relevant. But we want families to play together, and virtual reality doesn’t really fit well there. We also like people playing for a long time, and it’s hard to do that in VR.”
But the company isn’t necessarily shunning VR completely. Back in June during a Q&A after the conclusion of Nintendo’s 76th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, Tatsumi Kimishima, the current President of Nintendo addressed the company’s stance. In response to a question about improving the profitability of Nintendo he commented: “focusing on VR, developing software for elders to exercise and prevent dementia, and other various types of efforts.”
That’s the closest Nintendo has got to mentioning VR development at the moment, but with the recent success of augmented reality (AR) title Pokémon GO, there maybe hope yet that some of its most well known IP’s may make it into the VR space.
The next big announcement expected from Nintendo could be on its next console, codenamed NX. No details have been released but the company is surely looking at the recent unveiling of PlayStation 4 Pro, which provides more power for VR experiences on PlayStation VR and Microsoft confirming Xbox Scorpio in June which Xbox chief Phil Spencer said would provide “true 4K gaming and high fidelity VR.”
As and when Nintendo reveals any VR plans, VRFocus will keep you updated.