If many are to be believed, virtual reality is the next big thing in gaming. The trend, started by Oculus Rift a few years ago, has since been solidified by major players: Valve is working on a VR headset, and Sony is bringing a VR headset to the PlayStation 4 as well. Even Microsoft is in the game with its Hololens, plus it’s openly supporting other VR headsets as well.
But Nintendo is not on the VR bandwagon at all. According to Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto, virtual reality is “not a good fit for Nintendo’s philosophy”. In a recent interview with Yahoo, Miyamoto says:
“The current types of virtual reality aren’t really a good fit for Nintendo’s philosophy of trying to create entertainment that people can play together in the living room”.
He went on saying that Nintendo are doing their own technology experiments, but when it comes to virtual reality, that’s just not something that’s fit for the company right now.
“We’re constantly looking at different technology and experimenting with different elements of it, but we’re not feeling virtual reality is currently in a place where it’s ready to be released – as a product that fits with our philosophy of fitting in the living room.”
This pretty much echoes what Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime had to say about VR, calling it “not fun”, saying that “It’s just tech.”
However, while Nintendo might not be feeling the VR hype right now, the company does have a history of missing out on new ideas — they completely missed the mobile gaming boat and the online multiplayer boat as well. Only recently have they made some effort to catch up with the competition in those areas.
Do you agree with Nintendo’s dismissal of virtual reality? Have you tried any of the VR headsets? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!
