Update: Several readers have managed to locate Zockrate Laboratories’ Twitter account, where the developer states he doesn’t actually have an NX development kit yet. It sounds like this version of the game could be non-VR, unless other rumours surrounding the NX prove true.
Original Story: Rumours that Nintendo’s unrevealed NX console would support virtual reality surfaced online last week, and now more fuel has been added to the fire.
Zockrates Laboratories has uploaded a trailer for a rather wonderful looking new game by the name of Riverside. It’s a first-person experience that boasts a gorgeous art style, akin to drawings you might find on the walls of a children’s classroom. The clip explores a lush woodland, revealing that players can change textures to alter the world around them. But the trailer also reveals one very intriguing bit of info; Riverside is in development for both the Nintendo NX and the Oculus Rift.
Indeed, some of the camera angles seen in the trailer appear to have been caught with the Oculus Rift’s head-tracking. It’s entirely possible that the game is playable without VR, although the trailer doesn’t mention a standard PC version, nor other platforms like PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The developer hasn’t yet clarified the situation, only mentioning that the game is in an early stage right now.
It would certainly seem that Zockrates Laboratories has let the cat out of the bag a little early, though we’ll have to wait until the NX’s official unveiling at a later date to get our final answer. Either way, Riverside itself is something we’ll be sure to keep an eye on.
A report published last week stated that mass production of the NX had been delayed into 2017, partly so that Nintendo could add VR support into the mix. The device is rumoured to be a hybrid of both a home console and a handheld device that will allow players to take their games anywhere. The report suggested that this handheld portion may also double as a display for a VR device, perhaps making Nintendo’s VR solution something akin to mobile-based VR like Gear VR.
Sadly it doesn’t sound like we’ll be hearing about the NX at E3 next week; Nintendo is instead set to focus on the latest entry in its The Legend of Zelda franchise. Just when the company will finally lift the lid on its anticipated new hardware remains to be seen.
