Nintendo might well be working with VR technology, but it wants to address one key issue right now; the family factor.
That is according to the Twitter account of one of the attendees of Nintendo’s latest investors meeting (who posted images of gifts as proof of attendance), which was translated from Japanese by one fan. During the meeting company figurehead Shigeru Miyamoto stated that the famed console maker and game developer was indeed researching VR tech, though wouldn’t confirm if its upcoming hardware, the Nintendo NX, would support it. Recent rumours suggested that NX might have been delayed to fit in VR integration, but other comments from the company suggest otherwise.
.@NStyles We’re also researching VR, so we have the core technology. Long play sessions are an issue. We want to release something…
— Cheesemeister (@Cheesemeister3k) June 29, 2016
.@NStyles …that can be played for long periods, carries value, and is affordable. We want parents to feel at ease.
— Cheesemeister (@Cheesemeister3k) June 29, 2016
Miyamoto even made an eventual VR release seem likely, stating that the company wanted to release something that could be played “for long periods”, at the same time suggesting that current VR hardware didn’t enable you to do this. He also noted that Nintendo’s offering would need to carry value and be affordable for consumers. Those comments are in line with Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime’s recent interview in which he stated that the company would get involved with VR when it has “mainstream potential“.
.@NStyles Miyamoto: Peoples’ reactions at #E3 were good, but… (Redacted as Miyamoto said that this is for here only, not the web.)
— Cheesemeister (@Cheesemeister3k) June 29, 2016
Perhaps the most interesting part of Miyamoto’s section on VR, however, was his conclusion. He told investors that the company wants parents to “feel at ease” with VR, suggesting that whatever VR product the company does release, it will have to be 100% safe for children to use. That’s a layered statement; while we don’t know if long-term use of VR hardware could have any negative implications, software that brings users into another world is also bound to worry parents at first.
It makes sense that Nintendo of all companies would be most concerned about this. Many of the company’s IP carry a family friendly appeal, the most notable of which being the Super Mario franchise. It sounds like Nintendo won’t be releasing a VR product until it has something that it’s completely confident parents won’t take issue with, and it’s looking increasingly less likely that product will be the NX.
