The ever-evolving saga of if the Nintendo Switch will get VR support continues.
Over the past few days, a group of hackers appear to have uncovered something called a VR Mode buried within Nintendo’s hybrid gaming device. Twitter user random666_kys posted the below video, which highlights the option to ‘Test VR Mode’. Keep in mind this could all be an elaborate hoax, though random666_kys has been modding the Switch for a while, and other tweets seem to back his findings up.
https://t.co/wSPNcuuGVa
So I just tried and a screen appeared. Interesting… pic.twitter.com/MLiKfYpokb— random (@random666_kys) August 8, 2018
When you select VR mode, you’re taken to another screen that seems to be setting up VR support before the entire screen splits in two just as it would with, say, a Samsung phone when it’s running a Gear VR app. According to the modder, the message presented reads: “Please move the console away from your face and click the close button.” After pressing the screen, the user is booted back to the menu from the start of the video.
If it’s real, this is the biggest piece of evidence yet that Nintendo could have been planning VR support for the Switch at one point, if not anymore. While the company has famously downplayed its interest in VR over the last four or so years, a patent uncovered a short while back showcased a device that could perhaps dock the Switch in front of your eyes, again just as with something like Gear VR.
Now, before you say it, we know the Switch only has a 720p screen, which would mean some significant screen-door effect, but that doesn’t stop us from dreaming about what could be. With two Joy-Con controllers, an untethered headset and Nintendo’s beloved franchises to utilize, we’d still welcome VR on Switch with open arms.
