In 1995, Nintendo released the Virtual Boy, a standalone video game system that allowed players to experience a handful of games in VR. The system was a flop for Nintendo, with little in the way of software to support it. Since then, Nintendo has mostly avoided VR, even as companies like Meta and PlayStation have embraced the technology. If a new rumor is to be believed, that could change in the near future. Leaker Nash Weedle has claimed that Nintendo has teamed with Google to work on a “standalone” headset. As with any rumor, readers are encouraged to take this with a heavy grain of salt!ย
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The Tweet from Nash Weedle can be found embedded below.ย
Nintendo and VR: A Complicated History
The Virtual Boy is a great example of an idea that was simply too early for its industry. Nintendo clearly saw some appeal in the concept of VR, but the Virtual Boy was decades ahead of any appetite for VR in the video game industry. More recently, Nintendo experimented with VR in the Nintendo Switch era, releasing a LABO VR headset that worked with games like Super Mario Odyssey and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Unlike most VR options on the market, it was fairly cheap, but the trade-off was that it wasn’t much to write home about when compared to PSVR or Meta Quest.ย
Of course, the fact that Nintendo released such a cheap VR concept says a lot about how it operates. The company has always avoided expensive technology, opting instead for things that appeal to a wide-range of users. Nintendo always seeks to attract the widest audience possible, and VR still doesn’t have a lot of mainstream appeal.ย
Is VR Too Niche for the Mainstream?
While VR has grown a lot in the decades since the Virtual Boy, the fact remains that the technology is prohibitively expensive for the average consumer. This year saw the release of the PlayStation VR2, and the peripheral already seems to be something of a flop for Sony. It’s hard to imagine Nintendo jumping into something so niche, especially as a standalone product, as Nash Weedle claims. There have been other rumors about VR for Nintendo’s Switch follow-up, but it would be very uncharacteristic for the company to release something unless it can be sold to the average family.ย
For now, Nintendo fans will just have to wait to see what the future will bring! Nintendo is constantly experimenting with new technology, and bringing out concepts that might seem a bit unusual. The company that created the Rumble Pak, Wii Remotes, and Nintendo 3DS has never been afraid to experiment with new tech. Whether another attempt at VR is in the cards, however, remains to be seen.ย
Would you like to see Nintendo take another crack at virtual reality? Do you believe this rumor of a partnership with Google? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter atย @Marcdachampย to talk all things gaming!
[H/T: Reddit]
