If there is one person in the industry who knows what it’s like to blaze a trail into new frontiers, it’s Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto. So what does he think about the new VR revolution we’re facing in gaming today?
In a recent Time interview, Miyamoto expressed concerns that the price point and development costs will make the next few years a challenge for the immerging tech (even going old school with references to THE original VR headset; the Virtual Boy). “We’ve been doing our own experiments with virtual reality dating back to the Virtual Boy. And even to some degree, the 3DS was designed with a little bit of this in mind with its stereoscopic 3D…As game designers, we at Nintendo are interested in VR technology and what it can do, but at the same time what we’re trying to do with Wii U is to create games for everyone in the living room.” He says.
While companies like Oculus (now backed by Facebook) or even Sony’s Morpheus project are pushing the bounds of where the next evolution of the hardware will take us, Miyamoto does touch on another interesting aspect (which has nothing to do with cost). How will a VR experience isolate gamers from the rest of us? “When you think about what virtual reality is,” Miyamoto continues “…that’s in direct contrast with what it is we’re trying to achieve with Wii U.” He would go on to explain that, by its nature, VR is one person sitting alone in a corner with a headset on instead of interacting with friends on a couch.
While Nintendo may not have their sights set on VR, their line up does include more titles for the 3DS, two new Zelda games, the Amiibo line and much more for 2014-15.