Miyamoto Believes Nintendo Have Not Fallen Behind With VR

I think they took baby steps but can always do more.

"We have not fallen behind on VR..."
I mean, even if you had, it's no loss, really.
"...or network services."
L O L

riiiiiiight

VR is still in its infancy and at this point nobody even knows if it will stick as they have had only moderate success so far. I'm a PSVR owner and am a huge fan of many of its games but I can't say that I'm utterly convinced it's the future of gaming. Even after many hours of using the technology motion sickness can still be an issue and for many is just a complete barrier to entry. So I think Nintendo are good with where they're at with VR, as for networking I'd keep quiet about that if I was them. However mobile can just disappear as far as I'm concerned, it's just a cash cow that targets vulnerable people or those with too much money and has no quality gaming products

Have to disagree about the network services front, NSO is a lot worse than 360 era Xbox Live.

Sometimes Nintendo is just a bit too careful. At least regarding network services they are.

@KingBowser86
Had to laugh at that, spot on.

When he refers to "network services" is he talking about mobile games or NSO? The text in the article implies the former but for Miyamoto to imply Nintendo isn't embarrassingly behind the online curve is just blatant denial.

@carlos82 PSVR usually runs at 60 FPS reprojected to 120 FPS. That's not enough to satisfy everyone. You need at least native 90 FPS to stop sickness from being possible outside of artificial movement. That's why PC VR headsets have solved that issue.

Valve Index even has a 144Hz mode and it's smooth as butter.

My experience with vr is just gear vr for my old Samsung phone and Labo vr. I’m lucky enough not to be affected by vr motion sickness, so where I’m standing playing Breath of the Wild in vr puts them in the right space for vr for me, all I want is more game support added... especially if it’s added to Minecraft.

Have Sony or Microsoft released real cardboard build it yourself in just 4 hours VR headsets? And play Zelda one-handed while supporting the head set with the other. I don't think so. 🙄

I think Nintendo definitely wants to get in to VR, but it's a matter of cost; Nintendo mainly cares about selling consoles at an affordable price and making profit on them at the same time.

My opinion hasn't changed. If anything the fact that the arcade VR sets I tried on my vacation a few weeks ago requiring me to have my glasses on actually lowered my opinion on VR. I'm nearsighted, under no other circumstance do I need my glasses to see something directly in front of my face.

If Nintendo never delves into VR as it is today, I wouldn't miss it.

Call me up when we have full immersion VR like in sci-fi shows like Dot.Hack or SAO.

@DartBuzzer I've used higher end PC VR and there is no difference to any potential motion sickness I have, I know what you mean in terms of framerate but PSVR is high enough for it not to be much of an issue. The biggest problem for PSVR is lateral movement as due to having one camera you can't turn around so in some games you have to use the controller to turn around instead of just doing it. I'm pretty good these days and very few games bother me anymore (except Wipeout) but many people simply can't play it even when stationary. Wasn't there something about Mario Galaxy and its lack of success in Japan being down to how they are more susceptible to motion sickness than us and some couldn't even play that on the TV? Back to VR, room space is the one factor that can help negate motion sickness, it's just whether you have the space or they can develop larger game worlds around the concept.

I agree. Not everyone can use VR or cares about it. So far there have not been any major games that make people flock to VR. You may enjoy games if you have it but the mainstream population doesn’t care. Plus after all the backlash with 3d that they got (also know as digital icepick to the eye) I don’t blame them for being cautious. Besides it isn’t like their last venture into VR sold so incredibly well. It is going to be a while before the tech is universal and safe. ...if ever. I wish hololens wasn’t a pipe dream.

nintendo has a long way to go before they catch to other VR headsets, it's a good entry point for newbies to start but you really can't take labo VR seriously compared to other headsets at all.

@carlos82 Motion sickness is helped by comfort options, coupling physical action with movement, high framerates, and techniques like having a fan blowing in your face or eating ginger. Space doesn't do much to help sickness because most of the time, you will be moving artificially regardless of your playspace.

@Ryu_Niiyama There are major games on the way, including a Valve game this year. The mainstream was never meant to care about a technology this early on. They certainly didn't for PCs or even game consoles back in 1975.

Miyamoto should brought his Virtualboy to the shareholders. Nintendo is the true pioneer of VR.

VR has been the "next thing" for about 5 years now. At some point, it will have to deliver on its promises & hype, or just step aside for another gen.

AR seems to be where things really are right now, and Nintendo seems to have a good bead on that.

@Lone_Beagle Eh, the only people pushing it as the 'next thing' in the immediate sense were the media. All along, the manufactures have been saying this is a 10+ year play, but the media needs it's clicks and has to make up headlines even if they're not correct.

Mobile AR is a completely different space with next to no overlap. Overlap will happen, but only through AR headsets.

@DartBuzzer which doesn’t impact mainstream buyers which is still what I said. These upcoming games are great for those who care about the tech. Useless for the average consumer though. Either way I think Nintendo does well to be cautious. I know some VR evangelicals get upset if you don’t sing VR’s praises. The tech has been around since the 80s commercially. If it doesn’t take off this time companies will keep working on it. It just isn’t there yet.

@Ryu_Niiyama I'm pretty sure when Valve (likely) reveals a new Half Life game exclusively for VR releasing this year, it will be a Internet-breaking moment. It's not just about a big game, it's about a big franchise, and one that can be considered the most anticipated of, well anything.

Hope just saying this for the shareholders and do not actually believe it.

Yes, You behind... not even "fallen behind". You literally started behind

Take inspiration from HONDA in F1. Invest the money (you have it), put your head down, get to work.

@DartBuzzer half life? You are making a half-life 3 comfirmed hope? Ok, sure. That still won’t draw in the mainstream gamers. Half-life is culturally important certainly but not enough to draw the fortnite/cod/esports mainstream gamer. Good on valve though if they come through. Like I said the tech will get there eventually for some.

@Ryu_Niiyama It's not necessarily 3, but probably a prequel to 2. It should shift a million+ systems if it's received well, which would be exceptional growth. I definitely am not expecting it to sell something crazy like 10 million systems. VR still needs another 5 years or so before it can start reaching console-level sale numbers.

@DartBuzzer well, good luck.

Fact: you can’t fall behind anything that hasn’t started yet

I believe he's wrong.

@RadioHedgeFund Don't to be tool. It's already started. In fact, it's a few years in a this point and going from strength to strength.

I honestly can't blame them. It seems like there are just as many failures with VR as there are successes. I am sure they will come up with something more adventurous than Nintendo Labo VR, but at this point I am just like Nintendo. I am just dipping my toes in the water. I am not all in.

@impurekind what strengths? The fun for 5 minutes beat saber? The alienating yourself from everyone else?

Gaming was created as a social experience, from sharing a game of Pong to helping on puzzles on breath of the day wild.

See the way people are absorbed in phones instead of the world around them? That’s how VR is to TV gaming.

Undoubtedly the tech is useful for all sorts of things, from remote surgeries to training staff at much lower cost. But gaming is not one of its better applications.

@RadioHedgeFund Most people I've shown Beat Saber to have a lot more fun than just 5 minutes, and I'm talking a sample size over 1000, plus it has an extremely big and active modding community. RE7 has longevity. Astro Bot has longevity and keeps it fresh from start to finish. Lone Echo / Echo VR has longevity and a great community to boot. Firewall Zero Hour, VRChat, Pavlov - again longevity.

If VR is isolating to those around you, then play asymmetrical games. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is a very social game. So is Panoptic, and especially Carly and the Reaperman.

Now that's just local. Online, there is no question that VR is infinitely more social than any other form of online connectivity, and that only increases exponentially with new headset generations. For some people, it's more socially engaging than real life can ever be.

The best thing is when we get MR headsets that can scan nearby people into your VR experience: https://gfycat.com/achingrepentantleafhopper-virtual-reality-oculus-connect-htc-vive-pro

If gaming is not one of it's great applications, then gaming is also not one of the PC's great applications, which starts to invalidate your point because we know how great PCs are for both general life and gaming, just like VR in both cases.

VR has lots of strengths, but it's only those who fail to understand the technology who don't see them.

I came close to picking it up about 2 months ago but decided to get the new oculus rift s and my god it changes the games I had already that added VR to them in a whole new way. Also my wallet hurts even more so as I got it 2 weeks before the steam summer sale.

The biggest problem if you want to have a great VR experience is to shell out atleast €1k on a computer and the VR kit which is a hard pill to swallow for the majority of people.

VR is the future + Digital gaming is the future + Cloud gaming is the future = The future of gaming would sucks.

You will have motion sickness on top of low latency without you ever owning a single game despite paying full price while always requiring online which may or may not function properly.

sighs
Nintendo...just make a Labo VR Pro...and fix your damn NSO thing.

@retro_player_22 Hardcore Oculus Quest users have been streaming from cloud servers with only minor problems, which is great considering it's not officially supported. Motion sickness can only occur at 90Hz+ if artificial movement is induced, otherwise it can be avoided entirely.

Not owning your games is the real kicker here, but a VR future is a promising one considering it's a very social medium, great for rich storytelling, characters, and free-form gameplay, and even great for relaxing games in the case of Astro Bot and Moss.

As long as it never goes to "exclusive VR" then I'm not concerned.

Cloud gaming, at least for Nintendo, I don't really see happening. Since cloud gaming on the go won't work with the Switch. (Or a Switch like console) And 5G isn't out world wide yet so that won't work. Plus mobile data often costs a lot of money.

Digital only actually already is here. Since every single Switch game is digital. You can play any Switch game without ever leaving your home. Sure, there are still "physical" versions. But those are also digital memory cards containing digital Switch games.

I do see Nintendo going the Game subscription route though. But that should always give the option to purchase the game as well. (See XBOX GamePass, you can also buy the included games for when your subscription expires)

@ThomasS
I don't think that Nintendo is behind in streaming. The Switch is h.265 compliant and they've already had streaming games released in Japan. Now their network is another matter, its nowhere near Microsofts but it's not terrible, probably about on par with Sonys or even better depending where you live.

I think if Nintendo had a dedicated VR display instead of just using the 720p Switch screen then it could be decent. The Oculus Quest isn't any more powerful than the Switch and it has some really great games.

I dont really care too much about the next gen systems at the moment. The Switch and the Quest are amongst the weakest systems that I own, yet I play them a lot more than Xbox or PS4. Currently my time is about 70% Quest, 25% Switch and 5% Xbox One X; although that will change a bit when MUA3 and Fire Emblem release.

I have the new oculus quest and over the PS4 vr it’s worlds apart to me. No cables either, it’s the full experience and a high quality one too. Honestly after playing that I personally believe it could be the future, as everyone who have experienced the quest have been blown away. Resolution is good on the quest but has room for improvement. The Labo for me is not a great alternative for vr, it’s very minimalistic so I do agree Nintendo have fell behind...but then again going by Labo they have a different idea on vr to the likes of oculus, ps or hive etc

Old man yells at contemporary consumers.

@ThomasS
PSN is like molasses for me. Downloading same size files on Xbox One or Switch is at least 30% faster than on the PS4. It seems to be relative to location though as I know other people who say it's fine.

I'd forgot all about PS Now, but as far as I know the performance has always been pretty poor (so a non starter for me with my PSN speeds).

The Switch is h.265 so it should be good if we do go into a streaming future, whereas the PS4 is only h.264. The PS5 will obviously use the new standards, but it just seems like Nintendo was thinking ahead and didnt skimp on older tech in that area.

@sanderev How ridiculous to imply that the fact that something is stored in a digital format is what defines something as digital or physical. No, it is not the storage format. That would mean the NES, SNES, N64, PS1, and every video game console except some very early hardware-only games are digital only.

The distinction digital vs. physical does obviously refer to the distribution of those games. And the Switch very much still supports physical game distribution.

Please don't make a fool out of yourself.

The new oculus quest is what the switch vr should have been,fully portable,wireless,compact,and just downright fun.
My psvr has been collecting dust since I got the quest although I defy anyone to try REZ area X and not be moved.

I don’t really care about VR, personally. Yeah, the technology itself can be applied to things even outside gaming, but for gaming I just don’t have the means to have all those cords all over. Not to mention the room for an enjoyable experience! I’ll stick with my couch and controller for gaming, thank you.

@ChromaticDracula Oculus Quest is a wireless headset. You never need any room to enjoy seated games in VR, and there are plenty of those, and just so we're clear, seated games can be incredible considering Astro Bot is right up there with Mario Odyssey. The active games can sometimes be played seated, but otherwise require only enough space to stand around in one spot with a little arm space.

Most people have the space for active VR. The bare minimum space is still going to be enjoyable for most people.

You should probably rethink your attitude once you've understood more about the tech because you have certain misconceptions.

If you've never been ahead, you can never fall behind.

can we have youtube vr mode next please

..Not only it fell behind...
It fell in the dark bottom of the infinite VOID.

I am 120% sure that even on the next nintendo console there will not be an experience as Oculus Rift or PS4 VR Headset.

If Nintendo dont play along on the same par of its rivals we want see anything good.

That photo of the kid is just plain embarrassing...jeez...

@Microjak At what cost tho ?.

@Dpullam Anything is more adventurous than cardboard !.

Labo VR is a pretty enjoyable VR experience given that it's a mere $40. At the moment, it needs more software compatibility cough Mario Kart 8 DX cough; playing the Labi VR game, 3 super-short Mario Odyssey minigames, a 30 FPS Breath of the Wild, and a Smash Bros Ultimate spectator mode in VR will only last so long.

At least Nintendo is trying VR - Microsoft has had the most powerful home console on the market for the last 18+ months but has yet to present their own VR solution.

@carlos82 It probably isn't the "be and end all" of gaming although "moderate success" is a relative way of looking at it, Sony have shifted more than 4 million units of the PSVR and in excess of 15 million games (VR), those numbers r not 2b taken lightly...they'll b ramping things up wen d PS5 is launched and eye tracking gets introduced...VR is "a thing", there's a market to conquer. Let's see what happens...

VR has not gotten much traction so it doesn’t matter that Nintendo has fallen behind. The market is just quite niche.

@aetios Actually there are still analog games.
However any game running on a computer (general form) is digital. Since by anything a computer does is digital. Even the NES was a computer. Even gen 1 consoles were computers (though very basic at the time).

Also it doesn't refer to the distribution. I can buy a card with a download code at my local store. Just like a game cartridge. Distribution is the same. The only difference is the medium containing the game. Either a disc/cartridge or a download.

And both are legally actually the same. In both examples you have purchased a license to that game. The data of the game (source code, assets, binaries) aren't yours. And that license can be revoked based on the terms. Nintendo could issue a firmware update blocking your specific copy of a game. Even if it's on a cartridge.

This, for instance, happens with BluRay video discs.

@gamer95 You can. Just go to Settings > System > Automatic Software Updates.

Then connect the Switch to your AC adapter / dock, put it in sleep mode and wait for it to download.

@Sim1 £399 64gb,£499 128gb.

Labo VR might be cheap and low-res,but at least people actually have fun with it playing the minigames and spectating Smash Bros.I play VRChat a lot,in desktop mode(which means that i play with mouse and keyboard like a regular game) and you have no idea of how many people buy an expensive headset only to stay still in front of a mirror looking at their avatar for hours.Its not just during the period when they just bought it and then do other stuff when the novelty wears-off,its all they do!

@ThomasS So you want Nintendo to raise the online price to $60 and do only GaaS available through streaming? If that's the case, I say it's best that they stay behind.

@Ryu_Niiyama 'Mainstream gamers' 😂😂😂

The synopsis of the journalist after Miyamoto's reply is unnecessary and biased. The journalist provides the news by writing an article. Readers are supposed to read the article and form an opinion of their own and not to be patronized by the journalist's own conclusion.

They're behind in VR tech, yes. But VR still hasn't really gone beyond being a niche thing for now, so they're not behind in getting it out there, no.
That they think they aren't behind on network services is laughable. They are decades behind. Their service lacks even the most basic of on board functionality.

@RadioHedgeFund You're speaking like someone that either hasn't played VR at all or has played very little and likely just a few very crappy experiences at that.

Try telling the people playing something like Rec Room (or AltspaceVR) that it's like just shoving your face into a mobile phone and basically not interacting with anyone else.

And if you think Beat Saber is only fun for 5 minutes then you're probably the same kind of person who'd claim Tetris and Guitar Hero and Rhythm Heaven and Lumines are only fun for 5 mins--you getting my point?

Your comment that gaming isn't one of the better aspects of VR is coming from a place of pure and utter ignorance and literally nothing more:

Try playing a great horror game in VR and convince yourself it isn't the next paradigm in horror. Try playing Five Nights at Freddy's VR and tell me it doesn't take that franchise to a whole new level by virtue of being in VR.

Try playing the Vanishing Realms demo and tell me it doesn't feel like you are actually inside a Zelda game rather than just playing it on a flat screen.

Try playing EmuVR and tell me it isn't one of the coolest ways to play classic retro games out there and that it isn't a look in the future of the true evolution of something like the Virtual Console. Try playing a Virtual Boy game like Virtual Boy Wario Land in a modern VR headset and tell me this isn't the coolest way to experience these old games, and indeed even better than playing those games on the real thing.

Try playing Superhot in VR and tell me this isn't the closest you've ever felt to actually being Neo from the Matrix.

Basically, you don't know what you're talking about.

That should be "has" not "have"--talking about the article title here.

@HumanDog not sure what was funny about what I said. You will have to elaborate. Companies and profit margins don't care about hobbyist gatekeeping and neither do most consumers at large.

@carlos82

This.

VR is quite far off from dominating the industry. It has too many limitations to supplant, Handhelds/Hybrids, Traditional Consoles, PC and Mobile Phones.

Its still fairly niche. Undoubtably it will become huge eventually.

@Pikachupwnage

"Its still fairly niche."

True

"Undoubtedly it will become huge eventually."

True

@impurekind @impurekind I know what I’m talking about. Tetris Effect is an incredible experience that cannot be matched on a TV.

But, you know: https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/proof-vr-sales-numbers-sinking/?amp

@RadioHedgeFund Trust me, you don't.

What that article and your response to it tells me is that it's very easy to use a tiny amount of very select data to manipulate someone like you into seeing things a very particular way regardless of the actual overall truth.

You probably believe Trump is a racist N*zi too I guess.

Here's an example of an article I could post to immediately counter the link you posted for example: https://www.tomshardware.co.uk/vr-ar-market-sales-research-idc,news-61039.html

Also, here's someone that's clearly a bit more optimistic about the future of VR than you are too: https://techjury.net/stats-about/virtual-reality/

@RadioHedgeFund No, you do not know what you're talking about. Any person who can't list one strength of VR fails to understand the technology. Your link is hilariously outdated. It's from a year ago, a different time.

Not to mention most of it is bogus due to taking numbers out of context.

@DartBuzzer

Strengths of VR:

1. Immersive arcade gaming experiences

2. Visual pain relief therapy (something being trialed by my workplace. The results are astounding)

3. Remote connections from controlling robots from one side of the planet to the other to more social areas.

4. The enabling of the immobile to experience things they might otherwise. It be able to see.

5. Firsthand educational experiences

6. Low cost training of mass recruits in industrial techniques, particularly dangerous ones.

7. FPV drone flying

8. Exploration of CAD designs

VR is an incredible technology useful in a menagerie of scenarios, not just gaming.

But the future of gaming? Nope. And going back to the original article, Nintendo would do well to remember that all their most successful ideas have always been based around the idea of old fashioned human interaction , from trading Pokemon over a link cable to passing a Joycon to a friend. This is why Nintendo’s online presence continues to be a poor reflection of the competition and why more people will be playing 4-player Mario Maker 2 than online.

@RadioHedgeFund So you list strengths, yet before you struggled to find any? What's with the sudden change?

Again, why is it not the future of gaming? The concerns you have are utterly irrelevant. Asymmetrical local-play enables socially engaging local gameplay, and online gameplay is already covered. MR headsets fix the issue of physical isolation, especially with open-ear headphones. You have zero excuses left now for the social aspect of VR.

Technically, the most social a human being can possibly be while gaming is going to be in VR+AR, because you can connect with people across the world and by your side simultaneously using augmented virtuality - being present in a virtual world with nearby humans overlayed onto it.

FYI, I don't think it's the end-all-be-all future of gaming, I just think that it will be the main way we interface with games (alongside AR) and potentially the most popular form of gaming too.

I would wager that 60% or higher of the gaming market will be VR/AR centric in 15-20 years. Traditional games will likely always exist even in a Matrix-style world, but I would not be at all surprised if they take the back seat once VR reaches a certain threshold.

@RadioHedgeFund Your ignorance of just how important gaming is and will be to VR is astounding.

It would be kinda like someone saying gaming wasn't important to smartphones when they first released--remember when Steve Jobs didn't think gaming was that important to Apple--and how wrong they were given that gaming is now the biggest category on smartphones by far:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/270291/popular-categories-in-the-app-store/

Just like most digital platforms out there capable of supporting games, gaming will almost certainly be the biggest category on VR headsets (or it will right up there near the top of the list at worst), and it will regularly reach the heights of brilliance and magic and fun it has reached on all those other platforms too.

If you don't get why gaming in VR is the next big thing in gaming and why VR is the next big thing in entertainment in general (and also in far more areas too) then you just don't get it.

@DartBuzzer you don’t see it? Having 2 or more players in the local viscinity all with headsets on is exactly the same as playing online. Everyone is immersed in their headset.

It’s like sitting at home drinking a can of lager whilst on the phone to a friend vs actually going to the pub and playing darts and pool.

Every barrier we put between people in the name of immersion is another invisible thread of our societies undone. My local village used to be thriving on a Friday night: people out buying a takeaway and popping along to see what Blockbuster had left to rent. Now everyone is content to just Deliveroo tea and Netflix their entertainment. These are all great conveniences but in the process we lose so much more.

VR as an entertainment medium is the pinnacle of this ideal: everything piped to your home and never going out. Why bother with a smelly gig when you could VR in from the sofa?

And the mobile comparison is also moot: gaming is a great feature to have on an already feature packed smartphone and has in no way driven adoption of those devices. It took Apple 10 years before it gave games their own section in the App Store!

You keep your VR. I’ll be down the park enjoying chatting and interacting with the Pokemon Go community or at the pub playing FIFA 19 with some friends over a few beers.

@RadioHedgeFund OK, VR isn't more social than actually socializing next to real human beings in real life (especially in terms of actual physical contact with other people), obviously, but in terms of socializing in the digital realm (especially in relation to gaming) it's about as good as it gets. And for that it deserves its due credit if we're talking about its positives and negatives as a social platform.

And regardless of how long it took Apple to get it, gaming is and always has been one of the most important categories in all of these digital platforms/mediums success, and that's why it's by far the most popular category on the App Store today:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/270291/popular-categories-in-the-app-store/

Apple not clicking onto that little magic bullet out the gate, and you apparently still not getting it, doesn't make gaming any less important to VR.

Thankfully, every company creating a consumer VR headset right now does actually get just how big a deal gaming is.

@impurekind It's entirely possible that VR goes the way of Kinect. All you need is Sony to do controversial things with the PS5 version of PSVR and then all the progress made by PS4 era Sony, HTC and Oculus all disappears.

@Grumblevolcano No it's not--but I know I'm never going to convince you of that.

@RadioHedgeFund I think you misunderstand. You can put on an MR headset and someone right next to you could just be tapping away at their phone or reading a book, yet you could see them, whilst still being immersed in VR. This is what I mean: https://gfycat.com/achingrepentantleafhopper-virtual-reality-oculus-connect-htc-vive-pro

Your example also falls flat, because VR lets you go to a virtual bar and be present in virtual spaces, and have experiences together that feel real, instead of a night out in the real world. I could choose to go to a local, possibly medicore nightclub with some friends, or we could go to a zero gravity night club in VR with giant neon dancing bunnies and a visual spectacle that far surpass reality - with good enough specs+graphics.

Going into VR does not suddenly mean you've lost a human contact. VR is just another space. If everyone was in VR, we'd be just as socially engaging if not more so than in the real world since VR allows you to express yourself better and without the harsh judgements of reality.

So now, what happens when your friends move, or you move? Maybe not by choice. Are you going to avoid VR, or are you going to use it to connect with them again? It's a dilemma that few people will escape from.

@DartBuzzer I’ll take a crap real world experience over some ready player one dystopia any day of the week.

@Grumblevolcano There's no chance of this. Investment in VR is magnitudes higher than Kinect, and there are infinitely more uses both in gaming, entertainment, and outside. Even if perchance, it died, it would be back. VR will always be important to a technologically advanced civilization.

PS5/PSVR2 won't affect what Oculus is doing that much. Oculus are after a much bigger market.

@RadioHedgeFund It's almost like you're the stereotypical 'old guy who is out of touch'. VR just moves people into a different space. The social aspect remains if people let it, and even amplifies to a degree.

But hey, it's your life. If you want a life that isn't as fun as it could have been for no real reason, that's your choice. I have no idea why someone would always opt for a lesser life though, considering you only get one.

@RadioHedgeFund Spoken like someone who's never had to actually live through a genuinely crap real-world "social" experience.

I'd take a great social VR experience over any real-world "social" experience [time] when I've ever had to sit in a room full of people and feel completely alone and isolated any day of the week.

Of course, a really bad "social" VR experience would be almost as crap too.

@DartBuzzer Yeah, I think RadioHedgeFund has likely never played VR games like Rec Room or AltspaceVR.

@DartBuzzer maybe I am the stereotypical old guy (at 36!) but we humans were meant to physically interact with each other, uncomfortably or not.

The more barriers we put between that the worse it becomes. It’s why I have lots of great stories about paint balling, having a kick around down the park, playing tabletop RPGs, many late nights on Super Monkey Ball, the intense Arcade rivalry my friend and I had on GTI Club Rally

@RadioHedgeFund You can do all of that in VR, and even make it more social, like tabletop RPGs where some of your friends become living characters on the board.

The one thing VR will lack until some potential far-off brain interface is perfect touch. Haptic gloves will get quite far, but won't be perfect. That being said, you're not touching your friends all the time, are you? You'll lose some touch, but you'll gain more expression, less restriction in activity, and can reach more friends that aren't with you physically.

"... or network services" let me message that to a friend on my Switch.
Oh... Wait.

How about carefully give us those Virtual Boy games on the Labo VR cartridge as DLC. I try to stick my Virtual Boy carts into the Labo headset and it doesn’t work!

I, for one, am completely satisfied with their online services with the Switch. Especially from a cost perspective, it really is a great deal.

Pffft. I have 3 VR headsets- Rift, PSVR, and one of those nonsense Samsung gizmos. Nintendo doesn’t need VR. VR needs Nintendo. Bad.

@gangsterswedish VR doesn't really need Nintendo, just like PCs and smartphones/tablets didn't need Nintendo, but it would be great to have Nintendo on board, just like it's great to have Nintendo on smartphones (and it would be cool to have Nintendo on PC too).

VR can be a solitary experience at times but can be more social online, like you can sit in a virtual cinema with friends from anywhere and all watch a movie together. The best part of VR for me though is how you can visit places that you might never get the chance to see irl, or be part of a universe that you could only watch from outside before. Games like Secrets of the Empire and Vader Immortal let me actually be part of the Star Wars world; something that I could only dream about before.

I have my perfect combination right now - Switch/Oculus Quest/Xbox One X (plus Wii U, PS4, C64) and my gaming experiences are fantastic.
Whether it be playing Mario Party with a group, catching bullets in Super Hot VR or watching a movie in 4K; I've got it all covered.

@CaPPa Give me a Star Wars VRMMO with full body expressive avatars, space combat, dozens of planets, and physics-based light-saber combat and I'd be set for life, almost.

@DartBuzzer How's the content on the Quest right now ?, apparently a lot of the games are "small" or "short", or is it still 2 early 2 make a real comparison vs "normal lengthy experiences" currently found on PS4/PC for example ?.

He's right. They're not behind on VR. They're actually dead. Just forget about it. No one really cares. It's a novelty, just like 3D was.

@DartBuzzer
A full Star Wars VRMMO? I'd never leave it!

@Sim1
Most of the games are short or wave based at the moment, although it's still early days yet.
The pick up n play type games are great fun though, like Super Hot VR, Robo Recall, Space Pirate Trainer, Sairento and Beat Saber. There are also some full games like Moss (3 - 4 hours) and Apex Construct (5 hours). Prices tend to reflect this, with games averaging around $20 for me, compared to $80 on the consoles.

@CaPPa 👍

@HalBailman It's moved beyond the novelty stage some time back, and specific headsets or units have already reported sales in the millions, I'd say quite a lot of people "care" about VR otherwise companies like Facebook and Sony wouldn't b sinking money in2 it...its here 2 stay...dunno it seems like good fun, tho I'll admit 2 never using it..but I'm intrigued cos traditional gaming can become boring sometimes.

Can't fall behind when you were never there to begin with I guess.

In all seriousness, I can see where Miyamoto is coming from an to expect a competitor product to the likes of PSVR is unrealistic at this stage. Nintendo are about mass market and PlayStation are about hardcore gamers and right now in-depth VR experiences are firmly in the latter camp. If they can figure out a way to make a dedicated VR unit for everyone then I imagine they'll strongly consider it.

Network support on the other hand? Well, yes. Ninty needs improvement there.

Not fallen behind with network services? Sure. Whatever.

@HalBailman Such sweet ignorance. Tell me, Hal. Do you get every one of your predictions wrong or just the one I happened to stumble across?

@DartBuzzer I'll be right about this one. In fact, I am right. VR is a niche thing and always will be. The only prediction I ever got wrong is the prediction I predicted I would get a prediction wrong.

@Sim1 No it hasn't. VR is still a niche thing, and "sales in the millions" is your speculation, not fact or put in context of "sales in the hundreds of millions" of gaming systems. Those owning VR would be a small minority in comparison. More than that, these "sales" are probably gathering dust now. Used it a few times, never use it again. It's a bit like the 3D fad. While 3D TVs sold in the hundreds of millions, very few people really used it, and now it's dying out.

@HalBailman
@HalBailman
Sales in the millions isn't speculation, PSVR alone is has sold 4.2 million.

@CaPPa Naturally you ignore the rest of my comment about "context". First, Sony notorious quote "shipped" to a store as a sale, not actual "sell through" to the customer. Second, 4m is nothing compared to total PS4 sales, and then when you add all console sales. Only a few percent of PS4 owners are adopting VR, while that drops to 1% of the entire gaming market, so it's a "smalll minority" as I said. Then there's my final point about actual usage. No doubt it was used a few times and is now collecting dust. VR is a novelty item and likely a bigger failure than 3D, and Nintendo would be wise to steer clear of it unless they can manage it at minimal extra cost, it's convenient, it's high quality, and there's plenty of support for it. Evidence so far is, on all of those points, VR is close to epic fail.

@HalBailman
Where do you find your 'evidence' that people buy VR headsets use them a couple of times and then they just gather dust? I bought the Oculus Quest at launch on May 21st and I've used it continually since. I've barely touched my Xbox One X or my Switch since getting it (although the Switch will be getting some attention when MUA3 and Fire Emblem release this month).

VR is a niche product compared to regular consoles, but I dont think that it's a fad like 3D TV was (which I doubt sold hundreds of millions either).

@CaPPa Where's the evidence it's a integral gaming experience? I've read enough reviews and comments of people using their headset a few times and to see it's mostly a novelty experience and they it's all over. It's like 3D TV, or even the 3D in the 3DS.

Every TV offered 3D at a time (from around 2010), and many still do. That's easily hundreds of millions of sales. The question is whether it was adopted. Like VR, it was only novelty value.

If you're getting so much use out of VR, that's a measure of your choice, not indicative of the entire gaming public. Indeed, I still love 3D movies, and will always prefer them over 2D. That doesn't make me typical of all movie goers. I'm an extreme minority, and so would you be with VR.

@HalBailman
What kind of headset are these dust collectors though? Most cheap VR devices are more of a gimmick and probably dont get used much. A high end VR setup likely will cost thousands though and will get continual use because you dont spend that much money unless you're serious about it.

I've never owned a TV with 3D, they were always a minority thing as far as I knew.
I see sales data with 3DTV shipments averaging 7 million a year in the US, which surely cant be every TV sold in the region.

VR sales have risen year on year, with a 60% increase predicted for this year. It's not going to replace traditional gaming but it's not going to just fizzle out, if anything it's going to continue to evolve. The Quest is a step towards that, with a friendlier console like operation and 6dof gaming. I can guarantee that almost everyone who has bought one is playing it more than just a couple of times.

@HalBailman
What kind of headset are these dust collectors though? Most cheap VR devices are more of a gimmick and probably dont get used much. A high end VR setup likely will cost thousands though and will get continual use because you dont spend that much money unless you're serious about it.

I've never owned a TV with 3D, they were always a minority thing as far as I knew.
I see sales data with 3DTV shipments averaging 7 million a year in the US, which surely cant be every TV sold in the region.

VR sales have risen year on year, with a 60% increase predicted for this year. It's not going to replace traditional gaming but it's not going to just fizzle out, if anything it's going to continue to evolve. The Quest is a step towards that, with a friendlier console like operation and 6dof gaming.

Snooze. Another argumentative troll at this website. Here's a nice lesson for everyone that I personally follow. If you don't like someone's opinion, ignore it. If you feel compelled to reply, you get one shot at it, and prepare to allow them the last word. More than two replies means you are now arguing and should exit graciously. If you are replying with a "fact" (to correct someone) be sure it's accurate and in context with the full ccomment. If you begin to add irrelevant facts, personal anecdotes or digressions, pick at specific words or sentences, or even insult or demean someone, now you are in "save face" mode, trying to exit with a "win". Like I said, if it's an opinion you don't like, best not to bother.