There’s a lot of speculation about Nintendo’s plans when it comes to what they want to do with the Switch.
A runaway success, the console combines the best of a portable and a traditional console, but it looks like Nintendo has bigger plans for it in the future.
Initially released as a somewhat behind-the-times system technologically, the Big N could be bridging the gap with current gen consoles through the release of a pro version of the Switch console.
And the biggest piece of evidence anyone has for this is the recent announcement of plans to bring certain Switch classics to Labo VR.
The Nintendo Labo project is the company’s attempt at making cardboard craft a mainstream thing.
Already a big deal in Japan, cardboard craft really isn’t that big over in the West.
Nintendo has given it a great effort so far with a cardboard piano and robot among its initial launch lineup.
The Kyoto-based company seems to be taking a page out of Google’s playbook with the Labo VR project.
If you recall the Google Cardboard, it was basically a crude, do-it-yourself cardboard construction VR headset that could fit most smartphones inside of it for an approximation of virtual reality experience.
Most people thought that this, like the other Labo projects, was going to be relatively self-contained – a curiosity at best.
But when Nintendo announced updates to Super Mario Odyssey and the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild that would make those modern classics VR compatible, the whole tenor of the conversation about this quirky experiment changed.
These moves basically underpin the thesis that Nintendo is cooking up something new.
Of course, an updated version of the Switch would make sense – especially if the company has VR aspirations.
That’s not settled science, however.
In fact, a lot of analysts think that VR will either be a passing fad for video games or that it will be dominated by Sony in the future.
Those are the pessimists, of course, but Nintendo, unlike other game companies, has experienced heartache in the VR arena before.
Gamers with a long memory of failed consoles will likely recall the blood-red and black graphics of the Virtual Boy.
Perhaps with the Labo project, Nintendo will rectify that historical aberration.
Outside of the Virtual Boy, Nintendo also tried its hand at 3D with the display on the popular 3DS system.
That never really took off, but it speaks to an innovative streak in the company that only bolsters the argument that Nintendo will get into VR in its own way very soon.
Joining virtual reality wouldn’t be small news, either.
Nintendo could really change the game by using its unique set of IP to bring in younger audiences into VR gaming.
Also, you have the added technical expertise and reputation for quality that Nintendo typically brings to the game. That alone could change the face of VR gaming which is still very much a young medium.
