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Reggie: Virtual Reality Isn't Fun Yet

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime feels that the current Virtual Reality solutions aren't fun enough.

In an interview this week, Fils-Aime was asked about whether Nintendo are planning on re-attempting Virtual Reality gaming. The company had, many moons ago, tried to introduce a 3D headset back in 1995 with the Virtual Boy, but it didn't quite resonate with consumers - and parents.

Fils-Aime noted how Nintendo believes "in order for this technology to move forward, you need to make it fun and you need to make it social."

He hasn't tried out what's on the E3 2015 show floor just yet, but "at least based on what I've seen to date, it's not fun, and it's not social. It's just tech," he said.

Are any of the Virtual Reality solutions out there worth looking into?

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Darkflame 18.06.2015#1

And he is wrong.
Many people have great fun with Rifts on their own, and if you want social, look towards what Microsoft showcase with the Hololens.
One person "ïn" the game, the other a god viewing it on a table. Asymmetrical gameplay with a lot of potential there.

I hope Nintendos R&D are a little more forward thinking here.

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Flynnie 19.06.2015#2

I have to admit that it doesn't really appeal to me at the moment but with that said I haven't tried any of the modern day options yet.

I reckon that Nintendo are working on something though!

Sandy Wilson 19.06.2015#3

This coming from a company that thought the gamepad was a good social idea. It was just stupid expensive tech.

I really hope that the NX isn't full of innovation. Just a plain old console but with heaps of power. Then they can add gimmicks to it as time moves on. Please Nintendo don't mess up your next console or you might just nail down the lid of your home console coffin.

( Edited 19.06.2015 09:20 by Sandy Wilson )

I own all the consoles, ask me anything

Marzeee 19.06.2015#4

Sandy Wilson said:
I really hope that the NX isn't full of innovation. Just a plain old console but with heaps of power. Then they can add gimmicks to it as time moves on. Please Nintendo don't mess up your next console or you might just nail down the lid of your home console coffin.

This is actually a really good point. If they want to try new things, they have the option too later. They really need to just get a console out that's not built around a new controller. Just make a new console with a standard type controller and on par with at least PS4 or Xbox One. The gimmicks or fads can come later and those that want them can invest in them. That's the good thing about stuff like Kinect, you're not forced to buy it, it's an option.

As for VR. I'm not really interested in it, personally. For me, I can't ever see myself playing a game using a VR headset for an extended period of time. I do think it has uses though and that's not to say it won't be fun. I think stuff like that sea exploration experience that's coming out, with David Attenborough will be something that really fits it.

I guess it's one of those things where we'll see how it goes. At the moment though, I can't see loads of people suddenly wanting to play with VR though.

Darkflame 19.06.2015#5

Doesn't work. If its not with the system then it wont be supported well enough.
You need every owner to have it in order to justify development - and it not be a crappy after thought.

Plus, it was precisely the "gimmick " that made both the Wii and the DS the success they were - far outselling the competition. Best selling consoles in history, in fact.

Gimmicks that stick we dont even consider gimicks anymore - we consider them standard features. Touchscreen gaming has become that. No one thinks of it as a gimmick anymore. It was when the DS introduced it to everyone.
So, no, Nintendo needs "gimmicks" because a gimmick is just a chance at being the first, and being the first is always best for a company. Its a risk, for sure, but so is just doing the same as everyone else....as then you need to offer it as better value somehow and Nintendo probably doesn't have the market muscle for that.

They just need to do a a darn sight better then a tablet when everyones already been using tablets for ages. The Wii and the DS (which was pre-iPhone remember) offered something new.
The WiiU did not.
Its not Nintendos pursuit of new experiences that was their pitfall, its that they didn't seem to realize what they had wasn't new enough.

( Edited 19.06.2015 20:12 by Darkflame )

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RudyC3 19.06.2015#6

The thing is, VR doesn't work for all types of games. I can't imagine a system built around VR making use of it for EVERY game coming on it, unless you want a system that does exclusivly first person stuff. Do I want a first person Zelda? Nope! Do I want a first person Mario? NOPE ! Do I wanna see all the cinematics in my RPGS in first person ? NOPE! Do I want my 2D fighters or space shooters to all be seen in first person? Nope either! A system cannot be built to use it exclusively, or you're cutting yourself from a vast array of types of games that simply won't work well within those constraints. So it has to be an accessory, and accessories are never bought by all owners of the main system for which they're made.

I can't think of a home system being viable with VR as its main new thing. That's too limiting and you can't do everything on it, so yeah, yo may develop your console from the start with VR in mind has an important feature to make sure that it is capable of pulling it off well if and when it is relevant to the game genre you want to put out, but to make it the main thing, I can't see it happening any time soon. VR is not gonna be the next big system selling thing, methinks. I wouldn't personally want to play all my games in VR, that's for sure. Same way that I don't want all my games to necessarily force gamepad features when they're not necessary. And same way that I don't wanna play all my games using a wii remote and nunchuk. All have their own benefits in specific situations and are equally useful IMHO, but not all of them are clever to be forced onto the player, hence why I prefer those things to be made as accessories, unless they really don't bring the price of the system up so much, like the Gamepad does, and like VR is OBVIOUSLY gonna do if bundled with any system.

( Edited 19.06.2015 20:27 by RudyC3 )

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crackedthesky 19.06.2015#7

I feel like VR is over-hyped. It's extremely expensive and extremely not ready. I mean, the Oculus Kickstarter finished years ago and it's still not on shelves. And when it is, it'll cost more than a whole video game console. And it's a gimmick; it doesn't really add much to the gaming experience; I feel like on the whole it'll be received about as well as the 3DS's 3D feature--something that's kind of neat but most people immediately move past, only that was part of the system and not a separate $350+ accessory.

I mean, everything I've seen from it compares to either the 3DS screen, or the Wii Remote, or the Kinect, and none of those had staying power. Most of them are actually heavily criticized in the gaming world. I don't see VR faring much better, and I definitely don't want an a console that has VR at its core.

I'm not really impressed with Hololens either. The demo they showed looked like a thousand-dollar overhead map you have to design your living room around.

Don't get me wrong, this is all very cool tech that can lead to some pretty neat stuff down the line. But it's not the next wave of gaming, it's the next wave of fad gaming, and I think any console built around VR is going to fall pretty hard in two-five years when no one cares about VR anymore.

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