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Nintendo still isn't sure what to do about VR

Nintendo still isn't sure what to do about VR

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Nintendo is interested in the field of virtual reality, but don't expect it to show up in the upcoming NX console or other products any time soon. At the company's annual shareholders meeting, president and CEO Tatsumi Kimishima reaffirmed to investors that the company is investigating VR technology, among other things, but is concentrating its efforts on the March launch of the still-unrevealed NX console. Kimishima mentioned an interest in VR earlier this year.

Shigeru Miyamoto, the talismanic creator of franchises like Mario, Donkey Kong, and The Legend of Zelda, expressed concern over whether VR technology could be used for a long time, and also what parents might think seeing their children wearing headsets in the living room.

Miyamoto didn't feel like VR was a big story at E3

Miyamoto added that after attending the E3 gaming conference last month, he didn't feel like VR was a big topic of conversation. He posited that even if people had great first-hand experiences with the technology, it's difficult for others to understand the appeal, which could make it hard to realize commercially.

Nintendo, of course, dipped its toes in the virtual reality waters with the Virtual Boy in 1995, which turned out to be the company's most high-profile failure to date. The ill-fated system was closer to 3D stereoscopy than VR, however, and Nintendo's rival Sony — which is launching the PlayStation VR add-on for the PS4 in October — would seem to disagree about whether the technology is ready for primetime.