VR has become a pretty interesting beast in the game industry. While it hasn't dominated gaming just yet, it has grown and stabilized enough to be a central part of game development. Multiple companies have invested in producing a steady line of VR headsets, and some highly memorable VR games have cropped up in recent years, like Half-Life: Alyx. With VR stable and constantly becoming higher in quality, it seems inevitable that major gaming companies like Nintendo will throw their respective hats in the VR ring. Nintendo isn't a star of VR gaming yet, but with its influence and resources, it could make an impact on this particular market.
Nintendo seems like it could have a particularly lucrative future in the VR space because of its signature franchises. While Nintendo produces games of all different kinds, many of them belong to genres that seem like they could make really compelling VR entries, from Animal Crossing to The Legend of Zelda. Technically Nintendo has tried its hand at VR with one Nintendo Labo kit, showcasing its own potential to develop creative VR entertainment, but in the long term, Nintendo needs to invest in a line of proper headsets and controllers if it wants to take a piece of the VR pie.
Nintendo's Potential VR Games
A lot of Nintendo games have wholesome, basic concepts that make them perfect for an engaging VR game that can appeal to a broad audience. For instance, Animal Crossing seems ideal for a VR game. Fans already love wandering around their towns and interacting with villagers; first-person immersion while decorating and socializing could really enhance the Animal Crossing experience. Beat Games' hit title Beat Saber has also proven that rhythm games are perfect for VR. If Nintendo invests in developing VR headsets, it could follow Beat Saber's lead by giving Rhythm Heaven a new life as a VR franchise.
Of course, Nintendo has lots of high-action games that seem ideal for VR too. Games like Vader Immortal have integrated swordplay into VR before, so a spinoff of The Legend of Zelda could have players see through Link's eyes, explore new dungeons, and slay monsters from a first-person perspective. Mario Kart also seems ripe for a VR version; racing along with iconic courses and throwing items at opponents in first-person online multiplayer sounds pretty thrilling. These franchises and more could all add up to a solid game lineup for an official Nintendo VR headset.
Nintendo's VR Past and Future
Technically, Nintendo Labo did give Nintendo a shot at VR a few years ago, and some parts of it were admittedly impressive. One of Nintendo Labo's cardboard kits would allow users to construct a sort of Switch container that they could hold to their face. The Labo set could be reconfigured into various different controllers that allowed Switch users to play unique VR games. Unfortunately, Nintendo Labo has shut down after ultimately failing to become popular among Switch users. It's clear that, if Nintendo wants to enter the VR space, it'll have to design a more traditional headset, rather than a cardboard one.
Still, Nintendo Labo's stab at VR shows that Nintendo has the necessary creativity to make good VR games. A Nintendo VR kit could inherit Nintendo Labo's various control schemes, featuring modular controllers that players hold in different ways for different games, better emulating the tools or weapons that each game features. Going into VR would certainly be a gamble to some extent since Nintendo would have quite a few competitors to outshine in a relatively small market, but all signs indicate that VR will only get better and more popular with time. Nintendo has what it takes to succeed in this field, so it should take the risk.