Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto Still Concerned About Virtual Reality in Video Games

Nintendo game developer and father of the Mario and Zelda franchises, Shigeru Miyamoto has hesitated on endorsing virtual reality in the past. He says it felt like a barrier from the social, living room experience he tries to establish in his games. He also feels the cost is not accessible to the mass audience.

Lately, however, he expanded upon his outlook of VR in an interview with TIME. In the interview, he was asked if his feelings have changed. He explains that while some problems have been addressed, there were still some that remained.

“In terms of being together online in virtual reality, I think a lot of the problems have been solved or are starting to be solved. This is something that we’re looking into, too.”

As a man of innovation and creativity, there are elements of VR that seem to impress him, but he doesn't seem to think the technology is appropriate for all audiences, nor does he know what length of game would constitute a full package for a VR experience.

“If a parent were to see their kid playing virtual reality, it would probably make them worry. Another issue and challenge that I think everybody faces is how to create an experience that’s both short enough while also fully fleshed out in virtual reality.”

He has previously implied that Nintendo isn't ignoring VR altogether and is, in fact, researching it as a viable option. But as anyone who pays attention to Nintendo knows that when they implement something new, they do it 100%, so if we're to get a virtual reality component to the Switch or a future Nintendo product, we should probably expect it to be unique and full packaged.