Nash Weedle, who presents himself as a “rumor analyst” and already has numerous leaks to his credit that have proven, has just released, on Twitter (or X, if you prefer) a little bomb for those who appreciate virtual, augmented and mixed reality: nintendo would be developing a mixed reality headset with, as a partner, Google.
This mixed reality (XR) headset would be autonomous and therefore it would not need the Switch or its future replacement to function. It would be equipped with MicroLED screens and Google could well provide the operating system, the one that was planned for its own XR helmet whose development has been abandoned. Last but not least, its marketing target would be the general public and not the professional market.
????Leak Express: Nintendo has a prototype in view of a “VR” game
– Hardware independent of Switch 2
– Mixed Reality
– Uso doméstico, no para parques temáticos
– Pantalla MicroLED
– Sorprendentemente Google está involucrada de alguna manera en el desarrollo pic.twitter.com/e60yNchmsy— Nash Weedle “El Analista de Leaks” (@NWeedle) September 3, 2023
If this rumor turns out, it would give a big boost to the democratization of mixed reality for gaming. Indeed, Nintendo has in its catalog enormous licenses which could thus be exploited to create games in virtual or mixed reality. So certainly, the first foray into the world of VR from the Japanese giant with the Nintendo Labo on Nintendo Switch was not really a technical success. from a hardware that was not up to par and cardboard accessories in every sense of the word (read our test). However, the idea was no less attractive and still attracted many buyers. Nor should we forget the excellent Mario Kart VR available in some (too few) VR arcades around the world. Others will also think of the Virtual Boy released in 1995, but even though it looked like a VR headset, it only displayed wired 3D.
With such a rumour, it’s hard not to indulge in imagining a marioA Mario Kart or even a Splatoon designed natively for the XR. It’s hard not to dream of a Luigi Mansion in total immersion, right? In short, imagine what it is possible to do with the licenses nintendo and a quality XR headset can only make you dream and this rumor can only awaken the hope of seeing VR adopted by as many people as possible. That said, all this remains, for the moment, of the order of fantasy and even if nintendo actually has a prototype XR helmet being tested, nothing says it will make it into a final product. To be continued.