Virtual reality is all the rage these days with several major players having announced or already released VR gear this year. One industry pioneer, however, isn't sold on the concept just yet.
High-ranking Nintendo executive Shigeru Miyamoto said during the company's annual shareholder meeting this week that they've been looking at virtual reality technology but should also see how it fits into products that are designed for long-term use and how parents might feel about their children strapping on virtual reality headsets.
The latter concern is especially valid considering much of Nintendo's target audience is children.
As The Wall Street Journal correctly points out, virtual reality - at least, in its current iteration - is best experienced in short spans at a time due to health concerns such as nausea and headaches. Virtual reality also isn't generally recommended for kids.
Another concern Miyamoto expressed as it relates to virtual reality has to do with sharing. For example, how will virtual reality impact multiplayer gaming as well as those that simply prefer to spectate? As services like Twitch have demonstrated, gameplay-watching has become incredibly popular as of late.
Given these comments, it may be safe to assume that Nintendo's upcoming NX console won't support virtual reality - at least, not at launch. In fact, Tokyo-based video game consultant Serkan Toto believes there will be no way that the NX will be a VR console and according to him, that's the right call. Nintendo is always about the mass market but right now, Toto added, VR is years away from becoming mainstream.
Image courtesy Associated Press