Nintendo switch rumors: Plans to integrate virtual reality teased

Nintendo Switch
Logos of Nintendo Switch game console are seen at an electronics store in Tokyo, Japan March 3, 2017 Toru Hanai/Reuters

Nintendo needs all the help it can right now to catch up with its rivals in the gaming console industry. Already suggested are the coming of a Nintendo Switch Pro and a Nintendo Switch Lite. How about a Nintendo Switch VR?

According to Emily Rogers of Nintendo World Report, unnamed sources claim that Nintendo is set to make a VR-related announcement this year. If true, it goes in line with a previously spotted patent suggesting that the Nintendo Switch will eventually get a VR headset. This was confirmed earlier this month by Japanese analyst Serkan Toto.

But if the company is to succeed in integrating VR into the Nintendo Switch, they will need to resolve the problem of users being able to play VR games for longer periods of time. But it looks like they have addressed that concern with several first-party games reportedly getting an update with VR support as well in 2019, Gaming Bolt reported. If true, one of the first games allegedly supporting it would be the Nintendo Labo.

From there, the next question in mind is how Nintendo intends to address the screen resolution issue. The Nintendo Switch resolution is pegged at 720p, dramatically low. There will be apparent tweaks needed, meaning seeing a Nintendo Switch VR come out in the open will likely internal modifications as well. It is possible that there are missing details although this claim remains a rumor for now.

Nintendo finds itself lagging in the VR front with Sony and Oculus aggressively trying to outdo each other in the virtual reality gaming binge. But that silence could be because they have been busy trying to find a way to boost the stock of the Nintendo Switch, something that could be the surprise of 2019.

For now, everything remains a rumor but the gaming community would do well to keep tabs with these alleged plans for the Nintendo Switch. Some of the previous breadcrumbs leading to the arrival of VR to the Nintendo Switch include a screen-splitting VR mode hidden within the system firmware by data miners in 2018. Going farther, it is believed that the device was delayed to enhance its VR capabilities.

This article was first published in IBTimes US. Permission required for reproduction.

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