We’ve been waiting for news about the Nintendo Switch 2 or the Nintendo Switch Pro, and here comes a completely different rumor. According to someone who previously provided accurate leaks, Nintendo has developed a prototype VR headset.
Little is known about what the headset will offer or how it will be marketed, but it won’t be a Nintendo Switch accessory, at least not exclusively. Perhaps most interestingly, Google is said to be involved (see our pick of the best Nintendo Switch deals for bargains on Nintendo’s current lineup).
Raxium, a company acquired by Google, holds several patents for „cost-effective and energy-efficient high-resolution MicroLED panels.” After Nintendo tested this MicroLED technology on its VR prototype, the Switch 2 https://t.co/Fg0rTt6LXw pic.twitter.com/mAOjsCUzXmSeptember 4, 2023
According to Nash Weedle, Nintendo is testing micro-LED displays for a full-fledged mixed-reality headset, not for theme parks. The displays are rumored to be supplied by Roxium, which was acquired by Google last year.
Needle suggests that micro-LED displays will make the device cost-effective and energy-efficient, and it won’t need to be attached to a console. With Google involved, albeit indirectly, there has been some speculation that it could be an opportunity for the company to launch its rumored XR platform following the drop of its own XR headset.
Right now, the rumor is pretty thin, but Nash Weedle accurately predicted the release of Metroid Dread for Nintendo Switch a year ago, so we’re not ruling it out. As any brand can promote VR gaming, Nintendo is definitely it.
We can assume that the Nintendo VR headset isn’t meant to compete with the Apple Vision Pro, but as a purely entertainment product it could give competition to the likes of the MetaQuest. We can fully imagine games like Pokémon Snap, Animal Crossing and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in VR.
Nintendo also has some form in the VR headset space. In 1995, it introduced the Virtual Boy 3D console (see image above). Well, it’s not actually a VR device, but a stereoscopic image display headset for 3D play games, but it shows the brand’s continued exploration of different formats and media for gaming. It recently launched the Nintendo Labo VR Kit, which added some basic VR to the Switch.
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