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Labo VR |OT| Switch is now Virtual, Boy!
- Thread starter jts
- Start date
Probably depends on the success of Labo VR.
Imagine they were playing around with some ideas, I think Miyamoto mentioned a Metroid game being similar to Blast. Zelda with the motion controls, etc.
Here I meant trying out what can work in VR instead of being "oh we plan on making a new metroid game for VR".
As in "can we do a flight game" yeah
"can we do a shooting game" yeah
i think that a wii sport like game would be perfect for labo VR....i mean the ping pong game could be a killer!
Thanks for your answer. I don't want to get my hopes up but it's even harder now that's you say it would be easy!
How about the buttons mapping of the original games? Can it be used or properly be remade for the Labo Blaster? I have the impression that we cannot use all the joycons buttons when they are in the blaster..
Precisely. All of the games have enough content and replayability - unlike the Variety Kit and Robot Kit - to actually justify not only the cost but the effort spent building their respective Toy-Con. And, of course, you have the 64 VR Plaza games too.
For anyone on the fence, below is a brief rundown of the content included in each game:
- Blaster has 18 levels split across 6 stages, which take about 90 minutes to get through for the first time. Beating all 6 stages unlocks Free Play and Expert versions of each level. Each stage has a ranking system from Bronze to Gold.
- Kablasta only has 1 stadium but its' a game meant exclusively for multiplayer so it's very re-playable nonetheless.
- Marble Run has 100 levels across 4 difficulty levels. Took me about 3 and a half hours to get through them all, because some of them are quite tricky. Beating stages unlocks components to use in Free Play.
- Doodle... well, it's not really a game. Next!
- Bird Dash has 6 courses. I don't have the Toy-Con Bird, so... I can't say much more. Likewise, I'm not too sure how much content Bird has. The island looks pretty big, I guess...?
- Ocean Camera and House Camera have 44 missions each, for 88 in total. I'm still not done with Ocean Camera but House Camera took me about 2 and a half hours to complete.
- Finally, from what I've heard, Hop Dodge has 3 difficulty levels plus an extra hard mode?
- And don't forget about the VR Plaza and VR Videos! The VR Plaza has some very re-playable experiences and some of the 'bigger' games can take about 5-10 minutes to complete.
I've made a big mistake... I only got the headset and the blaster and after messing with it all weekend, i should have just gotten the whole damn thing. I'm shocked at how much fun it is. If only best buy had the other two separate $20 kits so i could use my GCU since it expires in two weeks.
I can kinda understand where they were coming from, but after playing with this for an extended period of time, all I want now are more games that support this. I'm not a huge fan of Breath of the Wild, but I'll fire up my game and try it out once the patch comes out, because I want to try meatier games. Metroid Prime Trilogy with a VR mode would be awesome. Lets hope that Nintendo opens this up for other devs to add in VR stuff to their games.
Starfox Zero port with head tracking instead of tilt controls for aiming. PLZ make it real, Nintendo.
Anyone else feel that HD rumble is god-tier regards that game when you're hitting a ball with a table tennis bat and when you're balancing/rolling a ball across said bat and bouncing the ball up and down?
Oculus user checking in with the Starter Kit. This thing is legit.
The whole gun took me about 3 30-minute sitdowns to build - that part is always fun and satisfying because you often have no clue what you're building until its done. Then, you get a handful (couple dozen) minigames/tech-demos with that signature Nintendo charm showing off the VR.
I think I read somewhere that the pixels were aligned vertically on the Switch rather than horizontal like most other displays. This means the resolution is really 720x1280 rather than 1280x720 and everything is rendered with a 90-degree rotation one way or the other. Not sure if true, but that could be one of the reasons why the display doesn't look too terrible when viewing through the lenses.
It's not as good looking from an image quality perspective as the Oculus, but it's better than say a Google Daydream which I also have, despite the higher resolution screen in my phone.
The motion tracking is spot on for what it is - quite good as is typical with Nintendo's motion aiming stuff.
The complaints about the lack of a headstrap are not really relevant in my opinion, as the game requires you to aim down the sights of the weapon in order to get the VR - this makes it more immersive, but also not too immersive that you feel like you can't quickly "escape".
This has proven to me that given the right software, VR - at least certain games - is perfectly attainable on stock-Switch hardware.
I ordered the other 2 expansions, so will post a review once I'm done with those.
I highly recommend this to anyone who is new to VR, or wants to experience that certain Nintendo charm with VR if they already own a different headset. Go in with an open mind and a focus on what makes gaming good - the joy and fun of it - and you won't be disappointed.
The whole gun took me about 3 30-minute sitdowns to build - that part is always fun and satisfying because you often have no clue what you're building until its done. Then, you get a handful (couple dozen) minigames/tech-demos with that signature Nintendo charm showing off the VR.
I think I read somewhere that the pixels were aligned vertically on the Switch rather than horizontal like most other displays. This means the resolution is really 720x1280 rather than 1280x720 and everything is rendered with a 90-degree rotation one way or the other. Not sure if true, but that could be one of the reasons why the display doesn't look too terrible when viewing through the lenses.
It's not as good looking from an image quality perspective as the Oculus, but it's better than say a Google Daydream which I also have, despite the higher resolution screen in my phone.
The motion tracking is spot on for what it is - quite good as is typical with Nintendo's motion aiming stuff.
The complaints about the lack of a headstrap are not really relevant in my opinion, as the game requires you to aim down the sights of the weapon in order to get the VR - this makes it more immersive, but also not too immersive that you feel like you can't quickly "escape".
This has proven to me that given the right software, VR - at least certain games - is perfectly attainable on stock-Switch hardware.
I ordered the other 2 expansions, so will post a review once I'm done with those.
I highly recommend this to anyone who is new to VR, or wants to experience that certain Nintendo charm with VR if they already own a different headset. Go in with an open mind and a focus on what makes gaming good - the joy and fun of it - and you won't be disappointed.
After playing with the camera some more at home yesterday (I only have a couple group shots left for fish, the UFO, and the "human faced fish" before I 100% it) the thing that really stands out for Labo VR to me are the actual cardboard ToyCons.
People have touched on it before but I feel like it can't be overstated: other VR platforms are more powerful or have a clearer picture, yes, but the immersion of Labo VR is so much higher because of the ToyCons. There is a chasm of difference between being under water taking pictures with a DualShock 4 VS being under water taking pictures with an actual functioning camera in your hands.
I don't know how it would work but if VR could meet somewhere in the middle between the tactile immersion of Labo VR and the graphical fidelity of PSVR/Vive/etc it would be incredible. But you'd need so many controllers it would be infeasible. You'd need some kind of moldable controller that you could morph into all the different shapes, and then of course all the software would need to be able to read and support the different configurations. I really really hope Nintendo continues to support and experiment with VR through the Switch's lifetime and onto whatever Switch 2 they release next.
People have touched on it before but I feel like it can't be overstated: other VR platforms are more powerful or have a clearer picture, yes, but the immersion of Labo VR is so much higher because of the ToyCons. There is a chasm of difference between being under water taking pictures with a DualShock 4 VS being under water taking pictures with an actual functioning camera in your hands.
I don't know how it would work but if VR could meet somewhere in the middle between the tactile immersion of Labo VR and the graphical fidelity of PSVR/Vive/etc it would be incredible. But you'd need so many controllers it would be infeasible. You'd need some kind of moldable controller that you could morph into all the different shapes, and then of course all the software would need to be able to read and support the different configurations. I really really hope Nintendo continues to support and experiment with VR through the Switch's lifetime and onto whatever Switch 2 they release next.
I mentioned it before but SF Zero was basically a prototypical attempt at VR on Wii U.
I think it was really cool, but I imagine VR would probably be easier to understand than dual screens
For the base games, you're right. Don't really need a strap because all of the experiences are setup to be used the way it's supposed to. However, when Breath of the Wild and Mario come out, those games will need two hands free and a strap will be needed. I think this will also be true for any other game that is given VR functionality. So while the mini-games work fine for the current setup, having an actual headset for the future will most likely be a must.
The power of highend VR isn't just the visual fidelity, it's the handtracked controllers. It enables an unlimited set of interactions in one seamless experience.
Just wanted to point that out because I found it a little odd that you only mentioned DS4 and visual fidelity.
Yeah, it was always ridiculous.
In a world where mobile VR is the most popular form of VR, Switch and Nintendo developed VR would only help
Welll Zelda BotW also uses plenty of buttons, so we will see how Zelda BotW will work in VR in 10 days.
Count me as another "starter bundle-er who just bought the other 2".
Finished the blaster. Had no idea it was gonna be that satisfying. Amazing how I had no idea about how it was gonna work despite building the whole thing myself!
Finished the blaster. Had no idea it was gonna be that satisfying. Amazing how I had no idea about how it was gonna work despite building the whole thing myself!
I don't see why Zelda would need any button remapping. You play the game with the two Joy-Con attached, holding the VR Goggles to your face, hence you have access to all the buttons as you might normally. The motion controls might change a little, but other than that, I'd experience the experience to control almost identically to how it does normally.
I know, right? The physical feedback you get while shooting is great.
Although, I have noticed my Toy-Con Blaster has some slight wear-and-tear already (some of the cardboard is just slightly warped near where you hold it, for instance), plus 2 of my elastic bands have snapped. Luckily the kit comes with a good amount of spares. Then again, I was trying to beat the Expert stages, so... (And, if you were wondering, there's no reward for beating all the stages in Quick Play with 30/30 aliens. I guess I should go for Gold Medals next, huh?)
Just bought Labo VR and Expansion Kit 1 with the camera (which is what I really wanted) and the elephant. Hopefully the final creations will be portable in a way where I can bring it to friends' places.
The VR Goggles and Camera are likely the most portable Toy-Con of the lot. The Blaster and Wind Pedal (which you haven't got) are the least portable, in my opinion. The elephant is fragile (don't want to snap any of them elastic bands) but fairly portable nonetheless. The Bird is somewhere in the middle to be honest.
I was like "wait, what?!" the first time I reloaded and fired it. Amazing feeling after not having a clue about what the different parts did.
Thanks, that's good to know.
I just built the Blaster and it's a shame it's so giant because it's extremely fun and has a very fun game to go along with it.
I have the most experience with PSVR because I have one, but even Knuckles or pure hand tracking via pantomime is still not on the same level as holding the physical object in your hands and interacting with it and having those actions translate into the game, ie twisting the camera lense to zoom in and out, as far as tactile immersion. But yes, absolutely hand tracking and body tracking is very important in VR too. That's why I'm hoping Nintendo continues down the VR path, so that their kooky toy shit can eventually meet with the awesome stuff the high end platforms have. The original Wii trailers had a guy like dodging behind his couch while playing a shooter, that would be so rad. I assume other platforms can already do this with room ... I don't know the actual term but it can detect the size of the room and I'm assuming objects like chairs etc? I know there was a VR Ghostbusters experience that allowed for multiple players to move through and actual series of rooms and it tracked everything, you, your teammates, etc and you could see all of it in VR, use the Proton Wands, I think there was some kind of thing on your chest to vibrate if you got hit? VR is gonna be so friggin awesome as it matures.
Edit: There are limitations to the tactile stuff though, of course. It's not like you can have a cardboard thing for every single object that exists in a game to interact with (cardboard door knob sitting on the table lol). I don't really know how they can get around that. Some kind of force feedback gloves using technology that doesn't exist? So when you flip a light switch in the game you feel a press against your finger, pick up a flashlight and feel it rest in your palm, hit something and feel resistance VS having your arm just swing through the air, etc.
I just tried out the BOTW VR preview images and if this is representational of what the actual game will look like in VR, this will be a fun novelty but not much more. The image quality is just too poor for a game not designed for Switch VR. The Labo VR games look pretty good because the visuals are large and simple. BOTW is kind of the opposite with the screen filled with small and distant objects. Even the shading contributes to an overall messy image.
Saying this, I'm still gonna start a new game and play a ton of hours in VR mode.
Saying this, I'm still gonna start a new game and play a ton of hours in VR mode.
According to GameXplain, the NIntendo Zelda Blog has been updated with more info on the Labo VR functionality. And that it will feature 3DoF head tracking for the camera. I wonder how that's going to turn out. Would controller controlled camera + 3DoF head tracking be nausea inducing?
I caved and I'm pleasantly surprised. Apart from the obviously poorer graphics quality and 3D tracking there's not much difference to Psvr. Tracking and immersion is seriously impressing.
I'll believe it running full Zelda when I see it though >.>
I'll believe it running full Zelda when I see it though >.>
I feel the fact they waited to release the VR labo set after they tried a few others was the best way they could have approached it.
They released the first three sets,gauged how people reacted to it so they could make adjustments, then release the most important labo set yet.
Brilliant job all around Nintendo, looking through all the impressions(and how much I loved it), I legit have not been so excited for anything switch like this since when it first came out. I hope it catches on and sells very well, as I would welcome more vrsets!
They released the first three sets,gauged how people reacted to it so they could make adjustments, then release the most important labo set yet.
Brilliant job all around Nintendo, looking through all the impressions(and how much I loved it), I legit have not been so excited for anything switch like this since when it first came out. I hope it catches on and sells very well, as I would welcome more vrsets!
For generally attempting to simulate stubby hands grabbing things, motion tracked controllers are awesome. But I agree with wordassassin that the toycons add something extra to the interactions
Has anyone tried the elephant with the trunk disconnects so the camera end is free to move? Guessing it wouldn't work as it needs the blue joycon to help with angles but I still find it a bit too restrictive
So if Zelda is gonna play at a minimum of 30fps in stereoscopic VR, what are the chances that we'll get a high performance toggle for non-VR play?
Zero? Ok. I guess its zero.
Zero? Ok. I guess its zero.
For what it's worth, nearly all the VR ToyCons were shown in the original Labo direct unveil video last year, so it was probably a very intentional long release plan.
That adds the interesting question of what is next for Labo however, given sales haven't been explosive and we've only just finally gotten all the creations from the unveil. Will there be anymore kits? Will it sit on a backburner for a while?
I'm quite surprised it didn't take off however. I don't really watch TV or read newspapers (and use Ad Block) so I'm not really sure what they're marketing reach was like, but it should have been a sure-fire hit with kids. It's better than Lego for comparable (or even cheaper) prices, lets be honest.
.Labo VR sales have gone into orbit apparently! Sold out in most places. I really want AC , Mario Kart, Luigis Mansion etc. etc. I really do think this could just be the start.
Just to reiterate this point, I tried a Star Wars VR attraction called Star Wars Secrets of the Empire, that sounds like the Ghostbusters experience you mentioned, where there is a ton of force feedback and interactivity with physical objects since the physical space and the VR experience were created in conjunction to be able to interact perfectly together, and while it's something that can't be replicated in the home, it's a huge step up for immersion in VR.
The physical space part seems like what Oculus wants to enable with the Oculus Quest with the ability to do arena scale VR
and since Quest is similar to mobile VR but with actual "room scale" inside-out positional tracking, maybe Nintendo can eventually put out a headset that can dock the Switch and augment the Switch and Joycons with some form of inside-out or outside-in tracking, but currently, Labo VR is Nintendo's attempt to give people physical objects to interact with in an affordable way that others aren't really trying to do, outside of PSVR's Aim Controller.
The tangibility of Labo in general (as well as the feedback of HD Rumble) are really well suited for giving presence and immersion and it makes me wonder if their Labo plans all along realized that VR was the biggest advantage of Labo and cardboard peripherals and if they have even other games in development. Even without thinking of things in terms of objects for everything you touch in a game, there could be a game where the central mechanic would be built around, for instance a vacuum cleaner in Luigi's Mansion. Nintendo would just have to create the Labo to give you all the controls you need to play the game and the ways you manipulate the Toycon creates interactivity that you couldn't do otherwise. Maybe with Luigi's Mansion for example again, the vacuum can transform by twisting a knob on the Toycon that gives you different abilities and it makes the HD Rumble react differently depending on what it does.
Almost all of the Labo VR Toy-Cons (I think the only one not shown is the VR goggle) were show in the initial Labo reveal trailer. So this suggests that Labo VR is part of the initial planned Labo kits. Also all of the Toy-Con in the reveal trailers have now been released. This suggests that Labo VR is the last of the initial planned Labo kits.
Given how Labo has sold so far, I wouldn't be surprised if there were no further Labo kits in the future. Though Labo VR appears to be doing well, I think it is more of a case of retailers ordering smaller amounts after the first 3 Labo kits. So I don't think NIntendo is likely to continue with the Labo series.
So yesterday I finally tried the VR goggles, it was my first VR experience outside Google Cardboard and Gear VR so it kinda blew me away. I'm now extremely likely to buy PSVR + Astrobot. With this said, I don't know if I should remove the screen protector (plastic, not glass) because screen quality sometimes was a problem.
Anyway, bulding was half the fun so I can't wait to continue with my blaster.
Anyway, bulding was half the fun so I can't wait to continue with my blaster.
3 DoF? Awesome!
I've heard people mention playing Wind Waker on the Dolphin emulator in VR like this without having motion sickness, so we'll see. The head tracking should at least solve for some awkwardness if you accidentally move you head to look at something and everything doesn't move. I was a little worried about there being no head tracking, but considering the game wasn't made for it, I wasn't expecting the VR implementation to be extensive.
I think the screenshots look pretty great in Labo VR and this has me very hyped for it. Well, the shots themselves aren't particularly impressive, but being able to the straps on Link's tunic or the noticeable depth of the cliff to the ground below lets me know that this is going to be special. The depth will look amazing for this game as you are climbing or gliding around Hyrule, riding Epona, seeing the Korok Forest, fighting in a storm, looking over the hills at a sunset, fighting Ganon, etc. I could only dream of there being a chance to play BoW in VR when the game first came out and the fact that we are getting that ability in just over a week is something I can't wrap my head around. I might just start a new game just as an excuse to start from the beginning again.
I mean Zelda BotW already runs at locked 30 fps 95% of time,
saying that its possible (but again unlikely) that maybe they improve game somehow and that patch will effect non VR players also.
Like you wrote, people reported that plastic protector definitely cause problems or in worst case gives worse experience.
So order glass protector and remove plastic one, I done exactly that.
Did you actually try it with your plastic protector first and notice it was giving you problems or did you not want to try it at all?
I have a plastic protector, and outside of some dust trapped under the screen that I can no longer ignore, I don't notice any significant differences that I would believe would be improved my removing it or replacing it with a glass one (which I do have and have been holding on to since launch but haven't had a reason to replace the plastic one until now).
If anything I've seem more people say that a thicker glass protector may cause issues, but I can't tell if it's just anecdotal/placebo effect or if any screen protector has any noticeable effect since impressions about that are all over the place.
Failed to chart in the UK though.
http://www.nintendolife.com/news/20..._enter_top_40_yoshi_slips_down_to_fifth_place
No I still diddnt try it yet (Labo VR yets to arive me), but with people reports from this thread its obvious that plastic protector have some kind of effect on experience, while people with glass protector didnt reported anything similar.
I think that even one guy that has two Switch units one with glass and other with plastic protector that has some problems with plastic one but not with glass one protector.
UK is basically a dead market for retail these days. Means absolutely nothing in a worldwide context anymore.
Bear in mind that those charts include digital for all platforms except Nintendo.
Next week, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will receive VR support via an update, to be played with the recently released Nintendo Labo VR set. Today, Nintendo published a blog post on their website in which the game's Technical Director, Takuhiro Dohta, talks about the inclusion of VR . Here are some key points from his blog post:
- camera control is tied to the headset – i.e. when the player turns their head, the camera turns into that direction as well (this can be disabled in the game's settings)
- you can turn off VR mode at any time – Nintendo actually recommends only using it for specific areas of interests instead of playing in VR for hours uninterrupted
- the concept behind VR inclusion in Breath of the Wild was "rediscovering Hyrule"; which is why you can use your existing save file instead of it being a separate mode
- the major issue during development was that Breath of the Wild is a third-person game, whereas usually VR games, including Nintendo Labo VR, are first-person games
- the goal of the developers was to create a VR experience everyone could enjoy in their own way, much like the freedom the game itself offers
