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NWR: Could a Switch VR-Related Announcement Be Approaching (Rumor)?
- Thread starter Deleted member 278
- Start date
I find it hard to believe there will be a VR game for switch. Switch has a low refresh rate screen, fairly weak performance and a 720p screen.
The only way I can see it as a possibility is having the VR be docked only and make a a separate headset you need to connect to the dock, which would just mean it would be as expensive as the other VR solutions.
The only way I can see it as a possibility is having the VR be docked only and make a a separate headset you need to connect to the dock, which would just mean it would be as expensive as the other VR solutions.
That AndreGX was let out of his Super Mario Maker 2 Analysis Dungeon for a few moments and has gone insane?
I feel any version of switch VR wont be what most people think. This is Nintendo and they do things their way. I see a 3ds style vr.
I think you're closer than most.
Does anyone else remember an advanced headtracking setup using an IR motion camera from a WiiMote? One that turned any TV into a "VR window" with just some drivers and software?
How so?
If this is just Labo VR (Google Cardboard but with a Switch) then it doesn't mean a Pro or anything else is coming soon.
Only VR I would expect would be a Labo version of it similar to the cardboard VR from Google. But the hardware is just a bad fit as it is too heavy, too large, and too low of resolution screen for decent VR. GearVR would still be worlds better than anything Nintendo could do with the Switch and GearVR is already pretty weak when it comes to the VR experience.
I think it'll be closer to a "VR Window", not actual full-immersion VR. I.e., this is done with a bog-standard Wiimote and some IR lights on either side of a camera:
It's something that could easily be done with a TV mount for the R joycon and some cheap LEDs to put on Labo Robot's headgear. Just needs a game to go with.
It's something that could easily be done with a TV mount for the R joycon and some cheap LEDs to put on Labo Robot's headgear. Just needs a game to go with.
You're not going to slot a Switch (or even a Switch Pro/Lite) into a Gear VR/Daydream style contraption. The weight and screen are not and will never be designed to accommodate that. They will either build Switch guts into an HMD (a la Oculus Quest), or you will put a Switch in a fanny pack on your waist and run USB-C to an HMD with its own displays (a la Magic Leap). Scenario B is the more likely of the two to keep cost low. For those unaware, Magic Leap is powered by a Tegra X2 "puck" that the user puts in their pocket or wears on their waist.
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While that makes sense in practical terms, I think it's just too expensive. If they're going to do it, it'll be something cheap and cheerful that all Switch owners can access without shelling out for new hardware. VR is just not successful or accessible enough for them to consider dedicated VR hardware a good business decision I feel.
I haven't read each and every post here, but it seems people are ignoring this part - "select number of traditional first-party software titles may receive VR support in the not-so-distant future." - so I see this not as full blown VR, but as a Labo kit that you can play a few very basic games (note the word "traditional" in the quote) that don't need a strong VR capability at all. Just like the Labo games are not full blown games, so will the VR be just a limited Labo thing, not some feature Nintendo will go all out on.
Switch is $300 and controllers are $70, low cost is much less a concern for modern Nintendo. 3DoF VR is not even worth doing at this point, and attempting it with terrible resolution high persistence LCD's and unusable comfort/ergonomics would be product suicide. Quite simply there is no Switch VR without new dedicated hardware, full stop. A "dumb HMD" that is powered by a Switch fanny pack would target $199 - $299 depending on the quality of their tracking solution.
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Maybe so, but a separate product would be DoA too, there's just no demand for it. I think they'll go with a HMD for the current switch and design the games around the limitations i.e. very low poly, fixed camera etc. This is not going to be VR that tries to compete with PSVR, Occulus etc, it'll be a fun little throwaway.
*Edit* And tracking can be done with the IR camera and some reflective stickers, Labo already does that.
What if it's not Google Cardboard and it comes with 1080p output and gyros built in, and the Switch goes into docked mode?
Theoretically 1st party VR would output 1080/60. And any mini switch would still be compatible, leaving the joycons as controllers!
ARMS VR, Punch Out, Mario Kart, Nintenpets, Nintendoland 2, lots of IPs with some good draw for mainstream VR pull. Especially with HD Rumble!
This teardown at launch identified a STMicroelectronics SH641 6-axis accelerometer and gyroscope ultra-low power MEMS inertial sensor on the main PCB.
So evidently the tablet does have motion controls.
Nintendo doesn't follow trends. They make them.
So I expect some sort of twist like what you posted
Are you joking? I have not read much in this thread at all but with a little bit of thinking one would come to the conclusion that the Switch screen will not be used for VR, obviously.
Who wants to pin such a big and relatively heavy device on your head? It's ridiculous.
Nintendo perfectioned the lag free local streaming with the WiiU. A Switch VR headset would just have its own screen.
Anyway Nintendo has the IPs that could make VR much more popular.
Nonetheless I don't think the rumor is true, VR is to nausea inducing and the market much to niche to be interesting. Even know PS4 VR is still a small niche and the game sales are low.
Every time this type of rumour comes up I post the same things:
- You aren't going to get a compelling VR experience by re-using the Switch screen. Not only is it too low-res and too slow, it's also embedded in a device that's too heavy.
- If you don't re-use the screen, then why attach it to a Switch at all? It's just cumbersome, and at this point the guts really aren't that expensive compared to what you'd need to spend on building the rest of the device (screens, tracking) anyway.
I bought one in Japan a few years back, and for that time it's quite impressive. (More 3D than real VR, but that goes for the VB as well.)
Regarding the weight of the switch: what if they do a virtual boy again and use a tripod to store the switch? Not the most practical thing compared to a gear vr for example but Nintendo isn't beyond trying crazy ideas.
If people aren't buying Labo, there will be even less interest for Labo VR.
VR isn't going to be mainstream for a very long time.
On one hand, sure.
On the other hand, it's not going to become mainstream if it's always treated that way. It took the Wii for motion controls in regular games to get any traction at all. Something has to pave the way to mainstream. It can't be a binary affair, there has to be something entry-level for your regular common game console owner to sink their teeth into.
Just because there's speculation it's Labo VR doesn't mean it's Labo VR. Nintendo could quite easily have made a headset that has a built in 1080p output which simply uses the switch how ones uses it in docked mode where it outputs to the headset and have inbuilt battery and gyros.
It would be more expensive than cardboard, but overall would be a better product.
I'm not on the Labo VR bandwagon.
That article is completely devoid of sources or actual information though. Of course Nintendo is watching VR closely, as probably every hardware developer currently does. I also don't really get where the "We believe first party titles might get VR support" comes from.
I'd love Nintendo to figure out VR, but I don't really buy this article's rumors besides the points collected from other sites' quotes and ideas. I'll happily be wrong though.
I'd love Nintendo to figure out VR, but I don't really buy this article's rumors besides the points collected from other sites' quotes and ideas. I'll happily be wrong though.
Not to mention that the minimum GPU for VR is PS4 level.
The switch is way too weak for something like Astrobot. And since Nintendo is virtually guaranteed never to have a non-portable console again, even the next-gen Nintendo console is likely to struggle with VR. I'm assuming Nintendo's next-gen console is going to come in slightly under PS4 pro power level. (IE: less than 4 Tflops)
The source in the OP specifically references a hidden VR mode found by hackers which splits the Switch's screen vertically, and a patent for a Google cardboard-like headset into which the Switch is placed.
A separate headset with higher resolution and refresh rate has no business being tethered to the Switch, which isn't powerful enough for anything on the scale of PSVR games. The "lag free" streaming you speak of was limited to 480p 60Hz on Wii U. Streaming something at let's say 1080p 90Hz would require bandwidth an order of magnitude greater, and the latency required for a smooth experience is significantly tighter in VR. Current wireless solutions for the Vive cost $250-300 just for the add-on. A wireless solution is not impossible, but the hardware required to make it happen would likely be too costly to the point that a completely standalone unit makes more sense. Don't forget that a separate headset would need its own battery and tracking as well.
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For some reason, it popped into my head a few days ago that LG!PE could probably operate in a first person view with some minor camera adjustments, and playing a Pokemon game in VR for the genwunners would sell gangbusters. So seeing this rumour...I wouldn't want the Switch screen to slide in a headset, but a VR system for the next console that actually has the power and screen would be mighty entertaining I feel
I honestly don't think the Switch should be used for VR unless the headset would be standalone and connects to the console.
I think too many people just have real world experience with VR and understand the hard technical limitations. Just the 60fps sample-and-hold LCD tech means that whenever you turn your head, your brain will make the image smear like crazy. There are just certain technical floors VR needs to have to not be a lousy user experience.
Will the concepts be fun? I'm sure it will. Will it be a terrible VR experience. Yes. If it's anything beyond simple old-school emulation where you're starting straight ahead and not asked to move your head.
I see speculation that this Labo thing will bring VR support to Mario Kart and I'm like how the hell??? What about all the puke and headaches? Wipeout on PSVR was very well done and I, after not playing VR for maybe a month or so, had to take it easy and get my VR legs back to ward off motion sickness. A game like Mario Kart just sounds painful if experienced through what is essentially a Google cardboard headset housing a screen with a resolution that phones pre-google cardboard would've had.
Children puking while wearing their Labo headsets would become the new "oh no I threw my Wii remote through my tv" viral videos.
Children puking while wearing their Labo headsets would become the new "oh no I threw my Wii remote through my tv" viral videos.
Canadian company 'Exkilm' has developed a third-party virtual reality headset for the Switch called the 'NS Glasses.'
https://mobilesyrup.com/2018/10/01/nintendo-switch-virtual-reality-headset/
https://mobilesyrup.com/2018/10/01/nintendo-switch-virtual-reality-headset/
