Soundwave said:
Yeah, there isn't really a cost efficient way other than those dumb mall rides to demo VR to a lot of people. PS4 or PS5 VR you have to pay hundreds of extra dollars on top of the console and the headset is tethered to the console so you can't freely move around. PS4 VR in particular was an enormous mess of cables, a total turn off. Meta Quest is more consumer friendly, but still it's strictly a VR only device for $200-$400+, how are you supposed to invest several hundred bucks if you don't even know you like VR in the first place. Meta Quest feels like the Wii successor console in a lot of ways that never was (sorry Wii U). Apple Vision Pro is gaining a lot of media attention and Tiktok/Instagram attention is from all reports a pretty mind blowing product, but it's a high, high end luxury product at this point at $3500 to just start and probably needing several hundred dollars more in accessories (carrying case, prescription lenses if you wear glasses, probably need Apple Care for a device that expensive, etc. etc.). When it's gen 2/3 and Apple can get the price down then they'll probably be a ton of interest but for now there's definitely an open window. A Switch 2 VR could really help get the tech out at least so people can try it for 15-30 minute bites of time and really there are a ton of Nintendo IP that could wow people in VR. Even like Switch Sports ... you think Wii tennis and bowling was something, there are simple tennis and bowling games on Meta Quest that blow the shit out of Wii Sports/Switch Sports. Nintendo could make something that really feels like you are on a tennis court with a real tennis racket in your hand or in a real bowling ally. And it could in theory be done in a much more cheap way. The cheapest way is to just use a plastic headset and let the Switch 2 be the VR screen (at 1080p it'll be OK, same resolution as the PS4 VR). And it's a plus, it can add some extra dimension (literally) to games like Mario Kart, Metroid Prime 4, but it doesn't have to be the whole cake, it can be a nice new feature and then you still have a Switch 2 that you can use as a home/portable/VR console. That's a better value proposition to a lot of people than like say Meta Quest where well it's basically only a VR headset, you can't use it for anything else. |
I wonder how much weight it would add if the headset housed an additional battery and headphones. That would allow decent battery life if the switch was running docked performance levels while in VR mode.
They could launch with a Mario 640 that is a re-imagining of Mario 64's world and levels with modern graphics. I would be down to play a few levels that had Mario 64 graphics. Maybe you jump into paintings that take you into a world with 64 style graphics that act as hub worlds containing paintings that take you to new levels with modern graphics.
DLC could be throw back to other Mario titles. I wouldn't mind trying to control The Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device in VR for instance.
