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The long rumor that Nintendo would be interested in virtual reality with Lab: VR Kit dreamed of high-end experiences featuring all kinds of Nintendo franchises. Imagine Mario Kart VR on the switch! they say. What about Animal crossing VR! Where is Metroid Prime Trilogy VR-enough?! Ok, we invented the latter, but we are sure that the idea should be somewhere on a forum.
We have already examined the pros and cons of Nintendo's next breakthrough in the world of virtual reality and, although the company has wisely kept the announcement unobtrusive – the release of a press release with very little fanfare – lack of play Images or simulated screen shots offer enthusiastic fans a blank canvas on which to base their experiences based on the more advanced VR experiences available elsewhere.
It is quite natural to compare what we have seen with concepts that we already know, but unlike Labo's initial offerings, these initials "VR" raise serious expectations that may be destroyed by the end product. Nintendo has repeatedly said that Labo is aimed at "children and the less sensitive," but that has not stopped. some to be disappointed. This is the title of the press release – "Shareable and Simple VR Gaming Experiences" – but despite all the warning signs, it seems that once again people are preparing for disappointment when Labo VR does not meet expectations, unaware of what the quirk of cardboard really has is.
It's an introduction to virtual reality for kids; a "taster", clear and simple. In case of doubt about the promotional images and the declared intentions of the Labo product line, a video of a virtual reality developer that we reported yesterday highlights the fixed inter-pupillary distance (and relatively narrow) of Goggles, designed for small heads. This does not mean that we, the "soul hearts", can not take advantage of it (even if we are cranial), but we are not the target population. never been will ever be.
That said, there is still a lot the interest of this kit, as long as we consider its context and its technical limits. On the one hand, the graphics and the artistic design of the games will have to take into account an extremely reduced resolution. That's not to say that Nintendo can not work with restrictions. The company's experience with 3DS stereoscopic 3D will be invaluable – but splitting the Switch's 720p screen between two eyeballs means you'll get closer to you with those pixels. The result should not be "ugly", but any decent alternative will involve creative artistic choices. Latency present another important hurdle that needs to be negotiated for it to work well. Nintendo is adapting its software to adapt to hardware limitations. We hope that society will have learned from the virtual reality boom of recent years. and from his own mistakes of the past.
We should not expect too much control. Although Joy-Con gyroscopes are suitable for general rotation and aiming, they are easily confused and require manual resets – something we're used to from Wii Sword in the sky. The absence of position tracking means that the "look at the goal" mechanic will probably be the entrance to Labo VR meat and potatoes; Again, this is not a problem in itself, but it limits the potential number of game apps.
We bet that neither our patience nor the strapless cardboard of the Toy-Con itself will withstand prolonged periods overwhelmed by the sweaty forehead; anyone who stands up hope for an immersive Mario Kart or Skyrim VR patch asks for trouble – we should think Wii Play rather Wii Sports.
So far, everything seems to indicate that we sent Debbie Downer to Labo VR launch party (on the contrary, we are still convinced loads potential for pleasant experiences), we simply want to take into account our expectations. There is no doubt that the best company in the industry will not solve the problems inherent in the kit. With still thin details on the ground, it's fascinating to speculate on what kits could book.
Looking at the revealed Toy-Con VR, its different shapes (and the images around them) give us clues as to what to expect. The blaster is blindingly obvious, the missile on the promotional poster indicating that – shock! – you will shoot projectiles with. The fishes swimming around the boy brandishing the camera suggest that a little underwater photography is on the menu (one can imagine diving into the ocean in a cage and earning points by photographing the different forms of marine life). The planet and the stars surrounding the child with the glasses indicate that there is also some star gazing on the horizon. Until here, so predictable.
More interestingly, the Toy-Con elephant is surrounded by lines drawn from a colored pencil, which suggests that it will take a little more creativity than looking for the night sky for the Big Dipper. And in addition to allowing a thorough veterinary examination of the cloaca of a cardboard gull, we believe that the Bird Toy-Con can get you to join a group of birds, possibly flapping their wings (using these moving jaws on the sides?) To gain height or stay in training. The wind pedal comes with the bird in the extension kits and probably works with this one, although this is exactly what everyone guesses at this point.
So, what experience Labo VR might involve? Here are some ideas that we think are achievable given the limitations of Nintendo's technological experiences and past experiences …
A game of type "Snap" Safari
Before we even noticed the fish swimming on the picture and reading "the colorful ocean in the game" that we will visit with the camera, taking pictures of animals seemed obvious. Of course, Pokémon Snap immediately comes to mind, but although we are some Pokémon a lot number of people who bought the virtual reality kit, everyone and their Arcanine have caught (and even have "taken pictures") of beautiful Pocket Monsters in Pokemon Go for a while, and we are not certain that a Lab-based Pokémon experience can meet fans' expectations. The basic phase of the game of observing an environment and photographing objects, however, is solid and we would not be surprised to see something in this direction – perhaps with an ornithological inclination? (It's bird watching, people.)
Wii game style games
We mentioned Wii Play above, and the more we think about it, the more airy mini-game brand seems to be a good choice for Labo VR. Imagine a Whack-a-Mole-style affair (holding and aiming with one hand, swinging a Joy-Con in the other) or some kind of shielding or "deflection" game (use, for example, an umbrella to make deflect the projectiles into targets). Or why not a variant of battleships to look through periscopes to target?
Wii Play (or your first step towards Wii, as it was called in Japan) has undoubtedly had a far wider audience than it would otherwise have as a Wi-Fi Remote Pack (actually, it's the seventeenth best-selling game all time), but we still remember to have some fun with her. No, Mii Find, Fishing, Mii Pose and Billiards were hardly innovative, but they were more appealing than expected, perhaps because of our extremely low expectations. A game, in particular, that seems to be a blow for Labo VR …
A shooting range
Yes, yes, the Toy-Con Blaster is a gift. The press release informs us that we are going to "repel an extraterrestrial invasion" with it and we would not be surprised to see a VR interpretation of the Duck huntingWii style Play Shooter. Although we suspected that Nintendo uses real Duck Hunt, a lo-fi pixel aesthetic might be a good way to get around some of the graphic issues mentioned previously. Nintendo is anything but adept at embracing and recycling ideas and franchises in different contexts. If Switch is not able to render fully realized and detailed 3D (VR) environments, why not tap into this rich vein of nostalgia?
Once again, we look at the issue from the perspective of a thirty-something player with Nintendo's nostalgia; were do not the target audience. Although the Blaster evokes memories of the SNES Super Scope, we will probably not jump on Yoshi's back and will not shoot at the hordes of Koopa Troopas at the Yoshi's Safari. That said, being forced at least to keep the console in front of us guarantees at least that we will feel like cyclops pulling laser beams from our eyes (Cyclops the X-Man, ie which is not not the giant of Greek mythology).
Local multiplayer games
According to the press release, the lack of headband for Nintendo's various Toy-Con is "to help encourage social gameplay". Therefore, we imagine that the "headset" will be distributed between the players, possibly using the audio so that everyone is involved. Maligned as 1-2 switch for a full launch as a complete game rather than a pack-in title, it offered some fun ideas that could be developed with Labo VR.
Play opportunities are multiplied when you involve another switch. We have already seen limited interactions between two consoles in things like Toad's Rec Room in Super Mario Partybut having two people able to share a virtual reality space (albeit in a limited and non-positional way) opens up new possibilities. A player can, for example, "ping" his partner. Tower Defense, Someone?
The 'ports' or 'fixes' of VR for existing games seem to be extremely unlikely, nothing stops the developers of Keep talking and no one explodes to update an option Labo VR allowing the broadcaster to exploit the Labo Goggles glasses while his team describes how to disarm the device. We doubt, however, that there is a lot of crossover with a software or an IP address other than Labo. Of course, there is a Nintendo series that manages to marry a myriad of simple ideas into a chaotic but coherent whole …
A WarioWare style microgam mount
the WarioWare microgam series is a perfect example of how very limited controls can produce compelling and fast gameplay that works great in a social context. If there is all existing series adapted to Labo VR, it is surely this one.
In fact, we doubt that Nintendo is linking any of its existing characters to the concept of VR, beyond one or two cheeky Easter eggs. The brand WarioWare brand pandemonium should be carefully balanced in VR to avoid any adverse effects, but Nintendo knows better than most platform traps of the previous experience. We hope all the problems have been solved during Labo's long development (many of these Toy-Con VRs were seen in the Labo trailer), but let's finally talk about the elephant in the room is not a toy-con …
A virtual boy collection
While the other ideas on this list seem relatively plausible, we admit that the latter is probably wishful thinking on our part. What child has these days heard the virtual boy? Although most Nintendo fans are aware of the unfortunate experience of the mid-1990s company, not everyone has had the opportunity to play the thing. The fact that the system and its games simply are not very good The console has not even been marketed in Europe, which gives it a mysterious look to the 64DD.
VR Lab offers the perfect the opportunity for Nintendo to provide an organized collection of the system library. Difficulties may arise due to the lack of control options, although the PR presentation text mentions a "screen mount" and a "security cap". We have not seen photos yet, but it is not impossible that it is a support for glasses.
For many older players, a simple access to the library of this infamous console would be enough to justify a purchase. Can you imagine the Virtual Boy Toy-Con custom designed by fans around the world right now?
These are just a few possible examples of the Labo VR event. It reminds of the short duration Wii Street U Google Streetview channel via GamePad or 360-degree movies from Wii U Panorama View give you the chance to fly among a flock of geese, visit London by double decker bus or watch the cherry blossoms in Kyoto from the comfort of your couch. We remember using unused Nintendo points / coins and they were entertaining enough. Nothing like the immersive experiences offered by high-end VR headsets from HTC or Oculus, but still a fun little curios.
In fact, speaking of curiosities that most players have probably tried once and never got bored, Labo VR makes us think of 3DS augmented reality games. For some, this can be a more depressing comparison than even Wii Play, this is probably the level at which we should set our expectations. In itself, we had a good hour or two of fun with these cards with fishing games and archery. We imagine that Labo VR will have more longevity than that, but we do not think we will have sessions of several hours a year from now.
We may be too pessimistic. Maybe we will be breath by some unbelievable technical feat that allows Switch to overcome its technical weaknesses in the virtual reality space, but we think it is important to temper our enthusiasm with the realities of the hardware. Overall, short experiences must focus – technological restrictions make everything else unrealistic.
Fortunately, this goal aligns with Nintendo's mission statement of providing entertainment to everyoneand this basic approach to virtual reality offers new social experiences rather than isolating players from each other's private virtual worlds. We will simply have to remember that it is not for us.
Are we too pessimistic about the technical weaknesses of Labo VR? Do you think Nintendo will surprise us with a more complex and deeper experience to make our old cold hearts beat faster? Let us know your thoughts.
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