Developer hypes up Switch, teases potential VR capabilities
Posted on January 11, 2017 by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch
Stephen Dinehart IV has worked on games such as Company of Heroes, F.E.A.R. 3, and more. Last September, he mentioned signing an NDA indicating that he’s on board as a Switch developer.
Dinehart followed up on that by writing about Switch and Nintendo in general as part of a new LinkedIn blog post yesterday. What he had to say was quite interesting, to say the least.
Throughout the post, there’s talk about Nintendo’s involvement with VR – such as how the company technically dabbled with it first with Virtual Boy. He later says that with Switch, “it’s only natural that one of the first players in the home VR market would once again stake its claim.” He closes out by saying the system “is one step in evolution you won’t want to miss.
Below are some notable excerpts from the post:
“As a Nintendo developer and fan few things get me as excited as the launch of new platforms – yep, hardware. In an age of virtual goods Nintendo develops products and platforms that people love to hold. The reveal coming later this week is sure to surprise old fans and new alike.
It should come as no surprise though, about 20 years ago Nintendo released the first home Virtual Reality (VR) console for consumers. Yes, you read correctly, in 1995 to be precise, first in Japan. Despite the 20 million dollar Ad campaign in North America, Virtual Boy was a flop. One that Nintendo junkies like myself cherish to this day. It only seems natural with the launch of Nintendo’s new platform The Switch, a modular HD game console, that VR would be on the product roadmap. Given the right specs, ones yet disclosed, there’s no reason VR peripherals wouldn’t show for the system and just maybe something more. As a Nintendo and VR/AR developer I can’t say much, but I can say the fit is one made in heaven.
… In fact, Nintendo was the first into the 3D market, dare I say VR/AR, with their Nintendo 3DS – still the best selling video game console of all time.
Nintendo has arguably always been ahead of the curve starting with the global game boom of the late 1800’s. With R&D periods that span decades and the launch of a new powerful console, the Nintendo Switch, it’s only natural that one of the first players in the home VR market would once again stake its claim.
Now as part of the Nintendo team few moments in my life as an emerging tech developer have filled me with so much anticipation – this is one step in evolution you won’t want to miss.
