A recent Nintendo Switch VR patent filing appears to indicate the company's continued interest in virtual reality technology, but at first glance, consumers would be forgiven for thinking that the patent is actually a bad joke that's been circulated to catch fans off-guard. Nintendo recently made the leap into the VR market earlier this year with the release of the Labo VR Kit for Switch, which reviewed strongly among children and parents looking to harness their children's creativity but fell well short of expectations for any serious VR technology.
Nintendo continues to do things its own way with its current-gen device, and that's helped eke out a strong - and growing - section of the console market for the Switch's brand of innovation and fun. While it's not the most technologically impressive device from a power standpoint, it's being made up for in the way that it continues to challenge people's conventions of what it means to be a console. The Nintendo Switch is even being used for educational purposes in UK schools to help engage children in the learning process, something that Sony and Microsoft's devices don't seem well-equipped to do. Still, fans want Nintendo to compete on normal, more conventional industry axes as well, and that means working on VR.
According to a new Nintendo Switch VR patent filing report first uncovered by LetsGoDigital (via VR Focus), the company will be looking at making bigger advancements into the VR field - although the current schematics leave a lot to be desired. The rumored Nintendo Switch VR patent features an incredibly bulky looking headset attachment that would also require players to hold the device up close to their faces while playing. Despite the fact that the Nintendo Switch is very light - and the Nintendo Switch Lite is a great and less bulky version of the same design - that would surely get tiring over time. Here's a closer look at the patent images:
Obviously, patent filings don't mean they're indicative of the finished product's appearance or functionality, so what fans should really take away from this is the fact that Nintendo is continuing to explore VR as a future field of interest for the Switch. The patent was originally filed in February 2018 and published only a few weeks ago towards the end of August. By all accounts, this looks like a spin on the VR designs that were most popular several years ago, having since been abandoned by companies like Oculus. With that said, it would be surprising to see this design end up as a finalized product in Nintendo's family of Switch console accessories.
Stranger things have happened, though, and Nintendo is famous for marching to the beat of its own drum. Hopefully this design is just a prototype - it's hard to imagine many people springing for technology that would appear, at best, to be a good excuse for an arm workout and limited play sessions.
Source: LetsGoDigital (via VR Focus)