Nintendo Looking At VR, Mobile Plans Remain On Course

Game business analyst Dr Serkan Toto revealed that Nintendo had some things to say about VR and mobile for the press event following their reveal of this quarter’s financial results.

So Nintendo (at the briefing) just said no change in plans for the smartphone app roll out. Says they “are looking” at VR – with no details.

— Dr. Serkan Toto (@serkantoto) February 2, 2016

(Note: Dr Toto tweeted in a rush, but he was referring to the press event when he says briefing in this tweet. The Nintendo investor’s briefing is usually scheduled the day after quarterly and annual financials are publicly released.)

This statement is notable, since it is a break from prior statements by Nintendo about VR. Both Nintendo Co Ltd fellow Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo of America EVP of sales and marketing Scott Moffitt have explained Nintendo’s push for gamers playing together in the living room is hindered by VR.

Note that in neither case did Miyamoto or Moffitt discredit VR. They both simply indicated the way VR tech is used is at odds with Nintendo’s philosophy. However, no such statement was made, or even implied, here.

Perhaps Nintendo simply wants to sit out this round of innovation this time, as they still pay the risks for trying to bring glassess free 3D and tablet game controllers to consoles.

As for Nintendo’s mobile plans, we already know intimately about Miitomo, which seems to be a twist on social communication apps like LINE (You can learn more about Miitomo here). Nintendo is releasing five games on mobile, and while Miitomo is free, the rest will be free-to-play.

Of course, Nintendo making games on mobile is a risk as well, but it seems well calculated, as Nintendo limits their involvement to five games, and plans to use this to push their own platforms.

What do you think Nintendo should do when it comes to mobile and VR? Tell us know what you think in the comments.