Speaking to USA Today while promoting Mario’s first appearance on a mobile platform in Super Mario Run, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto briefly commented on his stance regarding bringing Mario to virtual reality. His concerns relate to the anti-social experience of strapping on a VR headset, as well as how shorter VR play sessions are more comfortable:
"I would agree that adapting Mario to new platforms is a key to keeping him relevant. But we want families to play together, and virtual reality (which requires players to be closed off from the real world) doesn't really fit well there. We also like people playing for a long time, and it's hard to do that in VR."
Miyamoto made similar comments back in July regarding his opinion on virtual reality as a whole, and whether it would be something that would be coming to Nintendo’s upcoming console, the NX. Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima also commented that Nintendo was researching VR, but didn’t have anything to discuss at the time.
The Nintendo NX is set for release sometime in the first quarter of 2017. Few details are known about the console, apart from rumours that it is a hybrid tablet device with detachable controllers. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the only confirmed NX titles in development, and will also be released for the Wii U.
