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Miyamoto Doesn’t Think Mario Games Are A Good Fit For VR
Super Mario's creator doesn't think that the iconic plumber would perform well in the VR space.
After Apple's iPhone 7 event, USA Today talked with legendary Nintendo developer Shigeru Miyamoto about the new app Super Mario Run. The designer shared his thoughts on why Nintendo has been slow to embrace gaming on smartphones. “Because up until recently we found that mobile devices weren't best suited to gaming. But that's changing."
Miyamoto went on to comment that he didn’t think Mario would make the transition to VR headsets anytime soon. "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," he told USA Today. "We also like people playing for a long time, and it's hard to do that in VR."
For more from Miyamoto, be sure to watch our interview from E3 with the iconic designer right here.
[Source: USA Today]
Our Take
These statements don’t mean that we’ll never see a Mario game in VR. Nintendo was slow to bring its properties into the smartphone space, but it finally has with apps like Pokémon Go and Super Mario Run. Miyamoto’s reservations about VR might be valid with current technology, but they could change as designers innovate on VR and as our culture embraces the technology.
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