With the quick raise of games like "Pokemon Go" and others that play around with the ideal of virtual reality, there is the question of whether or not the platform will be adopted by legendary games. And while the platform definitely works with popular first person titles, there are some that refuse to bite onto the trend.
In an interview with USA Today, Shigeru Miyamoto explained exactly why his creation, "Super Mario Bros." will never cross the bridge to the VR platform.
What The Legend Has To Say
Miyamoto spoke with the publication just after Apple's September 7 event, where the company announced that "Mario" would be arriving to the App Store before the end of the year. "I would agree that adapting Mario to new platforms is a key to keeping him relevant," he first said. Indeed, "Mario" is one of the few games that have stayed relevant as newer and newer generations of consoles have arrived to the market. But then Miyamoto broke all hope that the beloved title would one day make it to the VR world.
"But we want families to play together and virtual reality doesn't really fit well there. We also like people playing for a long time, and it's hard to do that in VR."
His explanation does make sense. "Mario" is family-friendly game, with a wholesome story and lovable characters. And playing with a friend or loved one only makes the experience more worthwhile. But putting on a headset, which primarily closes individuals off to the real world in order to enter virtual reality, offers an incentive completely different from the appeal of "Mario."
Why Else It Wouldn't Work
Of course, there are other possible reasons why Nintendo will never adapt the game to VR. For example, the game is not told or played in a first person perspective. As experience has provided, the most successful games in VR are those that place the players in the character's position.
Another is the long-term appeal. While the initial reaction to "Mario" in VR could be great, the hype is likely to die down after some minutes or hours jumping up and down and running. There is only so much that the average individual can take while in virtual reality and playing "Mario" may not be part of it.
