Labo VR is Coming to Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey

By: Max Cannon

VR has been a growing chunk of the video game world for decades and while it hasn't quite taken over the world, virtual reality gaming is growing faster than ever before. While big names like Valve and PlayStation have thrown their hat into the ring, gamers have been hungry for whatever Nintendo is cooking up. Now we have our first glimpse of what the Nintendo Switch could do for VR and older games on the system.

More Than Labo

If you didn't know, a few weeks back Nintendo had announced that Labo would be getting a new VR bundle that included some absolutely bizarre looking creations. Like the rest of Nintendo Labo, you'll assemble these creations out of cardboard but this time you'll slide your system into your own self-assembled VR headset. Some seriously weird creations were shown off with very little explanation as to what we were looking at. Nintendo often moves to the beat of their own drum so it wasn't too much of a surprise to them make something so unique but this recent VR announcement confirmed that we'd be getting some a little more traditional from them.

Two of the biggest games on the Switch, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey are getting their own special VR-specific modes compatible with Nintendo Labo VR for your Switch. Super Mario Odyssey is getting a trio of brand new levels that weren't included in the original game. You'll be controlling Mario from a third person perspective and it sounds very similar to PlayStation VR's Astro Bot Rescue Mission. Meanwhile, Zelda: Breath of the Wild is going to remain as essentially the same exact game but fully playable in VR. Unfortunately, those of us hoping to play the game in first person will be disappointed as the game is sticking to the traditional perspective despite most VR games putting you behind the eyes of your character. 

Zelda and Mario in VR - Kidzworld Weekly News

What Else Could Nintendo Be Planning?

Hopefully, this could be the start of something awesome from Nintendo. While neither of these titles are original games, aside from the software packaged in with the Labo VR Kit, this doesn't mean that Nintendo isn't planning any awesome exclusive games. VR is a very new platform but there is a lot of potentials for Nintendo to add their own flair to the hardware. This shows that Nintendo has a clear interest in VR and are dipping their toe in the water. Who knows, maybe we'll know more about what's to come during this year's E3?

More interesting, Nintendo went back and added VR to some of their older games at no extra cost, could we see more of that in the future? Several games of theirs would beg for this update, Captain Toad Treasure Tracker immediately jumps into my mind.

Share Your Thoughts!

What do you think of Nintendo's take on VR? Which games would you like to see updated with VR support? Share your thoughts below!