VR modes coming to Super Mario Odyssey, Breath of the Wild on Nintendo Switch

• 

  Breath of the Wild in VR? I honestly have no idea how that's going to feel, if it's locked at a 30fps refresh. [credit: Nintendo ]

The Nintendo Labo VR Kit, launching later this month, is arguably the Japanese game maker's first virtual reality product in 24 years. Up until today, the product (which starts at $40) was a self-contained collection of new mini-games, all designed around foldable cardboard controllers.

That changed with a Thursday night announcement: two of the biggest games on Nintendo Switch, Super Mario Odyssey and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will receive free VR-mode updates on April 25, two weeks after the Labo VR Kit's launch date. Both will require said VR Kit, which includes a pair of lenses that affix to the Switch's screen and turn it into a makeshift VR headset.

Odyssey's free update will open up three newly designed levels, all based on existing flat-screen worlds from the 2017 game. In these, players will look at Mario from a third-person perspective, which they can shift by rotating their head. This resembles existing VR platforming games like Moss, as opposed to a VR adventure viewed from the famous plumber's first-person perspective. It's unclear whether the camera will remain at a fixed, central point in these three levels or whether it will follow Mario's movement a la the more dynamic Astro Bot: Rescue Mission.

Read 4 remaining paragraphs | Comments