'Mario' creator doesn't think VR is a good fit for Nintendo

(Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

VR might be the hottest new technology in gamimg, but the man who made Mario isn't particularly impressed with what he's seen so far.

Game design legend Shigeru Miyamoto, speaking with Yahoo Games at last week's E3 conference, said that while the technology behind VR is certainly interesting, he hasn't seen anything done with it so far that fits with the style of play he — and Nintendo — prefers.

"The current types of virtual reality aren't really a good fit for Nintendo's philosophy of trying to create entertainment that people can play together in the living room," said Miyamoto. "We're constantly looking at different technology and experimenting with different elements of it, but we're not feeling virtual reality is currently in a place where it's ready to be released - as a product that fits with our philosophy of fitting in the living room."

In true Miyamoto style, though, he doesn't dismiss the tech altogether. In fact, the creator of franchises like Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, and The Legend of Zelda's cryptic follow-up comments are sure to get conspiracy theorists speculating about whether the company has its own version of VR in the works.

"We're here at E3 this year to really focus on the games that are launching within the next year or so," he said. "We're not showing off or showcasing anything that's further down the road, and that's why you don't see us here with any samples of potential virtual reality type experiences."

Nintendo declined to comment when asked it it's doing anything with VR.

Miyamoto’s comments largely mirror those of Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, who told Polygon that he too was unimpressed with the current state of VR.

“I haven't walked the floor, so I can't say in terms of what's on the floor today, but at least based on what I've seen to date, it's not fun, and it's not social,” he said. “It's just tech."

Nintendo has a history of bucking trends. The company has been slow to embrace online multiplayer gaming, which helped turn robust networks built by Microsoft and Sony into lucrative pipelines. For years they wrote off smartphone gaming, though they’ve since changed their tune. Waving off VR could be another case of the company missing a huge gaming movement, though their caution is understandable. After all, they tried VR before, and it didn’t exactly pan out.