What Switch Games Work with VR Headsets? Very Few

I‘ve been gaming since I got my first Nintendo Entertainment System for Christmas in 1989, and I‘ve seen tons of hardware come and go over the decades. Being a life-long Nintendo fanboy, I was definitely curious when the Nintendo Labo VR Kit was announced in 2019. Could this finally be the beginning of serious VR gaming on the Switch? Now that I‘ve actually tried the Labo and third party headsets though, I can definitively say the Switch still has a long way to go on its VR journey. Read on for all the details!

A Small Number of Switch Games Work with the Labo VR Kit…and That‘s About It

The Labo VR Kit ($79.99 MSRP) lets you experience a very limited VR-style view in compatible Switch software, including:

• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Super Mario Odyssey
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
• Captain Toad Treasure Tracker

It‘s far from true VR though. These are traditional Switch games that have a bonus 3D stereoscopic rendering mode when using the VR Kit. You can look left and right by turning your head, but the in-game field of view is still restricted to what you‘d see on your TV.

For example, in both Zelda and Mario you‘re limited to a 64 degree viewing angle, much smaller than VR headsets like the Oculus Rift S which boasts 110 degrees. And graphical quality takes a big hit too – Breath of the Wild‘s resolution plunges from 900p docked/720p handheld down to just 400×240 per eye in VR.

Not exactly the fully immersive Link and Mario VR adventures some gamers were dreaming of.

To give the total picture, the Labo Kit has reportedly only sold around 7% the number of units as traditional Switch hardware.

So while Nintendo‘s first real VR offering led to some initial buzz and decent Labo sales, consumer enthusiasm faded pretty fast once people realized its limitations.

Why Can‘t the Switch Do "Real" VR? It‘s Underpowered Hardware

Simply put, the Switch lacks the graphics processing capability for high quality, made-for-VR gaming. Its custom Tegra processor was designed by Nvidia in 2015 at the start of the Switch‘s development cycle in order to meet battery life and affordability goals.

And don‘t expect a mid-generation hardware update to improve Switch VR either. Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa directly shot down rumors of a 4K "Switch Pro" model at a November 2021 management briefing, stating:

"We have no plans to launch a new model this fiscal year [through March 2023], as it would negatively impact our overall business strategy."

Without beefed up mobile chip or even PS4/Xbox One-level GPU, immersive VR experiences are off the table for now in Nintendo‘s handheld/console hybrid. Check out how the Switch‘s processing power fares against Oculus‘ official recommendations:

You‘d need to offer settings options for games far below even Oculus‘ minimum spec to make AAA VR gaming workable on the modest Tegra chip. And even then framerates would almost certainly fail to hold up consistently. No wonder Nintendo never marketed the Labo as anything beyond a novelty side experience.

Third Party Switch VR Headsets Are no Better than Labo

Recognizing interest after the Labo VR announcement but also the kit‘s shortcomings, third party accessory companies like Orzly and TOBIGER quickly debuted Switch-compatible VR goggles of their own. Most are sold in the $40 to $50 range.

They offer a few minor improvements over Labo – slightly wider FOV, comfier fit with adjustable straps, integrated headphones etc. But ultimately the experience is the same since everything still relies on that underpowered Switch processor. These headsets achieve little beyond letting you watch 3D movies stored locally on your console‘s microSD card.

Over 1 million Orzly Headsets have sold globally based the latest figures shared with me by their marketing team. This suggests some lingering demand for Switch VR functionality, even minor as it is right now.

I‘ll save detailed reviews of these third party viewers for a future post, but none come remotely close to delivering robust VR gaming given what they have to work with hardware-wise.

Could a "Switch 2" or "Switch Pro" Enable Better VR Down the Road?

As mentioned before, Nintendo has shot down rumors of new Switch models for 2022 or even 2023 based on their public statements. But with 110 million units sold and counting, the Switch family certainly has plenty of life and sales momentum left.

So while a true next generation Switch successor could be 3 or 4 years away still, its certainly coming eventually. And beefier processing power would likely be a core piece of future hardware updates.

Analysts like Piers Harding-Rolls from Ampere Analysis estimate a Switch 2 in 2024 could pack updated chip tech enabling 4K gaming, VR applications, and greatly improved rendering power using Nvidia‘s latest architecture and process node advances. If paired with enough RAM and onboard storage as well, Nintendo could erase many of the technical challenges holding back compelling VR on current models.

And don‘t forget – Sony sold over 6 million Playstation VR headsets leveraging that platform‘s base PS4 installed base. Surely Nintendo wants a piece of premium accessory revenue too from its vastly bigger Switch installed base once the system has the capability to support VR properly. We know Nintendo looks enviously at usage rates and digital spending on Xbox and PlayStation platforms. They‘ll invest to make Switch more competitive.

For now Switch VR remains a novelty with the Labo kit and third party viewers. But in time? A powerful Switch successor could unlock interactive 3D Mario, Pokemon, and Zelda worlds far beyond what we‘ve experienced so far. Nintendo is certainly thinking about the long play even if they won‘t talk future hardware openly today.

How Does Switch VR Compare to Dedicated Platforms Like Oculus or Valve Index?

To summarize the Switch‘s current VR shortcomings versus dedicated setups once more, let‘s check the tale of the tape:

Besides resolution, we‘re talking night and day differences in smoothness, immersion, input, movement, and games. Switch Labo is a passive viewing gag compared to everything Oculus and SteamVR deliver for true VR gaming.

Until we get that still-years-away next gen Switch – or maybe even a Nintendo VR headset purpose-built for VR like Sony – quality Nintendo VR is essentially non-existent. The current makeshift Labo solution shows only hints of the virtual worlds we may enjoy someday.

The Bottom Line

So back to the original question – what Switch games work with VR headsets? Barely any right now, and what‘s there isn‘t great or close to full VR gaming yet. We‘re still years away from Nintendo having capable hardware and a big enough install base to entice developers to make Switch-exclusive made-for-VR experiences.

I‘m happy Nintendo is thinking about VR with Labo – it shows their ambition to keep pace as an entertainment platform. But temper expectations, be practical about the Switch‘s limits for now when it comes to virtual reality, and cross your fingers Nintendo invests in much more powerful hardware in the next console generation. That will be the true inflection point for Switch VR, even if it‘s still many months or years down the road.

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