A few months ago, I wrote about how Captain Toad Treasure Tracker was a potential selling point for Labo VR. That did not end up happening in the end, but the game’s VR mode showed immense potential and really did change how you approached the game. With Pokémon Snap is coming back as New Pokémon Snap, there is another opportunity to truly sell Labo VR with a game that can benefit and be enhanced in meaningful ways.
Pokémon Snap is a first-person experience, already a perfect fit for VR, and the players already have an intimate connection to the game world that further immersion can enhance. A big part of the original game was how you had to interact with the world, such as through items, and a VR recreation would allow you to truly appreciate everything around you. This would include both the visuals of the game and the interactions you undertake and the items you use in order to capture pictures. The game is being made by Bandai Namco who has worked on VR games in the past, including with Labo VR with Super Smash Bros Ultimate, so this wouldn’t be as hard as one might think.
As with previous Labo VR titles, such a Smash Bros and the aforementioned Captain Toa, a Labo VR mode could be a side mode to the game rather than the main mode. Think of it as a taste of what can be done with Labo VR and Nintendo games, and the potential for immersion. While Captain Toad demonstrated Labo VR well, that game did not have enough of a reach to make the difference in pushing the concept. New Pokémon Snap will be different, however, considering both how well Pokémon games sell as well as how many people have wanted a new Pokémon Snap game for years. This could be the point at which Nintendo is able to sell people on Labo and Labo VR.
Nintendo could even create a new Labo variation to be used with the Labo VR to make the game more interactive and give you that sense of complete control over the game itself. This could be done via a camera setup using Labo for example or finding a way to tie in the pester balls. Even if such a mode is not added at first, there is great potential in adding it at some point. This could be the turning point for Nintendo as well as a landmark moment in the Pokémon series.