Could The Cardboard Virtual Boy Bring Zelda’s VR Mode To Switch 2?

Not many people are aware that one of the best games of all time, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, is officially playable in VR.

With lower resolution than the Oculus DK2, and at 30 frames per second, Zelda runs in VR by holding a cardboard box with the original Nintendo Switch inside to your face. In 2019, Jamie Feltham scored the game 3/10 for UploadVR:

“I didn’t think Nintendo would ever be able to get Breath of the Wild running in VR. So I guess credit where it’s due; you can play all of this modern masterpiece with Labo VR stuck to your face if you so choose. To do so, though, would be a crime to the good people of Hyrule.”

Zelda: Breath of the Wild works in VR as an extension of the Labo VR Kit, which was pitched as Nintendo’s “immersive, robust” cardboard at its release. The kit itself included quality mini-games Jamie rated higher than Zelda itself, each demonstrating an inventive core gameplay idea with the limited tracking of the Joy-Cons in VR.

It’s possible to enable Breath of the Wild’s VR mode on Switch 2. The Labo VR headset, though, isn’t compatible – Switch 2 doesn’t fit in it.

That’s why the forthcoming $25 cardboard version of the official Switch Virtual Boy accessories is of particular interest. It looks to have very similar, if not identical, lenses to Labo VR.

This begs the question: is it possible Zelda will be playable in VR on Switch 2 via this new accessory?

Out of the box, even if the lenses are the same, the slightly different screen size may present a problem. While Labo VR experiences like Breath of the Wild do reduce the size of the two rendered eyes on the Switch OLED model, which has a slightly larger display than the original Switch, they don’t seem to do so for Switch 2.

But that the capability exists for the OLED model suggests that with a very simple software update, Nintendo could bring Zelda to VR on Switch 2, with higher resolution and better performance than the original Switch, given its order of magnitude more powerful GPU and 1080p display.

And Breath of the Wild was not the only Nintendo game playable with Labo VR. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Super Mario Odyssey too could look and run better on Switch 2.

Looking around Hyrule for a few minutes in a Labo VR Kit is still a special moment for many Switch owners who might still have their cardboard boxes sitting around.

Nintendo Switch & Switch 2 Getting Official Virtual Boy Accessory

Switch and Switch 2 are getting official Virtual Boy accessories that Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers can slot their consoles into to play classic 3D games like Mario’s Tennis.

If I get Switch 2, I’d like to retire the Switch 1 to a spot sitting in the $100 plastic Virtual Boy with the stand as a permanent fixture of my office, and of Nintendo’s commitment to the space in unexpected ways for more than 30 years. Ideally, I’ll keep the more portable $25 cardboard Virtual Boy for the Switch 2.

Nintendo, may we please have Zelda in VR on Switch 2 in full color with just a cartridge and no subscription?