Nintendo Switch Might Support VR According to Patent; Theory Supported by Leaked Images

The patent for Nintendo's new gaming console, the Nintendo Switch, reveals that the device might support VR. This means that players get to experience gaming on the go with VR.

According to Wired UK, a filing for an "HMD (head mounted display) with the main unit 2 attached thereto" was received by the US Patent and Trademark Office. The patent was filed back in June, months before Nintendo Switch was unveiled. In other words, this will work similarly with Samsung Gear VR or Google's Daydream headset. A head-mounted display will hold the Nintendo Switch tablet.

Meanwhile, a NeoGAF member Rösti who spotted this patent corroborates this theory, even posting the patent online complete with images and descriptions matching the Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo patent hints at VR support for Switch. https://t.co/n3uyc6ymhy pic.twitter.com/AUhlK2Ed5z

— Eurogamer.net (@eurogamer) December 15, 2016

The patent describes that the Switch tablet will slide into a front slot. Users will wear it with a wraparound headband. This also means players get to use the device either at home on a TV or on the go with the screen mounted on 2 handheld controllers, reports VentureBeat.

Nintendo Switch may support head-tracking mobile #VRhttps://t.co/H8owvdpAZi pic.twitter.com/03hCOn6ni5 — VirtualReality Times (@virtrealitytime) December 18, 2016

During the last few weeks of October, speculations of the Nintendo Switch supporting VR surfaced. Tatsumi Kimishima, Nintendo President, said: "if you asked as if [VR] might be possible in the future, certainly we can't say no. In terms of how it can be used for gaming, it's something we must consider." Nintendo also wrote that the headset could "enhance the sense of immersion."

Nintendo has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of a VR support for the Nintendo Switch but the question remains whether the Switch is powerful enough to support VR and what level of VR gaming is the device capable of. Further specs for the Nintendo Switch is yet to be revealed in January as its release date nears and we have much to learn about Nintendo's latest console.

However, news broke that the Nintendo Switch will be powered by Nvidia's last-gen Maxwell architecture, the Nvidia Tegra tech. This means that it would allow the console to at least run VR content in a similar level on what is available on the market.

Whatever the case maybe, we will get to see the exact plans for the Nintendo Switch soon. In the meantime, what do you think of Nintendo's latest console supporting VR?