 You should absolutely, definitely, under no circumstances use your Nintendo Switch as a VR headset. Okay, perhaps a statement like that requires a little context. You've probably not even thought that much about using your Switch as a VR thing before this, so bear with me as I explain. A Canadian company by the name of X-Climb, I think, has announced plans to release a virtual reality headset for the Nintendo Switch. This device works basically as you would imagine, you simply strap your tiny portable device into an adapter, then wear it on your head like a more portable virtual boy. If alarm bells aren't already ringing, you might need to brush up on your Nintendo history. Maybe we need to do a video about the virtual boy sometime? Nevertheless, in theory, the idea of using the Switch as a VR headset does make a certain amount of sense. Speculation about the nature of the device's motion controls have long led people to suspect that Nintendo might one day release a peripheral that could turn the Switch into a VR device. Indeed, there is a certain inherent appeal to the idea of entering a virtual Nintendo world. I'd imagine that the virtual boy notwithstanding, were Nintendo to ever release a VR system, it'll likely very quickly end up being the most popular virtual reality offering on the market. But there's a big, big problem with using the Switch in this capacity. Previously, with a video on the Switch's online service, I suggested that some people might get more out of it than others, but this is not the case with virtual reality. I cannot conceive of a single person on planet Earth for whom a Switch VR headset would provide a meaningful worthwhile experience. While normally I'm the first to admit that I'm an ill-informed weirdo shouting at the internet, I need to make it clear that I actually do know what I'm talking about when it comes to VR, at least a little bit more than usual. VR is something of a specialist subject for me. I've previously written extensively on the subject for various online publications, and at around the time that the PlayStation VR was released, I actually ghost-wrote a development blog for a launch title for the system. While I think I'm still under a non-disclosure agreement, I think I can probably safely say that the game in question did not get great reviews, and that that did not surprise me at the time. So before I delve into exactly why the Switch is such a terrible VR device, let's cover some basics about virtual reality in general. Virtual reality is an absolutely wonderful tool on paper. I could do an entire series of videos on the technology's many, many worthwhile uses. VR, for example, is an effective treatment for depression and mental illness. Yes, really. It provides a natural anesthetic for hospital patients with major injuries. It's also an incredible artistic medium that allows creators to communicate ideas of identity, most notably gender and race identity, in ways that simply can't be expressed in less immersive media. But for all that virtual reality has so many incredible uses, it really isn't that great as a gaming medium. The problem with VR is that it is incredibly uncomfortable. The heavy visor causes discomfort for the vast majority of players who engage in long play sessions, and playing a game, both with motion controls or with a traditional controller, can lead to unnatural sitting positions or standing positions that can cause strain on the neck or other parts of the body. The bigger issue surrounding comfort, though, is one that gets more attention. Playing games in virtual reality simply makes you feel sick. It's a side effect of telling your brain that you're moving when you're actually staying still. Travel sickness kicks in as the brain wonders why your ears aren't picking up any movement. As such, it's hard to play a virtual reality game for a long period of time, unless you're free to move around in a large space as with the HTC Vive. But even then, you run the risk of bumping into coffee tables or walking into walls. So what does all this have to do with the Nintendo Switch? Put simply, the Switch exacerbates all of these problems. The Switch is heavier than your typical VR visor, as it's also a tiny, powerful gaming device. This means more strain on your neck as you play. It makes things more uncomfortable. This is why the Virtual Boy was originally designed to be played sat at a table. In all the time since the Virtual Boy, game developers still haven't solved this basic problem. What's more, playing a Switch in VR is going to make you feel even more nauseous than playing on any other kind of virtual reality device, because the Switch simply doesn't have the screen resolution needed to provide a good gaming experience. Imagine suffering from horrendous seasickness every time you move your head, or even when you keep it stationary, as your eyes keep reporting that you're rushing around when you're not. Now imagine, the same thing, that everything is slightly blurry. Because the Switch's screen was not designed with VR in mind. Its 720p screen resolution is perfectly fine for handheld gaming, but when you've got a screen pressed up against your eyeballs, it's a lot less comfortable. Put simply, the Switch hardware is not capable of providing a solid virtual reality experience, and any attempt to transform this device into something that it is not will ultimately end up creating a substandard play session. And it's also important to take into account that Switch games have not been developed with VR in mind. Tailor-made VR titles or adaptations of existing games are carefully tweaked to reduce nausea. The games are built to try and stop you from vomiting when you view them through a visor. So please do yourself a favour and don't buy any of these third-party peripherals. Don't try to play Mario Kart in VR from the comfort of your own home. If you are interested in a VR experience of Nintendo games, there is actually an official arcade offering for a Mario Kart VR game that's available. Alas, it's only open to the public in Japan and Washington DC at present, but it's seriously the best option you're going to get. I actually think that Nintendo has been very wise to avoid VR with the Switch thus far. When the specs for the device first began to circulate, I did wonder whether the company was planning to turn the Switch into a virtual reality station at some point in the future. But I get the feeling that they've learned an important lesson from the 3DS, namely sometimes temporary fad technology in gaming isn't worth building an entire system, especially if you get stuck supporting this fad for years to come against your will. So what can you do to have a truly enjoyable virtual reality experience? Well, your best bet is probably an HTC Vive. This technology is the best option for anyone who doesn't want to vomit everywhere while they're playing, as many of these games are built with the limitations of VR in mind. You can generally only wander around a small cube's worth of space, so it's kind of like Ready Player One, but without all the jogging in place. Alternatively, if you already have a PlayStation 4, you could do worse than the PSVR. This technology is a cheaper option for those who already have a PS4, and some exclusive games are actually really innovative. But the best option of all for virtual reality is actually at Disneyland. The Star Wars secrets of the Empire experience that's players walk around in a virtual reality world that perfectly matches the architecture of the real world. So if you see a wall or a door in your visor, there's one in real life as well. This helps to make the experience a lot less nauseating, and you're able to explore more than just a single living room's worth of space. These arcade VR experiences are far better than anything that's offered at home, and I genuinely recommend that you give them a try before committing to any home console VR purchase. And whatever you do, please do not strap your switch onto your nose and hope for the best. There is no way in which this ends with you having a good experience. Anyway, thanks for watching. I could go on about this for hours, so do let me know in the comments if you'd like me to launch into a regular series where I spew VR facts at you. That was probably a poor choice of words.