The Folder Generation

With the Labo VR Kit, Nintendo returns to virtual reality after a quarter-century away

Aexecutives posed for a photo that became a classic. Standing by a 4x4 outside the LA Convention Centre, Reggie Fils-Aimé is shaking Shigeru Miyamoto’s hand, and Satoru Iwata has rested his own right palm over the top. All three are smiling. Internet wags christened it the Triforce, which is probably about as flattered as Fils-Aimé has ever been.

The outgoing president of Nintendo Of America – he leaves on April 15, to be replaced by the immaculately named Doug Bowser – is no game developer. The cult of personality around him (‘My body is ready’ and the rest of it) started out as ironic and became affectionate, which is some achievement for a man who spoke in bullet points, parroting marketing lines that had come down the pipe from NCL. The rare occasions on which he gave interviews were masterclasses in the art of saying nothing while seeming to talk a lot. Yet, perhaps as a parting gift, an announcement for Switch has made one of Fils-Aimé’s interview responses appear insightful. Folks, he finally said something.

At E3 last year, he was asked about Nintendo’s stance on VR. “We have knowledge of the technical space, and we’ve been experimenting with it for a long, long time,” he said. “What we believe is that, in order for this technology to move forward, you need to make it fun, and you need to make it social. Based on what I’ve seen to date, it’s not fun, and it’s not social. It’s just tech.”