Something I found incredible as a child was the Game Boy Advance e-Reader. Funny enough, we use the term e-Reader for something very different today. Before people read books on digital devices, the Nintendo e-Reader allowed you to scan cards into its credit-card like slot, and play them. It wasn’t necessarily groundbreaking, but it was incredible seeing games go from something like paper onto my gaming device.

Nintendo is no stranger to the odd and unusual. That’s why I’m not terribly surprised to learn Nintendo is continuing to develop “interesting” new ways to use AR, or augmented reality. In an interview, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa didn’t mention a new project, but did say they’re still playing with AR. On the 3DS, AR was a fun way to use your Mii to play minigames. Some AR cards came with the console and others were available for purchase.

AR is obviously most notably in the Pokemon GO game. Being able to see Pokemon in your world as you walk is actually one of the biggest attention grabs in marketing materials. While Nintendo doesn’t develop Pokemon GO, the company holds almost 1/3 of the shares in The Pokemon Company. The game brings in nearly $1 billion a year, so Nintendo might see some of that success as a result of including innovative features like AR into the experience.

How does AR play a role in the future of the Switch and other Nintendo products? That’s unclear. Furukawa was careful to not mention any new projects or things to look for, but the Nintendo Labo kits are a sign that it will likely be surprising and innovative. The thing is, Nintendo is at its best when catching us off guard. Look at Ring Fit Adventure. Ideally, Nintendo will take their time to get the future of AR right, and we’ll do our best to be patient.

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