VR

VR being used on Lumiose City.

VR is a feature in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate that allows players to spectate and play single-player matches using the Nintendo Labo VR Goggles. VR functionality was introduced as part of the 3.1.0 update.

Overview[edit]

The VR icon is located in the upper-righthand corner of the Games & More section, which depicts the Labo headset with "VR" underneath. While initially a blue-gray color, it turns into diagonal cyan, yellow and magenta stripes. A Help option is availble by pressing the Y button, which will take the player to a series of instructions on how to use the VR mode.

Upon selecting the icon, a warning label will appear. It states that an adult should read it before proceeding. The VR goggles should only be used when seated, the player must be mindful of their surroundings at all times, and frequent breaks should be taken to avoid eye strain, fatigue and motion sickness. The mode should also be restricted for players age six and under. After clicking the OK button, the game instructs to insert the switch into the headset, though the remaining steps can technically be done without the headset. The screen then switches to two smaller screens, each with a fish eye lens effect. After making sure the goggles work and pressing the OK button, the goggles must be held still, preferably on a flat surface for calibration. When the process is complete and the OK button is pressed, the setup is finished and the camera now follows the head movements of the player. If the goggles are put down or become uncalibrated for any reason, a special screen that says to reset the direction appears. It goes away by either returning to the original positon or pressing the right control stick.

The first screen is a special rules page, where elements like time limit, CPU level, stage selection, launch rate, score display, and show damage can be adjusted. Only offline timed matches (can be set from 1:00 to 10:00) can be played in this mode. Items and Final Smashes are disabled. After making the rules, the stage selection screen is next. 59 stages are currently selectable in this mode, with 12 of them having support for full 360° camera movement. The other 47 stage will pop up a message to recalibrate the goggles when taken outside the camera parameters. The next screen is character selection, where the player decides who plays as what fighter. Every player slot is automatically assigned a CPU. However, the player can join the battle themselves by changing the first CPU to Player 1.

During a match where the player is fighting, they can access camera controls in the pause menu. They can zoom in with the ZL button and zoom out with the ZR button. The in game effects disappear after zooming in enough. The player can pan around the stage with the left control stick, reset the camera by pressing the right control stick, and hide the display by clicking both the X button and down on the d-pad. The ability to rotate the camera with the right analog stick is removed, as the function is now tied to the switch gyroscope, and the movement of the player's head by extension. All other camera controls and features are disabled. If the player is spectating, the features are always available and the camera controls option in the pause menu is removed. The Move List and Connect Controller options in the pause menu are also removed in this mode.

After a while, a notice that mentions how the player should take a break will pop up. To exit VR mode, either go all the way back through the menus or hit the Home button, then remove the switch from the headset and hit the close button.

Playable Stages[edit]

Available stages in VR
Battlefield		Small Battlefield		Big Battlefield		Final Destination		Kongo Jungle		Mushroom Kingdom
Rainbow Cruise*		Kongo Falls		Jungle Japes		Great Bay		Brinstar		Yoshi's Story
Green Greens		Corneria*		Onett		Big Blue*		Fourside		Delfino Plaza*
Figure-8 Circuit		WarioWare, Inc.		Port Town Aero Dive*		Castle Siege		Smashville		Summit
Shadow Moses Island		Luigi's Mansion		Pirate Ship*		Paper Mario		Spirit Train		Prism Tower*
Mute City SNES*		Magicant		Arena Ferox		Tortimer Island		Living Room		Find Mii
Tomodachi Life		PictoChat 2		Mario Circuit*		Skyloft		Garden of Hope		Town and City
Gaur Plain		Duck Hunt		Pilotwings*		Wuhu Island*		Suzaku Castle		New Donk City Hall*
Great Plateau Tower		Moray Towers		Dracula's Castle		Spiral Mountain*		King of Fighters Stadium		Garreg Mach Monastery
Spring Stadium		Northern Cave		Cloud Sea of Alrest		Mishima Dojo		Hollow Bastion

"*" indicates that the stage can be viewed in 360°.

Trivia[edit]

• Moving the camera so that it faces behind the stage is impossible on stages that do not support 360° view; the screen simply fades to black, with a message telling the player to reset the camera's direction. Though, it is possible to see the void behind where the camera normally is if the player turns the camera just enough to see it where the message does not pop up.
• The Mii Fighters cannot be selected in this mode; the reason for this is currently unknown.
• The Stage Select screen, the Fighter Select screen and the Victory/Results screen are bordered 16:9. The gameplay HUD and Pause Menu are open matte 16:9.
  • The screen cut to black and transitions are used in a black background instead of white after each battle.
    • If Joker wins however, his screen transition is used instead.
  • However, the Versus screen is not shown when the game is loading.
• While they cannot be normally selected in VR, 75 m, Midgar, and Mementos have properly defined camera parameters that allow the stages to be moved around.
• Masahiro Sakurai revealed in a YouTube video that VR support was in his initial project pitch for Ultimate, years before Nintendo Labo officially released.^[1]

References[edit]