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Nintendo Switch's 'VR Mode' has hidden in the system for over a year

Though it's unclear if it's Nintendo's official VR debut.

Marrian Zhou Staff Reporter
Marrian Zhou is a Beijing-born Californian living in New York City. She joined CNET as a staff reporter upon graduation from Columbia Journalism School. When Marrian is not reporting, she is probably binge watching, playing saxophone or eating hot pot.
Marrian Zhou
The Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch

Sean Hollister/CNET

Nintendo Switch seems to have a virtual reality feature now.

Hackers have discovered that a screen-splitting "VR Mode" has been hiding in Nintendo Switch's system-level firmware for over a year, Ars Technica reported. That means Nintendo may've experimented with a stereoscopic display for VR headsets.

This comes as a surprise. It didn't seem like Nintendo was working on VR features earlier this year, according to Ars, when Nintendo France General Manager Philippe Lavoué reportedly said he doubts VR headsets "can appeal to the mainstream."

In 2016, a patent document revealed that a "head mounted display" that would accommodate the Switch might come out, GameSpot reported.

Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima said last February that Nintendo Switch would support VR "in one form or another" someday, Polygon reported.

Nintendo didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.