Yesterday we reported that the latest update to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, 3.1.0, seemed to have some interesting code that hinted at a possible VR mode being added to the game. Well, the update is live now, and it’s official- the game now has a dedicated VR mode now that lets you get closer than ever to the action on-screen.

Along with the update, Nintendo released a trailer to show off the new mode. It is single player only, so you can’t go online in VR mode or play with friends. You can watch a bout between CPUs across “dozens” of the many maps, or jump in and play against the computer. You can see from the trailer there’s a lot of tilting movement you can do as you rotate around the levels to get a much different view than typical with the franchise. Of course, you will need a Labo VR Kit to use this mode.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now for Nintendo Switch. The 3.1.0 update is live now.

Nintendo previously announced that both, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey would be receiving VR updates for the Labo VR kit. Those updates are now available for both games. If your Switch is in sleep mode, and set to download updates automatically, you won’t need to do much, but if not, you’ll have to manually download them from the main menu.

For those who need a reminder, Super Mario Odyssey gets some specific content that is compatible with VR in a few select areas of the game; that said, that content is also playable without VR, so you’re getting free new additions to the game regardless. Breath of the Wild supports VR in its entirety, though you are intended to use VR to “sightsee” your favorite places in Hyrule than to play through the entire game with it—which, given the nature of Labo VR, would be difficult to begin with.

I’m glad Nintendo is dabbling in VR—hopefully, one day, we can expect something more high-end from them on this front.

Super Mario Odyssey has received an update to support VR compatibility via the Labo VR kit. This includes some new mini games and the like available in a few kingdoms that leverage the benefits of VR—however, you don’t actually need VR to experience this new content either.

While it’s presumably best enjoyed in VR, being designed for it and all, Nintendo has confirmed you can play it without VR too, on the official Japanese account for Super Mario Odyssey. Without VR, you won’t get the benefit of the full 360º views that you get with VR. While it’s great that more people get to experience this content, it’s also true that this basically indicates that the content doesn’t really leverage VR all that well, if it can be played without VR so easily.

For now, we’ll just continue to wait for Nintendo’s true sojourns into the VR realm. But Labo VR, for what it is, seems to be a good first step.

[VRであそぶ] こちらのモードは、VRゴーグルを使わずに遊ぶこともできます。でも、でも…是非、VRゴーグルを使って360°広がる『スーパーマリオ オデッセイ』をお楽しみください！ pic.twitter.com/rprPstDnLu

— スーパーマリオ オデッセイ (@mario_odysseyJP) April 15, 2019

Nintendo’s first grand entry into VR will be cardboard. Apparently, Nintendo will be using Labo to push out a low cost VR solution with the Labo VR kit. The most interesting part is that Labo VR will support some of the Switch’s biggest games—Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild—as well.

In spite of the technical limitations that a 720p screen put in a cardboard set that’s you have to hold up to your face presents, Nintendo in VR is undoubtedly an alluring prospect. What the company might do with the exciting possibilities posed by VR is a question many have pondered. It seems like Shuhei Yoshida, head of Sony’s Worldwide Studios, and an avid fan of Nintendo’s offerings, is among them, because, as he revealed to a fan on Twitter recently, he has already pre-ordered the Labo VR kit for himself.

Of course, Nintendo’s VR offering is going to be nowhere close to Sony’s far more accomplished and frankly astounding PlayStation VR (which itself is pared back compared to something like HTC Vive), but I feel like they could help popularize the format more, and so there might be some merit to what they are doing—at least, their competition certainly seems to think so too.

Pre-ordered.

— Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp) April 5, 2019