再次回归：任天堂重返VR

任天堂在1995年推出了游戏界第一款虚拟现实游戏机，但是当时代表了虚拟现实技术在消费领域的首次大胆尝试的“Virtual Boy”却未能被用户接受。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

foray袭击['fɒreɪ]

fiscal财政的['fɪsk(ə)l]

lacklustre无光泽的['læk,lʌstə]

blockbuster一鸣惊人的人['blɒkbʌstə]

monochrome黑白的，单色的['mɑnəkrom]

compelling引人注目的[kəm'pelɪŋ]

Nintendo signals cautious return to virtual reality （425words）

By Kana Inagaki

Nintendo's president has signalled that the Japanese video games company is exploring virtual reality technology more than two decades after its disastrous foray into what is the industry's hottest sector.

Tatsumi Kimishima's comments on Tuesday came after the Kyoto-based company reported a 36 per cent fall in net profit for the fiscal third quarter.

The lacklustre result had been widely expected after Nintendo missed the Christmas season to enter the mobile games market. Sales of its game devices also fell amid the absence of blockbuster titles while rival Sony continues to enjoy strong sales with its PlayStation 4 console.

For the quarter from October to December, net profit fell to Y29.1bn ($241m) from Y45.2bn a year earlier. That came in slightly above the Y23bn forecast by analysts.

Mr Kimishima told a news conference the company was carrying out research into virtual reality. It was an “interesting technology”, he said, but there was no specific plan to launch a product soon.

Nintendo was one of the first games groups to try to bring VR to consumers when it launched the Virtual Boy in 1995. But the firm abandoned the clunky red headset a year later amid complaints its monochrome screen caused headache.

Since then, technological advances have prompted a string of companies to enter the field. Facebook-owned Oculus VR began taking pre-orders for its Rift headset last month, while Sony's PlayStation VR will be launched in the first half of 2016. Apple also hired one of the top US researchers in virtual reality.

Naoki Fujiwara of Shinkin Asset Management said: “It has now become much easier to accept a VR device from Nintendo. If it can ride on the boom, it might be an interesting development.”

For now, though, Nintendo watchers are focused on its first smartphone game Miitomo, a character-based, social network-style service, that is scheduled to be launched next month. Investors are also pinning hopes that Nintendo will offer Mario Kart or Super Mario for its second mobile game title.

For a company whose most recent console, the WiiU, has delivered disappointing sales, the mobile gaming market figures had become increasingly compelling. At an estimated $7.5bn, Japan is the most valuable mobile games market, according to Deutsche Bank, which puts the worldwide market at $26bn.

Nintendo is working on a new console codenamed NX, although Mr Kimishima did not offer any fresh details.

In the third quarter, sales of Wii U console fell 2.1 per cent to 1.87m units, while sales of its 3DS handheld game device fell 28 per cent to 3.6m units.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Where is Nintendo's headquarters?

A.Tokyo

B.Hokkaido

C.Kyoto

D.Sapporo

答案(1)

2.Who is Nintendo's rival, producing PlayStation 4?

A.Sony

B.Microsoft

C.Google

D.Oculus

答案(2)

3.When did Nintendo abandon the Virtual Boy?

A.2005

B.2015

C.1995

D.1996

答案(3)

4.Where is the most valuable mobile games market, according to Deutsche Bank?

A.China

B.USA

C.Japan

D.Canada

答案(4)

* * *

(1)答案：C.Kyoto

解释：任天堂的总部在京都。

(2)答案：A.Sony

解释：任天堂已经很久没有推出重磅游戏，其游戏机的销售因而一直在下滑，而竞争对手索尼的PlayStation 4游戏机却销售火爆。

(3)答案：D.1996

解释：任天堂在1995年推出了Virtual Boy游戏机，这是游戏界第一次向消费者推出虚拟现实产品。一年之后，任天堂放弃了这款产品，原因是有用户抱怨称该产品的单色屏幕会造成头疼。

(4)答案：C.Japan

解释：根据德意志银行的预测，日本是最大的手游市场。