On April 20, Nintendo Switch owners will receive the option to customise their playing experience with a range of build-your-own cardboard devices. Announced today (January 18), the Labo set contains 25 sheets of cardboard that players can turn, IKEA-style, into playable objects – such as a miniature keyboard, a fishing rod, a motorbike’s handles and pedal, a small house, and a car – by following instructions on their Switch screen. These devices then connect to the console in various ways.
For example, you can plug the console’s controllers into the car, and it will move around thanks to the controllers’ vibrations, responding to users’ input from the Switch’s touchscreen. A controller slots into the fishing rod, which contains a working reel and a base that uses string and elastic bands to supply a lifelike taut feel. There are similarly symbiotic relationships between the console’s controllers and the other playable cardboard devices: you can steer and accelerate a motorbike via a pair of detached handles and a pedal; the notes you play on the surprisingly realistic keyboard are detected via an infrared pairing of the controller and reflective strips on the keys. Being sold separately is another, larger and wearable piece of kit that allows users to control a robot using intuitive motion input.
Nintendo is calling these things ‘toy-cons’ and seems to be looking to encourage creativity, education and play specifically in its younger audience. Sets cost about $70 (£50), but not everybody is convinced.
Some are unsure about its usage of card:
"You guys see Nintendo Labo? Well, we've had a good run." -Trees today pic.twitter.com/V8jkpeUaXq
— Charlie Berens (@CharlieBerens) January 17, 2018
Some are simply confused:
My face watching the #NintendoLabo video pic.twitter.com/R6RcHFWrTo
— Marti Bennett (@VirtuallyMarti) January 17, 2018
Some think it sounds budget:
Nintendo Labo Exclusive First Look pic.twitter.com/pdMmroLh20
— SmashMasterShow (@SmashMasterShow) January 17, 2018
Already got that #NintendoLabo #Nintendo #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/xOo1QYwNii
— Adam Harding (@HardingReports) January 17, 2018
Others reckon it’ll be a pain in the arse to build:
https://twitter.com/philhornshaw/status/953753348796108800
However, the inventive kit has already been called “jaw-dropping” by one reviewer and many Twitter users are praising Nintendo for making something that looks really, really fun.
Nintendo Labo is the most goddamn Nintendo thing ever. It is nonsensical yet immediately appealing, and the fact it could be brilliant is easily counteracted by the fact it may be a disaster. Never change Nintendo, the world is a better place with your craziness. #NintendoSwitch
— Stephen McNeice (@maccytothedee) January 17, 2018
I have no idea what #NintendoLabo is supposed to be but I think I love it.
— rabbidGOOigi (@rabbidluigi) January 17, 2018
I was lucky enough to go hands-on with #NintendoLabo, and it kinda blew my tiny little mind https://t.co/Tx7HkIi212
— Damien McFerran (@DamienMcFerran) January 17, 2018
And, of course, you don’t have to get one if you don’t want one:
NINTENDO: Nintendo Labo is for kids and those that like kid stuff!
ADULT GAMER: Okay, but what if I don't want it?
NINTENDO: Totally fine. It's for kids.
ADULT GAMER: Yes, but cardboard? Really? Not in my game room!
NINTENDO: It's for kids.
ADULT GAMER: But how is it for me?— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) January 17, 2018
What do you think of the Nintendo Labo? Will you be buying one when it’s released on April 20? Scroll down to leave us a comment.