Nintendo Labo - Cardboard or just card-bored?
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Nintendo Labo - Cardboard or just card-bored?  | ||||||||||||||
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Transcript[edit | edit source]
The Nintendo Labo: It claims to be “a new line of interactive build-and-play experiences designed to inspire kids and those who are kids-at-heart.”
Currently there are 2 Labo kits: The variety kit for $70 and the robot kit for $80.
The Variety Kit includes two RC Cars, a Fishing Rod, a House, a Motorbike, and a Piano, and the Robot Kit includes a backpack with foot straps and handles plus a headset.
The name Nintendo has given to the Labo accessories is Toy-Cons, a play on words based on Joy-Cons, the name for their Switch controllers.
The idea behind Toy-Cons is that they use the gyroscope, accelerometer, and IR camera in the Joy-Cons to sense motion in the cardboard accessories. In the piano, you put an IR reflector on each key so that when you insert the Joy-Con, it can detect key movement. And in the Robot Kit, the IR sensor is detecting IR reflectors on 4 “power pistons” as you move your hands and feet.
Building the Toy-Cons is straightforward, and Nintendo integrates this into the experience of the sets by making the instructions part of the game. They use 3D models and allow you to go through them at your own pace with fun music and sound effects. But the construction of the Toy-Cons is definitely a process. The Robot Kit took us around 3 hours to construct while most of the sets in the variety kit took between 1 and 2 hours.
There are minigames to go along with each Toy-Con. It did feel like some of the games could be a little more fleshed out, but it was very satisfying to be able to use the accessory you just finished building, and the controls were really responsive. While these won’t necessarily be games that you put hundreds of hours into, we found ourselves really excited to show the games to new people, and everyone that tried them lit up when they first tried it, whether that was catching their first fish or destroying a UFO with the Robot Kit.
One of the most exciting things about Toy-Cons is less about what they do now and more about their potential. The branding and marketing around Toy-Cons implies there will be more sets in the future, and the idea of sets that focus more on the group aspect is exciting. The group dynamic while building the sets was incredibly high spirited. It’s clear that Nintendo put a lot of thought into making sure Labo is fun for all ages, and the accessories are well thought out and straightforward to build.
Something included in both sets is the Toy-Con Garage, a series of cutouts as well as software in the game to create your own experiences.
Labo is a well thought out release from Nintendo, and the potential they show makes the experience all that much more enjoyable. If you’re looking for a new and exciting product to add to your Nintendo Switch library, the Nintendo Labo is great for a variety of ages as long as you are okay spending 70 to 80 dollars on something that might end up collecting dust in a few months time.
The verdict from our panel of judges:
Katelyn Salem: Get it.
Callie Dishman: Don’t get it.
Josh Taira: Get it.
Thank you for watching, and don’t forget to like, comment, and s--SHUT UP AND CUT TO THE TECH!