14 DAY TRIAL // Nintendo just announced LABO for Switch, a new product that seeks to complement the console by allowing users to build peripherals out of cardboard.
Nintendo must be mad to think that people will want to build their own peripherals, but this is the same company that severely underestimated the success of the Switch console so they might be onto something here.
The new Nintendo LABO is something that no one has ever done before, and this is just in line with what you would expect from this company. It’s basically a DIY kit (do it yourself) that provides users with a new way of playing games that much more hands on.
It’s all cardboard and fun
The idea behind this new project is pretty simple. Nintendo provides the cardboard cutouts, people buy them and assemble them at home. In the end, you’ll get a new peripheral, like a freaking cardboard piano that uses the camera on the controls and the infrared sensors to actually play it.
There are a ton of other shapes and constructs, one more crazy than the other, but the most interesting seems to be the robot pack. It’s a big one that it lets players play around the house, dressed as a robot. It’s insane.
The combination of the cardboard cutouts and sensors allows for multiple permutations, basically ensuring its success. Or at least that would be the theory.
The two major problems with LABO
First of all, LABO is not all that cheap. The Variety Pack consists of a remote-controlled car, a piano, and a fishing rod, and five different games, and it will cost $69.99. On the other hand, that sweet Robot Kit will be sold separately for $79.99.
Second of all, let’s not forget that this is cardboard and not adamantium. It will break, easily, leaving you with a hole in your wallet and your heart. There’s a reason why we don’t get cardboard toys, but that doesn’t seem to bother Nintendo. Time will tell if they had the right idea. The launch date has been set for April 20th.
