A First Look at Nintendo Labo

lilbud

This was the special announcement from Nintendo. So it's like foldable cardboard "things" and you put the Switch into the toys the cardboard folds into and it brings the toys to life. Like the Joycons rumble to make a bug move. Or the coolest one, a piano that uses the Joycons IR Blaster to play the notes. When a key is pressed, a piece of reflective tape shines the light into the sensor and plays the note through the Switch.

quicksilver

@lilbud wow that's pretty cool! I wonder how long the cardboard would hold up?

PokeEngineer

@lilbud

Yeah, I saw that a couple of hours ago and I thought this was really cool!

ByteThis

Thanks for the vid.Neat stuff ! Anybody think this series of cardboard creations by Nintendo is all a ploy by Nintendo to boost their sales of the Switch? Every store I walk into,whether an electronics store or retail setting, there are tons of Switches still left on the shelves. But no nes nor snes classics to be found lol.There cardboard creations are neat, but they will never last. Funny to see the cheap costs of cardboard to sell Switches..haha..they made billions out of the sale of the nes/snes classic editions, and they are going to release alot more nes classics this year.Guess they would like to sell some Switches before that happens!

lilbud

@bytethis said in A First Look at Nintendo Labo:

sell some Switches

Open mouth, insert foot

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madmodder123

HELL YEAH, Nintendo knows how to celebrate 4/20!

Keigan

@bytethis said in A First Look at Nintendo Labo:

they made billions out of the sale of the nes/snes classic editions

2.3 million NES Classics sold at $60 USD ($138,000,000)

≈5 million SNES Classics sold so far at $80 USD ($400,000,000)

Your math might be off by a fair bit.

However

sell some Switches

10 million + sold at $300 USD ($3,000,000,000)

There's your billions, not to mention all the peripheral sales.

Beldar

I love to tinker with things and more toys are usually better than having fewer options. However, I'm just not able to get myself excited over this. These items will not last and any software sold that depends on them will have a limited life span. If the software is free and the cardboard kits are $5 I could see it being worth a little fun.

If you have to buy a cartridge and Nintendo wants us to pay $20 or more for thick paper and rubber bands it's just not appealing to me.

Slimy

I think a cardboard joystick could be good for a game like Star Fox.

Hyruleslink

But the real question is when will Labo support be added to RetroPie? 👌👌👌👌

mediamogul

@hyruleslink

I certainly wouldn't mind an external mapping solution for motion gaming devices that could record gestures made from Joy-Cons, Wiimotes, PS Move wands, or Kinect movement and convert it into keystrokes or standard controller button input. Not only could you come up with any number of wacky control schemes for retro gaming, but all it would take is some cardboard, an Exacto knife and some imagination to replicate what's being done here.

Heck, you could even use Nintendo's own patterns. Imagine playing 'Joust' with the flapping bird from the video, Qualifying in 'Pole Position' with the gas pedal and steering wheel, or even beating Mike Tyson with that weird backpack thing the kid was punching with.

Beldar

I think the idea itself is neat especially since I like to tinker. But what I just read is placing the starting package of cardboard at $70-80. That's a big nope from me.

On a humorous note, a custodian in Germany accidentally threw away one of Nintendo's demo kits because he thought it was random trash that someone left out.

Hyruleslink

@beldar Your line regarding Labo being a "package of cardboard at $70-80" is not accurate and perhaps intentionally misleading. It is more than a "package of cardboard". There is software and some other customizable accessories included as well. The two main costs for Nintendo with Labo is the development of the game and the R&D that went into creating the project. For what it is, I think it is priced fairly. All that being said, neither the Labo games or cardboard constructions appeal to me. It's designed and targeted towards small children, not adults. Which is fine. Kids will love this and isn't meant for me. Hell, from the video, I don't think an adult can even use that robot backpack in the 2nd set lol. Now if you'll excuse me, this "adult" needs to go consume some Oreo O's for breakfast 😃

mediamogul

@hyruleslink said in A First Look at Nintendo Labo:

It's designed and targeted towards small children, not adults. Which is fine. Kids will love this and isn't meant for me.

I certainly understand that outlook, but I couldn't help but think of this video.

Beldar

@hyruleslink Intentionally misleading is a bit of an accusation there partner. I may have been a bit hyperbolic, but the primary feature of this product is made of cardboard and the report I read said they were pegging the initial price at $70 USD or more depending on markup. That is a lot of money for cardboard with software packaged or not. It becomes even more of an outrageous price when you consider its marketed to children who are notorious for not being gentle with cardboard.

herb_fargus

@beldar said in A First Look at Nintendo Labo:

It becomes even more of an outrageous price when you consider its marketed to children who are notorious for not being gentle with cardboard

That's my biggest qualm with this. Buying cardboard really defeats the purpose of the imagination of kids. If I want to build a rocket ship to the moon I am going to find a neighbour who just bought a refrigerator, not go to the craft store and pay for rocket ship cutouts.

mediamogul

It's a bit pricey for kids, but like Harry Potter, the Traveller's Tales Lego game series and gummie vitamins, this is exactly the type of thing that's just as likely to become popular with older consumers. My guess is that Nintendo knows this and is pricing Labo accordingly. Right now, the whole thing seems priced towards those with a decent amount of disposable income. Whether that means parents buying this for their children, for themselves, or for a shared experience between the two, you can bet that the price tag is aimed at adults one way or another. If adults don't ultimately gravitate towards the product, Nintendo can always lower the price over time to make it more directly attainable to kids. If they do however, Nintendo stands to make a killing off the snow cone business model.

Beldar

@mediamogul Despite my dislike of the product, I have no doubt it will be a financial success. Nintendo are nothing if not marketing experts who know their nostalgic core customers.

mediamogul

@beldar said in A First Look at Nintendo Labo:

Nintendo are nothing if not marketing experts who know their nostalgic core customers.

True. At the same time, I bet they're worried about the day when that core dies off. Nintendo's been around since the 1880s, yet it seems to be the 1980s that's been keeping the fire alive. You can never count them out, but if they're not mindful of cultivating a new audience, they won't be around in the 2080s.

Beldar

@mediamogul That has been true for some time. The Switch has sold so well (amazingly so) because it's being purchased by parents who were kids in the 80's and 90's.

No offense to anyone who's opinion differs from mine, but the switch is pretty poor as a consol and a handheld. Most of its library is available on other platforms even a year out of the gate, it's online features are still a mess, and has a battery life of 3 hours at best. But the NES, SNES, and Gameboy lines were so massively influential that they are still selling Switches today.

This is true even in reviews of current Nintendo games. Breath of the Wild was touted as the "best game ever made", a "masterpiece", and other extremely hype influenced descriptions. It was reviewed by people who grew up with A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening. Those previous games obviously had a huge influence on those reviews. So much so that it felt like I was playing a different game than they reviewed when I borrowed a friend's copy.

So, yes I agree. Nintendo of the 80's and 90's is still selling Switches in 2018 but Nintendo of 2018 is not building up their nostalgia bank for the future as they once did.