Nintendo Labo (April 20th, 2018)

[The Deleter]

With the way the announcement sounded the other day, I thought it'd be something that'd be the equivelent to Pokemon/YokaiWatch or Amiibo with Nintendo's hopes for it. Something commercially proven to sell with kids and another specific enthusiast audience, but otherwise kinda pointless.

....

WELL THAT GOT BLOWN RIGHT OUT THE WINDOW

Seriously, after trying to research the IR sensors in the joycon to see whether it could function as a mouse tracking and reading receptor, I was fully open and actively thinking about how many ways this thing could be used to change the way you could control the system, but nothing on this level, holy moley...

Mad props to Nintendo for going all the way in their own direction, as well. I mean, the previous example of the tech was the circle pad pro, which communicated entirely through the IR sensor:

And the steering wheel and pedal set up was something I was hoping they would try out, as an example. (fishing rod game would be what I'd expect, tbh)

But an entire Giant Robot Suit?!? What??? That's... kinda crazy, not gonna lie. Don't know whether the game would be worth it, but I know some people who would like to get a switch just to play that.

But tbh I'm not excited about this for the games and toys. They look neat and fun, and I do think I might try one out if it has enough content going for it, but mostly I'm excited from the potential this has from being brought into the spotlight by Nintendo. Stuff like the racing wheel could be a cheap pack in for the next Mario Kart or another racing game; stuff like Gamecube controllers could be just plastic shells that you throw your joycon into to have a completely different controller style; and... other stuff, that I thought of before, that I can't think of right now, lol

Edit: Joystick. A cheap pack-in joystick was the other idea I had at the time.

And they already did it, lol

But most importantly I want to see whether the optical mouse functionality is actually fiesable now that Nintendo's thrown the IR sensor's potential out in the open for everyone to see. Even if it only ever happens for the PC, split joycon + mouse as a control scheme, kinda playing out like this... 

It needs to happen, that's all I know.

[mayday2592]

This is the first time in a while where i have been completely uninterested in a  first party nintendo product. Its a good thing I didnt get too excited by the tweet teasing this earlier.

[JezMM]

1 hour ago, SaberX said:

Finally someone who can do a better explaining. I must confess, the idea itself its pretty interesting. But seriously, it still cardboxes.

So if they were typical Wii-style plastic periphirals taking up a ton of space in your house and costing like four times as much, you'd respect the idea more?  Why are you so hung up on them being made out of cardboard?

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

4 minutes ago, SaberX said:

Because its not something really durable, which the target is the kids.

That varies heavily, based on its structure, design and whatnot. Cardboard can be freaking tough man.

[JezMM]

1 minute ago, SaberX said:

Because its not something really durable, which the target is the kids.

Its also worth 70$(total cost), which is why I wonder what would stop a parent from playing with a normal cardbox without the need of a Switch. But its not like it really bothers me though.

Kids aren't idiots, this clearly isn't aimed at VERY young children.  If you feel your kids are too young to play it unsupervised, supervise them - it's pretty clearly encouraged to be a collaborative activity between people to build and play with these things.  If you can trust a kid to not break a Switch as is, you can trust them not to destroy cardboard.  If not, it'll frankly be a good opportunity to teach your kids to be responsible and careful with their belongings.  I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo offer replacements for specific pieces too, considering these aren't gonna be costly to produce.

 

Also I'm kind of flummoxed at how you can't see the significant difference here: a normal cardboard box is not a construction project that lets you control a video game in an exciting way (like the robot game) or make a virtual version of a real device (like the piano etc) when it is complete.  That experience is what you are paying for.  If you buy a normal cardboard box, you will not get that experience.

[The Deleter]

Apparently you don't have to buy the packs themselves to get your hands on the devices officially; Nintendo's offering the patterns for free

Also there are gear shifts on the steering wheel what

Wonder if it'll be for a full-on game the way the Robot pack is, with how complex it looks to be...

[Sean]

That's great. Solves the dilemma with cardboard materials being easily disposable and damaged, too

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

2 minutes ago, SaberX said:

Never said it should though. But yeah.

The point is, I think we can give Nintendo the benefit of the doubt that these sets are durable enough at least to warrant being packaged with a game for kids.

Heck, in theory, even if they break (and there is a repair service for such) half the fun for kids might even be repairing them with creative means when ya think about it.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

2 hours ago, Indigo Rush said:

Comes out on 4/20 for $69

GG Nintendo

This way, nobody can deny that sales are gonna be pretty high, one way or another.

[Patticus]

This looks like pretty good fun, and it'll be a great way to pass the time, especially if you're into crafting, or you're a kid (or kid at heart) with spare time, a wad of cash and a cool design in your head. I haven't got the time, money or inclination to dive in, sadly, but I've gotta give kudos to Nintendo for coming up with these crazy cool MacGyver peripherals. Truly inspired!

[Milo]

Don't really think this is going to be as much of as dud / lacking staying power as others are suggesting. Going off the top of my head there really isn't anything like this on the market IMO outside of maybe the Toys-To-Life stuff, and even that itself is a dying genre. Kids also like building and playing stuff, they're obviously not the same thing as Lobo but Lego and Minecraft are also pretty popular, and certain Lego sets / Minecraft worlds aren't as easy to build as others. On that note, it's also acknowledged to be aimed at "kids at heart" in addition to kids, so I imagine that it's also being targeted at enthusiasts who go for the more meticulously-designed Lego sets and/or Minecraft worlds as it is.

Am in agreement with those that feel they wouldn't personally be invested in it, but thinks it looks really intuitive and is a neat concept all the same.

[KHCast]

Is this meant to be taken on the go? I’m curious how the weather will effect these things if they are. 

[Failinhearts]

This entire set is not worth the money unless it comes with a port of this modern classic.

In all seriousness, I don't think this is gonna catch on. Maybe I'm underestimating the attention spans of kids, but I don't think they'll find themselves too invested in this, at least not for long.

It's a cool concept and something really neat. Certainly something only Nintendo can come up with for sure, but I don't think it's gonna be my thing... nor do I think it will be anyone else's thing.

[JezMM]

8 hours ago, SaberX said:

Never said it should though. But yeah.

Cheez I said its not durable, not that is an instant destroyed. I get the idea behind and I said(in case you moved too fast) that idea itself its pretty interesting. Also, I get what you mean but its not like parents could have the same experience going abroad with their imagination. 

Would care to explain to me the need of such a humble answer?

You can be as imaginative with cardboard as you like, it's not gonna summon a video game into existence.  As someone stated earlier, you could make this argument for any entertainment product.  The only connection here is that this entertainment product is made out of the same material as a non-entertainment product that is closely associated with kids being imaginative and repurposing them into a toy (in this case, the cardboard box).  Think of it this way, a normal cardboard box is like buying a box of generic lego that lets you build whatever you like.  Nintendo Labo is like buying one of those lego kits that let you build a specific thing, like a Star Wars ship etc.  They both have their own appeals, though obviously Nintendo's one includes a game that allows you to more viscerally live out your fantasy.  Imagination is great, but so are real experiences.

Also I'm sorry if my tone in the previous post offended you, it wasn't my intention and honestly re-reading it I can't see anything that comes across as being hostile towards you, I just really don't understand your point of view.  I think you meant a different word from "humble" though, to be humble is to downplay one's importance or achievements which isn't relevant to what I was doing at all, just stating my counter-opinion to yours.

[Danj86]

Are there any members here that are also parents? It would be cool to see what they think. I have two nephews but they are probably too old for this sort of thing. They're into stuff like cars, pretend shooting and grown men chasing spherical objects.

I do like to create stuff, but my Switch has become faulty twice in the time I've had it. I've never had that before with past Nintendo consoles...

Still...I can see that you could unfold the parts flat again for simpler storage. The whole concept is indeed interesting and typical Nintendo. They are always looking out for new ways to play. The Switch has the advantage of not being alienated by most third party developers so it has the potential to cater to hardcore gamers and casual gamers too.

At least...that's what I think...

[Sonictrainer]

Here's an Overview Trailer

 

Quote

Note: We combined the English Audio with the Japanese trailer since the video quality was incredibly poor in the English one.

 

[Candescence]

MOTOCROSS MADNESS IS BACK AS A NINTENDO GAME

Geez, I'm actually impressed with the content on offer here.