Anniversary: Five Years Ago, Nintendo Unboxed Its Most Joyful, Harebrained Experiment

And guess that it's another one to be stored in a wardrobe and forgotten, like all the plastic guitars and plastic mats, the Power Glove, the Kinect, and also Nintendo classics like the R.O.B., the Super Scope, the Game Boy Printer, the N64 microphone, the eReader, the DK Bongos, the Wii Speak and the Circle Pad Pro.

I can't stand that fake "scientist" bill nye!

Well, I still keep my LABO 01 & 03, but I didn't play them for very long time.

@victordamazio Such is the way of novelty gimmicks. Most of those peripherals were never going to see long term support or future iterations and it’s likely they were never planned to

Also, I would like to see next LABO games with sturdier materials, maybe some ready to assemble plastic materials like LEGO bricks.

The reason I prefer Nintendo over the other big guys is this ability to take goofy risks. I don't have Labo but I do have two Home Circuit Karts - and I love them.

I sorta wish that Labo continued but I feel like it was the last of the Iwata era blueprints (not to attribute everything to him but certain things had to have at least been on the drawing board before he passed). Kinda like how I wish wii fit (I know it is kinda back with the spinoffs) and original amiibo functionality would return (of doing something with almost all games or little shout outs to their games). So I don’t know how/what direction Nintendo would take them in to be a good ROI. So I do understand why those things have faded.

At the same time I have no space.

Its honestly a brilliant idea, and really showcased that the Switch is capable of so so so much more than just standard gaming.

Alas, the IR cameras on the Joycon remain unused, VR potential remains untapped, and folded cardboard goes to waste.

the games ended up more disposable than the cardboard. im still oddly on board for them to make more kits, the idea of DIY accessories and games is still really cool to me, its the best use of joycons by far. they just need more fleshed out gameplay and ways to share labo garage creations

half the fun of games like this is easily sharing and creating ideas. but sharing video recordings of labo vr was hard enough, they never fully taught you how to use the garage, and the games are so focused on local play it could never really build a bigger community. as cool as it was to construct your peripheral everything else after that was too shallow

I kept the VR LABO glasses and the rest in the bin. I actually think I kept the gun for a year. I still have 3 different labo cartridges.

"It's for kids! Let them enjoy stuff for kids!"

I was a kid, and I had experience from scam toys, this looked like another one when I saw it, and I knew that even if it worked like advertised, it would be fun for a few minutes, then to the wardrobe or the attic.

I'm just disappointed that New Pokèmon Snap never got a VR update to use the Labo camera. Such a missed opportunity 🤷

Overall, I really enjoyed Labo. I have the Variety Set and the VR set and thoroughly had fun building them. I now have an almost 5 year old of my own and am tempted to track one of the other sets down and build it with him

I honestly forgot this existed, probably one of the more forgettable gimmicks from Nintendo.

I just remember that someone at Nintendo needed to have the meme significance explained to releasing a $69 product on 4/20.
(or maybe someone was that clever...?)

Cracking strapline.

My main wish is that the Labo off-shoot Game Builder Garage was worked into something more. I feel Nintendo really missed out on creating a Mario Maker type sensation by limiting the sharing options for that game, and Labo in general.

I'd like to see Nintendo's true second take on VR. I think it would be pretty neat and something the market would want finally in this day and age.

@Maxz I had a lot of fun with Game Builder Garage. And it was appropriately priced at $30.

I made a Joust like game with it.
Astro Joust: G-004-6LN-C5Y

@Axecon agreed - while the business world and Call of Duty players hold out for photo realism...I think Nintendo fans would be very accepting Mario 64 graphics level - as long as it was immersive and fun.

Maybe that will be Nintendo's next trick. Turning the VR world on it's ear. That could be fun.

It was funny for a while, but the rubber bands gets rotten, so all of them is broken now. Where are replacements? Anyway not so easy to replace.
Good idea, piece of ***** in the end.

Successful or not they got people talking. That opening video reintroduced me to quite a few Nintendo YouTube channels. I own all the sets but haven’t put them together yet. One day, though.

@Spider-Kev I completely forgot they used him to market this thing. This would've been right before I realized what a jerk he is. Basically the Dr. Phil of science.

I still have two sealed sets of labo: the variety kit and the vr kit. I bought them during a sale and can't wait till my kid becomes of age that we can build these two together

Very much looking forward to these days of joy!

I liked Labo, have every kit except the robot, seemed too big of a box setup for a 1 trick pony. I did buy the robot for my godson though. The game in the vehicle variety kit was fun. The new Lego Racer seems exactly that just w/o the cardboard and everyone seems excited for it.🤷🏻‍♂️ The VR gun game was much better than I expected. Sure the graphics were limited, LIKE EVERY SWITCH GAME WHEN YOU OWN A 4K TV AND A PS5, but the shotgun loading mechanic was very cool.

Wish they would have released some more VR implantation in some more games, but Labo is gone and forgotten now, no more sets. I do hope we get a plastic VR headset for Switch 2 though, a little more power should help.👍

@Spider-Kev I remember watching him on Almost Live!

I enjoyed his superhero persona of Speed Walker.

My lad had a few of the kits, but they ended up tucked away gathering dust in his bedroom for a couple of years untouched. Very carefully, I eventually dismantled them piece by piece (not a straight forward task tbh), boxed it all back up and donated at my local charity shop. It was a cool concept and worked really well as advertised, but at the end of the day, like anything that is a novelty, it was just a gimmick that came with that pure Nintendo charm. I would say the biggest gripe was that for any other household members wanting to use this from their respective profiles, you had no choice but to go through every single screen of the build process before getting to playing it. Why Nintendo didn't include a skip option I have no clue.

@Tasuki well it’s cardboard, environmentally easy to pulp and recycle if it flopped.

Lasted longer than R.O.B... more games too.

I have a sealed variety kit tucked away. Ordered 2 by accident at launch.

I absolutely loved Labo and wish that they had done more with the idea, both in future implementation of existing sets and in new sets. Robot Kit to play ARMS would've been so fun... Not to mention that the VR Kit was my first ever VR experience and boy HOWDY do I love it. The Toy-Con Blaster feels so good to use.

...that being, said I'm glad it's over. I was around 15 (!!!) when Labo first dropped and was completely enamored by it, but now that I'm older and have a smaller living space (not to mention that my Switch OLED does not fit most Toy-Con), I have completely lost interest in using them again. This is coming from someone who owned every kit!

Not to mention they were dang expensive; if they wanted to recapture my attention for Labo (for whatever reason) they'd need to drop the price decently. I understand why the price was so high, but it's still a turn off.

Ultimately, it was fun while it lasted and it was a brilliant idea, but I think that ship has sailed for me. So long, Labo, and thanks for all the cardboard.

Got the VR basic set, and got far more than enough hours of sheer entertainment for the 40 bucks. In fact, I did my very own and working versions of the elephant, camera and rc Car/toy using my own recycled cardboard.

Never bothered with the other sets though. As far as Labo goes, I wouldn't brand it a failure, just 4 more games on the system that came, sold mildly for a couple of years and were discontinued because they required more store space than your average game. The fact that no more games used the toy cons speak little of the success of the experiment. Take Ring Fit Adventure, the game was and still is a sales juggernaut, and yet the ring perioheral doesn't work with anything else.

Even though I never bought one and thought they were stupid I kinda miss them. Probably because it was in the early days of the switch and there was so much excitement for the new gen still

I only have the VR kit (couldn't really justify the price or space commitment for all of them) but I love the idea of these things, it's so clever. Although I have to say I have absolutely no memory of Bill Nye being involved in advertising them.

Nintendo Labo is one of those things that I enjoyed seeing other people create, but I never had any desire to do so myself. I would like to see more support for Labo sets so I could see what else was possible. I just wouldn't purchase any for myself. More than anything, I just like seeing Nintendo try new things and see what sticks. That is one of my favorite things about Nintendo.

Labo was actually what got me into the Switch in the first place. I've always enjoyed weird/unique tech capabilities more than just using a standard controller in a regular way. I saw the cool creations from the 1st Labo contest and was inspired to enter the second contest. Didn't own my own Switch at the time, so I bought a copy of the Labo variety kit and used my housemate's Switch. Ended up winning the NA grand prize. So then I went on to get all the Labo kits after that. 😂 Actually just busted them out a few weeks or so ago with a friend. The piano had sadly broken apart, but had fun with several of the VR games.

Was always very firmly not for me. Zero interest in VR or toys to life to start to start with and Nintendo's weird Nintendoing up of it didn't exactly make either prospect more interesting.

@TheBigBlue BILL BILL BILL BILL BILL BILL BILL

i feel like im more open to experimental things regarding hardware when the system itself isn't based on them, especially since it means that the success of the experiment wont affect whether the console fails or not.

its one of the reasons why i would be happy if nintendos next system was just an upgraded switch since it doesnt mean that more experimental ideas like labo and mario kart live are off the table.

@Not_Soos
What’s wrong with bill nye? From what I remember he was ok.

@AlanaHagues For the 2nd anniversary of Game Builder Garage, I would like to see a poll asking if you never played it, played only the tutorials, or used it to make your own game.

It is easy to find the insanely creative levels people make with a web search. I am more interested in the levels average users make. Thanks! 😊

Now that my kid is probably old enough to not eat these things, I might finally pick one up the next time I find one on sale.

I have just finished completion of the last of the expansion packs for the VR Kit, which have sat unbuilt for a good while. These four contraptions really do show some true innovation - particularly the elephant kit with its 3D space painting mini-game. The wind pedal, whilst extremely simple, does actually add much to the experience - more in the Bird Dash mode, where the wafting breeze it creates helps to add to the immersion.

Some of the mini games across all the sets are very basic and offer a five minute distraction never to be repeated. The larger experiences however, are classic Nintendo. Whilst also not particularly lengthy, they are absorbing, immersive and the spiralling difficulty levels offer some challenge.

What most impressed me about these kits is the different stages of the Labo experience. First is obviously the build, arguably the best part. Then there is the “learning” aspect, which is perhaps geared towards a younger audience, but provides a nice entry-level introduction to the various technologies utilised. The games themselves follow, and whilst entertaining, there is the nagging sense that a deeper, more fully-formed game is desired. There is also the creation aspect, offered through the garage, which encourages experimentation. Not to be ignored is the customisation of the kits. I’m loathe to taint my cardboard, but the opportunity to create some wacky designs is tempting. For some reason I have five of those customisation kits (two rolls of tape, some stickers and stencils) that I’ve hoarded. Perhaps one day they will be useful for repairing the inevitable broken parts.

In a way, I wish I’d saved these sets to build with my child. The most fun comes from appreciation of the whole process. The games are just a part of what is presented here. I’m glad I have spent some time with Labo. It may be silly, lacking depth and its long term durability is somewhat questionable, but it’s unique, and most importantly, it’s fun. Flapping around an island with a cardboard bird and a wind pedal is as an immersive an experience as a high end VR headset can offer. It’s not about the power of the technology, it’s about working with what you have and maximising its potential. With Labo, Nintendo took a few sheets of cardboard and turned them into fun and engaging learning toys, which is a commendable feat.

It will be a sad day when the elastic bands perish on the few sets that were designed never to be dismantled. At least there are those customisation kits, with their rolls of branded tape on hand. Once those are gone, I’m sure that Wario washi tape will come in handy.