2018 is a long time ago. It feels like it happened in another dimension, in an alternate (and much nicer) timeline, or some other Marvel universe-typed nonsense. And it's a timeline we can never get back to. It was also the year that Nintendo dropped its Labo sets, which is infinitely more important and interesting than my ongoing, and seemingly permanent, existential crisis. That's right, I'm on a permo, kids.
Anyway. Yes. Labo. It was certainly a curveball, wasn't it? Building things out of expensive bits of cardboard and string and stuff like that in your front room, all the while telling yourself it was normal, fine and good for an adult (go ahead, kids, you're fine to pass) to be doing such things. Yes you did. And then - if you're better at making things than me - you probably played with the resultant creation for a bit before binning it, or putting it in the same cupboard that stores your space hoppers, laser tag vests, hopes and dreams.
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Regardless of how much you may or may not have enjoyed either the LABO concept, or the reality of the final product when you got it in your hands and started playing with it, we are about to witness the re-release of one of Nintendo's other - and much older - weirdo experiments in the form of the Virtual Boy (of which I am a huge fan) which is coming to the Nintendo Switch Online library on Switch 1 and 2.
Why do I mention this? Well, you see, with this new Virtual Boy launch, you can choose to buy a Virtual Boy replica itself, which is a bit expensive, or you can pick up a cheaper cardboard version, which will also do the trick.
Or! There could be the possibility of using your old Labo VR kit, so that all you need pay for is your NSO subscription to access the Virtual Boy games. Now, although this hasn't been confirmed — indeed there may be issues with lens compatibility (so we'll need to wait for the online tinkerers to sort it out for us) and the Switch 2 simply doesn't quite fit in the VR headset — it has got me thinking...what if we need to go dig out our cardboard sets again?
Dear God. Some of us will need to start looking around in random sheds and bins, attics and outhouses, for our old sets in time for the Virtual Boy re-release, certainly if we hoped to save a bit of cash-cash-money. And so, now that we're on the topic and everything, I wanna know where all of your Labo is now. Did you even buy any, huh?! Yes, you see, I'm redirecting my guilt over unbuilt toys at you, fellow Nintendo fan.
In fact, I'm gonna go ask some of the folks here at Nintendo Life HQ first, so have a read of that, and then jump down the bottom to join in with the comments!
PJ O' Reilly, Staff Writer - Boxed Away
I actually went mad when Labo came out (if you know me this isn't a surprise at all) and I ended up buying quite a lot of the stuff. In fact, I've just gone looking for the unbuilt bits and pieces, expecting not too much shame...but alas there's full packs of the stuff here! Ahem.
I did love building what I tried, though, I'm almost certain this leftover haul is a simply a case of me having had small children who weren't into it, and so it got ditched, rather than me failing to enjoy it. I also distinctly remember being very proud of my steering wheel, in much the same way someone who can't do anything is proud when they achieve something. Oh, and I was dead afraid of even starting the robot one, with all those bits of string and small toddlers in one room. No thanks.
Also, I didn't even get as far as building the all-important VR set...which was probably the best one in retrospect. Although, considering I've already pre-ordered the new Virtual Boy, I think I'll be fine without it, if indeed it turns out to be compatible at all.
Gavin Lane, Editor - It's a Virtual Reality
I only ever got the base Labo VR set — no robots or elephants or cardboard houses — and I have actually gotten the blaster out recently for a round of the hippo-baiting, fruit-shooting swimming pool game. It's a big hit with the kids.
Storage-wise, the blaster is a bit unwieldy, but it slides into an Ikea plastic tub with some random Lego just fine, along with the VR 'goggles'. Assuming the VB app functions in a similar way, you can be sure I'll be trying to hack together some makeshift solution using these goggles for Virtual Boy. Fingers crossed it's similar, because jeez, those VB accessory prices.
Jim Norman, Staff Writer - For Charity
I never actually bought any Labo kits. Is that enough to revoke my membership card to the Nintendo Fan Club? Surely not. I was at university when they all launched, and bulky cardboard doesn’t tend to fare well in cramped rooms with damp creeping in every corner. So yes, I gave them all a miss.
Also, I actually saw one of the Robot Kits looking a little worse for wear in a charity shop a few weeks back and almost considered picking it up. Fortunately, the thought of housing a massive, battered box in my office was enough to convince me otherwise!
There you have it. Whilst some of us here at NL defo owned one or some of the kits at some point, it does seem to be a case of something that had its time and has since been laid to rest.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the VR headset is compatible with the upcoming Switch Online library, because you know, as I sit here now, surrounded by these unopened sets that past me wasted money on, I reckon a little return to build what never got made first time around might just be in order.
Plus, on a final note, since I haven't actually played with the Labo VR kit, I've probably missed out on the part most worth buying. Nintendo did go to the trouble of making it compatible with a few games, let's remember.
With the likes of Smash Bros Ultimate (spectator and play solo matches in VR), Mario Odyssey (specific level segments and a VR concert hall) BOTW (eh...you can play the entire thing in VR, if you are mad for it), and Captain Toad Treasure Tracker, which I have heard is this VR kit's "killer app" in how it brings the entire puzzle game and it's 3D levels to life, it sounds an ingenious bit of kit, even if, for the most part people have tired of it and moved on.
Or have they?
Now, I want to hear all about your time with Labo; what you actually built, how fun it was, and where it all is now. So, make sure to jump into the comments and let me know how awful (or great!) you thought it was in hindsight. Oh, and why not let us know which Labo sets you owned, as well as which one was your fave overall, by taking part in our quick polls. Y'know, for science!
Right, I'm off to mod my Labo steering wheel with an empty toilet paper tube so I can control my car with my nose. See ya!
Let us know all your Labo-related thoughts in the comments, and don't be shy to drop any pics of where it's now hiding...
Comments 38
haha I answered first, my opinion is FACT
Recycling but I have a second sealed variety kit stashed away in a cupboard.
Labo is great and an actual creative use of game/play time! Love it, and always will. Just wish it was a little higher quality so it would last.
We don't really make stuff that lasts anymore...
Mrs Scorpio put it in the recycling bin. Our daughter really wasn't happy about that!
You know, despite criticisms I have heard, I do think this is a nice idea and Nintendo should really continue it and push to be as creative as possible. If I was a child and got to put this together, having some fun doing so with family, I would certainly be a very happy boy.
I see those sets all the time at my local thrift store and flea markets.
It had some potential, imo. We could have gotten VR games like Gorn, Sunshine Arizona (VR FPS zombie shooter), VR Chat... If only Nintendo was interested in promoting it as a more serious platform, not just Switch gimmick like camera on right Joy-Con...
I don't have it, tho. Not enough games that would justify its purchase.
Truth be told, I never took it out of the box.
With their history of Virrual Boy, 3DS, that prototype 3D GameCube Luigis Mansion and then Labo VR, I can’t wait to see their inevitable return to 3D/VR. The on-rails Treasure Tracker level was designed so well and the arcadey shooter was a lot of fun too.
I bought the Variety Kit when it first came out — pre-ordered in fact — intending to build it when my kids were born and older. It was released on April 20th, 2018, and my first kid was born the next day at 12:10am. The Labo kit was waiting for me on the porch when we brought him home haha. Seven years later, he and his younger brother play with the Fishing Kit and Motorcycle kit all the time. And we have a couple more kits to build, which I’m saving for a rainy or snowy day!
I'll never forgive Labo for replacing the Wii U tab on Nintendo's official website.
I know that time marches on and old consoles stop being a part of the present, but it was bittersweet to see it happen. It felt like the end of an era.
I have a switch lite so I never got to partake in playing with cardboard.
Mine is… somewhere? I moved four years ago and I know I didn’t throw it away, but it’s also not anywhere near the game stuff. I don’t know where it is now.
I'd like to get rid of my sets but I have no idea how. Tossing it away feels like a waste, but it doesn't feel very sellable once assembled either.
Labo VR might of been one of the first games I preordered alongside the physical version of Snipperclips, and I got some good fun out of it, but it just collected dust with everything eventually, and now that I have a Switch 2, it's just sitting in a tote as I procrastinate on finding a way to sell it.
My three year old grandson recently found some of my Nintendo Labo stuff - which I loved and love that Nintendo does this kind of stuff. Now he’s always asking to play with “Tindy Labo.” I had not built everything yet so we l’ve had some fun building stuff. And now I’ve even bought a few new kits on Amazon - readily available for cheap.
I was crazy about it when it was big. I remember putting a decent amount of time into the Vehicle Kit game, and I liked the VR headset, even if it wasn't used for many games.
They sit in a box in my room right now, and they likely won't get touched until I feel like talking about them in a reel or something, and that's if I start a YouTube channel.
You know who this is great for? Kids around the age of 8-12. Myself I only ever built the piano. However I gave the rest of the Variety Kit to my nephew when they came to visit one Christmas, and he loved it. So last Christmas I got him another set, the Vehicle Kit, and again the nephews had so much fun building and playing and understanding how things work. Labo should have been more successful, it's a smart and valuable toy. Yeah, the cardboard doesn't last forever, but kids get many hours of fun. (Considering how people on this site claim that they're satisfied if a good videogame lasts 10-20 hours... you'll easily get more if you build and use all builds in a Labo kit once).
I still have my base VR kit but I can't use it because I don't have a Switch 1 anymore, and even if I did still have it, the battery was utterly fried so I wouldn't be able to use it anyway.
Ended up not getting it back then which is unfortunate as it could've been fun for my niece at some point... so funnily enough the cardboard version for the Virtual Boy will end up being my first taste of something à la Labo!
I never have even heard of these things ever until now.
Also, whoa, did I actually just see a hardcore Nintendo fan actually complain about their ridiculous prices on cheap plastic products?!
I never thought I'd see the day when common sense finally beat out blind fanboyism.
Long since been thrown in the recycling.
Like Gavin, I only bought the base VR kit, which is currently sitting in a cupboard and very occasionally tinkered with. The rubber bands are broken on the blaster so those will need replacing if I want to feed some hippos, but I'm hoping the headset will be good for a bit of Virtual Boy action in a couple of weeks.
I kind of regret not getting the other Labo sets while they were readily available new, it's a really fun concept. No idea how I'd store it all, though.
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I purchased one of the sets when I happened to find it for really cheap, but I never actually played it. I just never really cared much about it.
No it wasn't the VR set, but I don't remember what it was, and I'm too lazy to go check right now.
Only one i built was the viewfinder to try the first person BotW. Even bought a head strap for it. Still was not the best experience. The rest is still boxed up and in a storage bin in my basement.
The VR set was a little clunky, fiddly to use, and .. is sat on my bookshelf, unused. I won't be grabbing the VirtualBoy.
Hmm, lemme check around:
I was so close to getting one or more of these. I would have loved building them and even playing the games. I just wasn't sure they would justify the prices, plus I didn't know what to do with large cardboard constructs after completion.
Did LABO sell well? I'd love for them to revisit it or at least be open to more completely out-of-left-field creative ideas like this.
I bought 3 different sets. I kept the vr googles. I still kept the 3 carts. Fun at the time. Shame we can’t buy the cardboard again separately anymore.
I got the Variety Kit out of curiosity. I was more interested in the building aspect and left playing for my niece. I would've liked to make stuff with Toy-Con Garage but found it too limiting. I recently discovered some plans I had for games before the kit was even out.
The game and accessories are at my childhood home which is closer to the people who actually get usage out of them. The latest play session was about a year ago, at least on my account.
I never bought any of these things! It seems like a cute idea but didn't go anywhere beyond a novel toy you use once or twice. Maybe if there was a whole ecosystem developed around it with 3rd party support or creative ways to make your own gadgets out of regular cardboard, it could've had some staying power.
As it is? I'm content never touching or seeing anything to do with LABO.
I made the remote control moving bit of cardboard from the variety pack, I'm sure that got binned, and I made the fishing rod which is in a cupboard. The other sets I've never opened
Never brought it.
I got the variety kit hoping that some parts would get third party use, but I was disappointed at how meager that ended up being.
I bought a big 4 shelf unit to store them all on behind our TV. The VR kit was legit and I also enjoyed my time with the vehicle kit, both were fun games beyond building them. The variety pack games were really just tutorial type stuff. I bought the robot for my godson/nephew and I think he built it and played it but I honestly can't recall.
It's too bad they don't support them in newer games, like the steering wheel for Mario Kart World. VR should work for Virtual Boy but it's possible Nintendo planned to make those Switch 2 exclusive so no point?
I'm done buying physical stuff though. If it works I'll use it but otherwise I'll pass. I just can't wrap my head around spending $100 on a bit of plastic that requires a $50 a year subscription to use. That makes no sense. For $100 it should include 1 year of NO+.
I have two sets: variety and vr, waiting to be build when my daughter turns 5 or 6. Looking forward to build it with her together! 😊
I bought the VR basic set secondhand just a few months ago. It was after Virtual Boy was announced, and I bought it specifically for that. I tried BotW in VR mode and would love to keep going with it, even if it did make my head hurt after a while.
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