Video: Nintendo Labo Is Much More Than Cardboard, You Guys

Thought I just saw a YouTube video on this. Oh, there it is. Video before the article, that makes sense. Figured you'd do both at the same time.

Well anyway, the advertisements showed there being more to the Labo than cardboard.

... I really want that Pacific Rim Simulator... it is the greatest, most unexpected sequel to Rare's Blast Corps one could hope for. But I must continue to be strong, remain a sane adult and leave these for the children.

"Am I living in a box?
Am I living in a cardboard box?"

Edit: Is that cardboard box on your head symbolism of the site going to sleep for the weekend?

The motorbike game that lets you scan real-life objects is pretty cool.

We all know what people will do with this and we all know that Nintendo won't let this feature be used online or to share images.

Yeah it’s a bunch of tech demo’s that you’ll spend more time building the cardboard than you will playing. This wil be yet another thing Ninty will drop support on as fast as they sold you on it.

I'm excited to see all the offensive things people cut out and scan to use in the fishing and racing games.

From where is that Pikachu portrait in that video?

It looks fun!

But it is cardboard. It really is.

@RusevDay The fact you have to spend time building it is half the point. It's half construction kit, half game collection, half programming suite. And no, I don't understand how halves work.

You know what we need? A pacific Rim: Uprising tie-in with robot kit lab support for the Nintendo Switch version.

It is project robot aint it lol... I really don't know, I like the idea of it and I would like to play the games... But I have no talent for building stuffs haha trying to make something basic out of Lego and I'll flip out and smash it to bits lol

Any who still thinks it's just cardboard can't be really keeping up.

Ordered mine for bookshelf display, probably will never open them

The robot kit is definitely for kids.

Ah here it is, watched this this morning thanks to a link on Twitter from @shani and was looking for it on NL earlier. But since I couldn't' find it I commented a lot earlier. Summary.

I think there is enough "game" here that the price of the cardboard shouldn't even matter, you are paying for the 5 games, cardboard crafting is a bonus. Though even I'm still not sold on Project Giant Robot $80 for 1 game, but the 5, that's easy.

That house holds a creature like EyePet. We purchased both EyePet games on PS3 and the camera and 2 Move. That creature also plays games that look like they are based on Nintnedo LAnd. Lots to do there for any kid.

The motorcycle racing game has a level editor like Mod Nation Racers has. If that game has online for sharing levels, racing, or both, it's a $40 game by itself w/o the cardboard or anything else.

Fishing game lets you make your'e own fish. And it has cute little fish and deep sea fish. I bought the Dreamcast fishing controller for Sega Marine Fishing, the best fishing game I've ever played. Don't recall what it cost, but no regrets, I played that game a lot. Still have it.

So a fishing game w/ rod and make your own fish, motorcycle game w/ level editor, house w/ a creature living inside that plays games, and oh yeah a piano that lets you do I don't know what, and battling Hexbugs.

But people are complaining about $70 for cardboard. Those 5 games are practically worth it w/o the cardboard.

Now obviously the games aren't for everyone, not everyone wants to build stuff or play minigame collections - we also own both Wii Play and Wi iPlay Motion, and Nintneod Land which wasn't worth $60 but made a nice pack in - so I have no problem w/ people writing this off. I write off Destiny and every FPS, but I don't complain about the $60 price for the same recycled shooter year and and year out, people play what they want and it cost money to make those games. And it looks liek there's plenty fo gamin ghere fo r$70.

Still not sure about the $80 robot though. Seems almost like a pricing error after the variety pack. Like it should be $40 for 1 game. Waiting to see what comes next.

@rjejr Instead of trying to "mildly" correct some lost souls that, regardless of ALL the evidence, STILL don't get the point, because they are stuck in their own, short-sighted opinion bubble, I'll just add that I completely agree with your assessment of Labo.

Greatest. Article. Thumbnail. Ever.

@rjejr I couldn't agree more!
I think those people who complain about "70€ for a piece of cardboard!" either haven't understood how Labo works or they just didn't care to read up about it (or watch that video ^^) or they're just haters/trolls.

Nintendo could've basically just sold the software and asked people to make everything with cardboard themselves. Instead they are nice enough to provide you with 5 examples.

They're nothing more than that, just examples. Nintendo should really stress more that Labo is about making and programing your own creations.

Lol. That's the most perfect thumbnail I've seen in a long, long time.

@Shiryu i loved blast corp. A sequel would be awesome

Cardboard + crappy games you play for 5 mins. Realise Nintendo tricked you with motion controls AGAIN, then throw your toycon's in the recycle bin

@shani "Nintendo should really stress more that Labo is about making and programing your own creations."

I think that will come, but they still need people to buy these games first. Otherwise people would be like - "just make Nintendo Labo a download for a tenner, let us do the rest". I really like the idea that the software is on a cart in the box, makes it look more like a real game to me. If the box had a code people would just be asking to download the code w/o buying the cardboard and they'd expect it cheap.

I also think the sets help give people an idea of what can be made, having real hands on experience. Like when I play Little Big Planet I always want to play the single player story line first before trying to make my own levels. Even playing 2 and 3 I wanted to see what was new.

I do think Nintendo will do a better job promoting the idea that you can just download Labo controls and make whatever you want do whatever you want, but I think they need to get these in people's hands first as really good examples of what can be achieved. Oh sure, that Hexbugs is simple, and the house is mostly just a box, but the piano, motorcycle and fishing, not sure that would work as well just looking at blueprints.

But yes, I really do want Nintneod Labo Garage to be available as a separate download at some point once they've sold enough of these. But who knows how many more ideas and box sets they already have planned? amiibo is still going and that probably should have ended after SSBB. This may be a long term project for them like Lego's.

@rjejr nice assessment, good job 👍🏻

Penis-shaped fish incoming!

@MartyFlanMJFan I try. thx

@AlexOlney Great vid.

@Biff_ARMStrong If the Labo kits were as flimsy and lacking in substance as your post I'd be worried.

Thankfully it seems they're shaping up to be quite deep and engaging bits of kit.

@RusevDay You do realize this is aimed at children right?

@Maxz they also look very complicating to put together. That robot backpack looks a pain to build. This is going to be a huge bomb for kids

@faint that's the problem, kids won't be entertained long by this because they can't build these themselves, the games won't hold their attention long, and they will destroy their toycons in minutes. If anything it's better suited for adults

I was convince from the reveal! I ha this preordered before the new video trio released (but after the press conferences).

@rjejr Actually, yeah, I'm one of those people. I just want the software and I don't really care about the price, because with the endless possibilities it's absolutely worth it.
But I don't want a box, I don't want a paper manual, I don't want a gamecard (which is basically just a read-only SD card), it's all unnecessary trash for me. We've already got enough waste on this planet, no need to add more to it.

And I don't need those 5 games/applications (especially since apart from the piano, none of them really interest me) either, I've got enough imagination to come up with my own Toycon.

For me, Labo is more of a creative toolbox to express yourself and/or build/program stuff (not necessarily games) that you want/need.
But - as I mentioned on Twitter - it's also great for education, so maybe that's a use case where those 5 examples make a lot of sense.

So if Nintendo are actually planning to release a download-only version later, I'd like them to be forthright about it, because then I would hold off on buying Labo until there's a digital release.

@Yorumi
'if you gave them the games and said ok now build a fishing rod out of cardboard'

Hm I think that's the 'wrong' way to look at it.
The software shouldn't just say 'build a fishing rod', it should (just as it does right now) still come with instructions for building that fishing rod. They'd just need to add instructions/measurements for the cardboard elements.

So for everyone who struggles with coming up with their own idea, there'd still be an option to use Nintendo's (or other people's) ideas. But it would take more effort from them because they'd have to make the cardboard elements themselves. Which would be a good thing if you ask me. Because if it's too easy and everything comes pre-made out-of-the-box (as it is with the variety kit), you don't learn anything.

So Labo must be the first game on Switch to be physical cart only.

I was convince from the reveal! I had this preordered before the new video trio released (but after the press conferences).

@Biff_ARMStrong This is another line of reasoning I don't buy.

"Kids won't use it because because it's too complicated to put together"

(Similarly)

"Kids won't buy it because it's too expensive"

It's as if people seem to think kids and adults inhabit entirely different worlds. As if a child's inability to purchase something means they cannot come into possession of it, or that their inability to singlehandedly construct something means it is incapable of being made.

Children live with adults. It is because of adults that we have children. Adults give birth to children. This is where children come from. Adults raise, feed, buy things for, and do things with children.

How many of the 10 year olds in the promotional videos do you think Nintendo expects to purchase their own Switches? Probably next to zero. How many of them are expected to purchase their own Labo kits? Probably a similar number. But they still get the Switches, because adults buy them Switches. And they will still get Labo, if adults buy them Labo, and be able to build it if adults lend a hand where necessary.

The concept of adults helping children with things that would otherwise be too difficult for them to achieve is not new. We have institutions dedicated to this idea, and we call them schools.

If anything, the fact that they appeal to adults only makes it more likely that kids will end up with them. Ultimately it is the adults who will end up buying the kits for their children, so winning over this audience is just as important.

You either get Labo or you don’t, and it’s pointless trying to convince others of its merits.

I thought Labo was phenomenal when first announced - my daughter will love it. The more details we get, the better it looks. It really is a perfect hands-on toy.

Although the Labo robot looks too limiting to me - I’d be happy to be proven wrong.

The motorbike game with editor and the piano are enough to sell me on the variety pack. A truly great novelty even if it never goes any further than what's known so far.

@Biff_ARMStrong do you have kids

@faint I have a nephew and I was a kid at one point. I destroyed and wrecked most most my toys. My friends did too. It's Common sense that kids wreck things and have short attention spans

@Maxz Good point! Also, people often seem to forget that children are also humans, it's not like kids and adults are different species.

@Biff_ARMStrong That's a very one-dimensional way to look at children. What about all the children who love their toys, pets or whatever and maintain/care for them on a regular basis?
Similarly, what you described applies even more to adults. They don't understand how precious things are. They break their phones, cars, relationships etc because they just don't care. They ruin their homes, their cities, their societies and even their own bodies. Give them a planet to live on and they'll ruin it immediately.
Or did children invent things like war, atomic bombs, racism, greed, pollution and murder? No, of course not. Adults did invent those things and then they infect children with these things while they grow up.
So in that regard, I'd argue that children actually give a reason and adults don't.

@Yorumi While I don't completely disagree with you, what other tools do you need aside from scissors, glue and cardboard? Because those are the exact tools I remember being used in kindergarden and school. Cutting something with precision is actually something you learn by tinkering with paper and cardboard as a child. In school and at home.

And why shouldn't kids be able to use the Toycon Garage? It's pretty straightforward and it's not like there aren't any kids who can build/code things that other adults can't.
It's not a matter of age, it's a matter of dedication, determination and passion.
And it's actually more helpful if you learn coding as a kid because then it basically becomes second nature to you.

In a similar vein to what I wrote above (in response to @Maxz), don't make the mistake of underestimating children. They're not the stupid version of adults, they're not inferior beings. They're just younger, which isn't necessarily a bad thing (e.g. they learn as lot faster than adults do).

@Biff_ARMStrong They. Build. It. Together.

Kids and adults often do things together. Sometimes they call it 'family time'.

Depending of the age and confidence of the child, the degree of independence will vary, but the important thing is that it's not just some binary 'kid builds it/adult builds it' thing. In many cases, the two will likely cooperate, leaving the child with some sense of accomplishment without the frustration of getting stuck.

And if the instructions are as clear as has been reported, getting stuck might itself be quite hard. It it's mainly just folding and slotting, after all.

Also, whether Labo releases or not has nothing to do with when the next Pokémon game comes out. Game Freak make Pokemon. Game Freak are not making Labo.

@shani I've never met a kid who is that responsible. They're a kid, they're not supposed to be responsible. Everyone who has children say the same thing. - "They are a handful" Youtubers like John Hancock for example said in his video that his kids would be bored of these things and destroy them in minutes. It's common sense that kids will be kids and you should never buy them expensive delicate toys

@Maxz K well either have 5 minutes of fun yourself or buy some kids an expensive delicate toy. Learn the hard way.

Nintendo Labo Is Much More Than Cardboard? No S*it, Sherlock.

And no, not watching the vid.I saw from 1:40 there was either gibberish or just stating the blatantly obvious.

I don't know, maybe I'm overestimating most childrens ability for precision. But as a kid, I really enjoyed building and creating things by myself without any instructions, just using whatever I could use. And I found everything that came with templates or too restricting instructions boring and felt limited by it.

But even if you're right; then Labo would be a great opportunity for parents to teach their children to build their own stuff.
The problem is just that most parents won't even care. They'll already be happy if their kid is busy playing with Labo or the Switch, most people lack the foresight to recognize the imprtance of playful education at a young age.

@Biff_ARMStrong Well there are definitely other kinds of children. Not all children are irresponsible or 'a handful', so maybe the parents are to blame.

I'd actually argue there are more irresponsible parents than irresponsible children.
Of course if you don't care about what your children do and just leave them alone with an expensive toy, they will destroy it. Maybe they'll even destroy it intentionally to get their parent's attention. Or because they've realised their parents will buy them anything, which teaches the kids that their toys have zero value. If the toys have zero value for the parents, they probably will have the same value for the kids. Because who do young children learn their behaviour from? Their parents, of course.
It's the little things and unconscious behaviour - like appreciating even the simplest meals, objects, etc or having respect for all people and things - that have the greatest impact. And many people, not just parents, don't care enough about them.

But if you play together with the kids, not just see playing as a thing children do, and teach them how to be careful and to appreciate things, they probably won't destroy their expensive toys because they will be too valuable for them.
Of course you don't start teaching them that with the expensive toys they want, you start with simple, self-made and inexpensive toys so they can learn the value of even the smallest things.

Basically what @Yorumi wrote. It's a matter of appreciation.

Saying that kids tend to destroy everything is not only oversimplifying a very complex matter, it's just wrong. It comes down to bad parenting and sadly, there are a lot of bad parents in the world (otherwise the world would be a way better place!).

@Biff_ARMStrong You know some dumb kids if you think this will be impossible to put together., Besides that; kids do ruin everything- but so what? Most plastic toys are pretty expensive on their own. Its just part of life and its gonna be ok.

@Biff_ARMStrong
Okay, Mr. Biff....
I was WRONG by judging your cute avatar.
How could you think ALL the kids in the world COULDN'T take care their belongings ?
If the kids COULDN'T take care their belongings, probably Two:
1. Their parents NEVER teach them to be Discipline in keep their belongings stay safe.
2. Special Needs Kids (ADHD, Autism Syndrome, Handicaped, etc) who can't behave normally, needs special treatments.
Why did you think ALL the kids will get bored after 5 minutes ?
You HAVEN'T get the game yet, so you CAN'T tell the game will be so Boring.
Did you watch the THREE Video Trailer about Toy Cons 1 & 2 ?
They are NOT just only a Simple games.
They are CREATING Tools.
You can create your OWN fish for Fishing game, you can create your OWN tracks for Motobike racing games, you can create your OWN Song from Piano games, you are the GOD for that game, Create by your OWN !
Don't you think it's really Fun to have a Freedom to create your OWN Things ?

Listen, dude.
I have EVER being a kid too, we were being a kid used to be, so how about your childhood ?
Did you tend to destroy or keep your toys when you were kids ?
To tell you, i still own my Toys stay good condition (my Flippo Tazo collections since 1996), 50+ of Encyclopedia books that my Mom bought since when i was kid (And i still keep them until today, doesn't show any damage), My own hand drawing of Bridge Card, Flippo Tazo, Card collections; A lot of Toys from McDonald , etc.
Even my first handmade Calendar, that i drawn by myself when i was Grade 6 (year 1996) is still stay safe until today.
Well... some of my toys were broken due to aging, but i didn't destroy them.
My parents taught me to keep my belongings stay tidy, and that's why i CAN manage my games collection placed Tidily.
I'm also a teacher in Primary school, teach Drawing lesson, i have observed my students.
There are some students are really Good in drawing (their drawing looked very Tidy & well done colored), but some of them are really messy.
The students who really Tidy in drawing tends to treat their belongings nicely. Granted their parents taught them to keep their belongings.

Okay, Mr Biff.
Before i end the long conversation here, Evaluate your Pessimist mindset.
Not all kids in the world are like a Destroyer Monster who will destroy any toys in second. It's not like Toy Story 3 (Woody, Buzz & other toys accidentally placed on Kindergarten class which had a lot of "Destructive" students)

Note: It took more than 40 minutes for me to read your latest comment and typed my comments to you.

balance board confirmed

I would rather have More actual games before any of this nonsense

If people really want to buy a teaching toy for their kids get something from Osmo (Like Coding) Will be x10 more educational than making any of this cardboard stuff with them.

Yeah, Labo was always more than "just cardboard". That's just a line the trolls use to downplay the Labo, they know better.

But yeah, Labo is looking cooler and cooler the more I see it.

@Agramonte
Crap ?!

@ogo79
Yeah....
It was your feet.

@YamAsereht
Hm....
Another pessimist again...

@Anti-Matter lol!!! There - "stuff"

@Agramonte
You know...
I was Mind Blown by Piano.
It was simply an Easy version of KORG for kids.
LABO will gonna AWESOME !

Man, the piano blows my mind. Sampling waveforms! Cutting out rhythm patterns out of cardboard! Directing with a baton! It's like they built a full-feaured synth... with a cardboard controller to boot!

Maybe those who don't make music can't really appreciate how full-featured and fun the piano looks to be. This alone is worth the price of Labo. Wow.

@Anti-Matter and you could be right. Seeing how it is all over the top 10 at Amazon Japan - a bunch of people agree with you

https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/bestsellers/videogames

Just not for me. Looks like another side project like WiiFit that dies out and provides no lasting value to nintendo. Something a new game iP would be more capable of doing.

@RusevDay You can say what ever you want because,

IT'S RUSEV DAY!!!!

@Yorumi
That's exactly what I meant!
I mean, of course there are also good parents (and even some who overdo it).
I don't even want to sound too pessimistic (because I'm actually in a really good place and have a very positive outlook right now ). But if you consider how people in our world are behaving in other aspects (socially, politically etc), how much or little they care about anything or anyone but themselves - it doesn't exactly come as a surprise. Most people - or maybe only slightly more than 50% - just don't care. And that may (not in every case of course!) be because of how they were raised.

I guess you could say that, I was always more the creative type.
Still, I thought I had already accounted for that, but maybe

@pinta_vodki Yeah I totally dig the rhythm patterns and waveforms as well! Out of the 5 templates, this will surely be the one I'll spend the most time with. Definitely looking forward to that.
And since the Switch has a headphone jack, you can easily export your Labo-made music into a more sophisticated music program!

@Maxz As always, I like how you boiled it down to the essence of the matter!
@Anti-Matter I love your passionate, if lengthy response, it's basically how I felt when I read it.

@RusevDay Care to make a wager with me on that? I say Labo will be a great success which'll encourage Nintendo to make more.

Maybe you don't like it, but it's getting positive press and looks to be a commercial success.

@Biff_ARMStrong Your statement is full of irony considering your avatar and username.

Lose your phobia for motion controls and get over yourself.

@rjejr

If even you're reprimanding criticisms, somebody has crossed a serious line

The synthesiser alone in the Piano pack is worth the purchase price! Great creativity here!

@gcunit
"Penis-shaped fish incoming!"
Hoosha...!
Next, Big Boobs Fish with two eyes as its .....

@JaxonH Well there isn't that much that gets me happy and excited, I just don't like seeing it put down for the wrong reasons. There are plenty of right reasons not to like this, just like there are plenty of reasons not to like any genre of game you aren't into. I'm just bored of the "$70 for cardboard" argument. It's a mini game collection, you either like those or you don't, but we're well beyond the price of cardboard at this point.

I can only imagine what all these people said when Lego launched the $300 Mindstorm years ago. Or even the newer $159 kid version Boost. "All that money just for plastic blocks, they aren't even made out of metal." 😛

Alex is that geek that tries soo hard to be cool, so naturally he's sooooo uncool that he becomes cool.

I just loooove his videos! Not sure if anyone understands this, but keep at it Alex, you're brilliant!

@Razzy
Hey !!
Watch your comments !

@shani "So if Nintendo are actually planning to release a download-only version later, I'd like them to be forthright about it, because then I would hold off on buying Labo until there's a digital release."

Probably the opposite of all those indie games, they'll announce the download a week after the physical releases.

Sarcasm aside, if they release all of this as a download, depending on the price, perhaps nobody will buy the cardboard. I think they're kinda stuck on that point, since it kind of looks like a minigame collection if they charge more than $10 people will complain it's too much, but if they only charge $10 nobody will buy the cardboard. I can't even decide on a price myself, maybe $50, making the cardboard $20. (They are charging $90 for a dock that's nothing more than a piece of plastic and a charger.)

Now I would like to see the "Garage" portion sell for $10 as a programming language. No instructions for the kits they sell, just a bunch of "if then" statements, do this, have this happen. I'm really curios just how much people can get this thing to do.

So if I were you I'd hold off, I think a download is coming. But no time soon. Maybe before Christmas, maybe next spring, a 1 year anniversary kind of thing.

Or I'm completely wrong and it will be available Day 1, same price as the kits. My track record on predicting Ntinedo is about zero. They're an enigma.

Metal Gear Solid supports Labo in the game. When is it coming to Switch?

@Yorumi "I think it needs to be continually supplied with new templates and games."

My thought is at least a few more sets have to be planned, we've already seen some, maybe a couple before Christmas. I'd really like to see sets around $30-$40 for people who don't want to spend $70 or $80. I really want the motorcycle, fishing rod and house, but I have no use for that piano and could live w/o the bug. So while I think it's a good idea to start w/ these big sets to get peopel excited, I'd like to see some cheaper sets moving forward.

One thing that I've mentioned before, but not too many other people have, Nitneod Labo looks like a great idea for lots of kids, but not lots of kids have a Switch yet, and a Switch cost $300. So parents see Labo, looks great and creative, oh, $70, well maybe, oh wait I need a $300 console to play it, forget it. Having a bunch of $30 and $40 sets alongside the more expensive ones, a whole ongoing thing, might help w/ the Switch purchase for parents. Though I still think they need Switch Labo Edition for $199 if they want Labo to get big like Lego.

@ThanosReXXX Wow, your agreement w/ me got you 5 hearts, and my Dreamcast fishing pole post got 8. I don't bother hearting people b/c I dont' notice when my own get hearted, but 8 is kinda cool.

Thanks everyone. You know who you are, but I don't.

@NintyNate that's even funnier when you think about lego being a bunch of small bits already!

As quirky as the Nintendo product names are, I'm surprised they didn't call this a SwitchBox.

@Kiyata
"As quirky as the Nintendo product names are, I'm surprised they didn't call this a SwitchBox."

Switch Box ?
There you go.

@Anti-Matter Not a pessimist. I am watching the Labo news in a curious manner, as it looks interesting. Just don't want to see news articles videos talking down to the audience. (I would hope NL are not paid for this tripe)

Boxhead

@Shiryu Make a petition, and send it to Microsoft since they own that license. Maybe they then make a sequel.

@Ventilator My faith in Humanity is no longer strong enough to beleive anything I suggest might make a difference sadly...

@Shiryu You are probably right, but that goes for any of us i guess.

@Ventilator At least we live in a world where Nintendo is publishing a Pacific Rim simulator, and that has got to be a huge highlight for 2018.

@Shiryu Thats true.

Meanwhile, i will play Titanfall 2.

nintendo better build a time machine out of cardboard so they can go back and prevent this mistake of labo.

The gaming industry is more popular than it's ever been because people like to kick back with a dual analog and a big screen TV and veg out for hours.

But hey, prove me wrong Ninty.

@gatorboi352 They already proved you wrong--the motion controls on the Wii made them far more money than the HD approach Sony and Microsoft took, which ended up losing them billions.