Nintendo Labo

Over the years Nintendo have come under fire for not being a serious competitor in the mainstream console race. In recent years Nintendo products have been seen as more for casual gamers, despite the fact that the NES was one of the original consoles that brought video games into the mass home market. The good days of the N64 and GameCube have come and gone. I would never try to argue the mainstreamity of those consoles, though they are some of my favourites, as there’s always something, let’s say, “unique” about a Nintendo console.

 

The N64 had a weird three pronged controller that evokes the gaming equivalent of a three legged race and the GameCube had tiny little discs just to stand out from the standard size CD’s of the time that Sony and Microsoft adopted, the weirdos. The Wii had an inherent lack of imagination completely missing the point of the essence of the console, to the point where Nintendo had to start shipping peripherals that you put the Wii-Mote in just so you knew what to do. All the DS’s came with the ability to give you hand cramp in record time along with a headache thanks to the 3D versions and the WiiU turned out to be a misfire, not really understanding the market they were going for. 

The innovation will not cease which is apparent from Nintendo’s latest bright idea, Nintendo Labo.

Keeping on the thoughts of the Wii, a console with a controller that resulted in so many tv smashings Nintendo had to give you some hollow, plastic things just to contain the sheer destructive power of the Wii-mote. Nintendo are obviously trying to recapture that rather odd lightning in a bottle once more, enter Nintendo Labo. Labo, in essence, is a container you construct yourself from cardboard to create something that you could just as easily create with your imagination coupled with the willing suspension of disbelief. In short Nintendo aren’t really giving their player base much credit. For example: you can now create a fishing rod out of cardboard that the Joycon of the Switch controller sits in to help simulate fishing. As good as an idea as this may seem it’s important to remember that the Wii did exactly the same thing without the use of gimmicky accessories (at least not ones you had to buy) by just using the Wii-mote, furthermore there were many games that simulated fishing without contorting your controller or hands into silly positions. Other Labo cardboard creations allow you to put the Switch screen into the handlebars of a bike or piano that come with an accompanying game that can only be used with that configuration. I do applaud the attempt at innovation and there is definitely a part of me that feels like I would enjoy assembling the cardboard set ups. I even agree with the point of Labo that Nintendo are trying to get across: it gives younger players a contrast from just sitting in front of a screen all day with actual work and effort they have to put in. The biggest problem I have the the Labo is the fact that it’s going to be £60! £60 for some cardboard that you put your existing console, that I’ll remind you cost £300, into. I understand that a business wants to make money but this is getting silly: dlc was a bit annoying but we’ve all come round to that, peripherals were another odd one but we just rolled with the punches. Now you’re expected to buy cardboard! Is it some kind of irony that the packaging your Labo set will come in will cost less and probably produce the same result? 

There is one pretty neat thing about the Labo, the Robot Suit. The way the Robot Suit works is you hold the Joycons in each hand and they act as your hands in game while your feet are in bungie chords attached to a giant cardboard backpack. It’s not a bad idea but immensely encumbering, you end up looking like a turtle. 

There are ups and downs with the theory of Labo products as we’ve explored. I don’t think they’re going to innovate to the extent that Nintendo would liked, as nothing has in history, but the one thing we should commend them on is having a game plan and sticking to it. Nintendo have always aimed for entertainment and for the most part they’ve achieved that, they may not have the most hardcore demographic but they’re always trying to things and that deserves a golf clap at least.

The Nintendo Labo drops on April 27th in the US and UK and will be available from most toy and game outlets. Im intrigued to try it out and see if it’s worth the £60, but I’ll go out a limb and say it probably isn’t, this doesn’t mean it won’t be fun though.

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