Nintendo's Newest Switch Accessories Are DIY Cardboard Toys (theverge.com) 75
sqorbit writes: Nintendo has announced a new experience for its popular Switch game console, called Nintendo Labo. Nintendo Labo lets you interact with the Switch and its Joy-Con controllers by building things with cardboard. Launching on April 20th, Labo will allow you to build things such as a piano and a fishing pole out of cardboard pieces that, once attached to the Switch, provide the user new ways to interact with the device. Nintendo of America's President, Reggie Fils-Aime, states that "Labo is unlike anything we've done before." Nintendo has a history of non-traditional ideas in gaming, sometimes working and sometimes not. Cardboard cuts may attract non-traditional gamers back to the Nintendo platform. While Microsoft and Sony appear to be focused on 4K, graphics and computing power, Nintendo appears focused on producing "fun" gaming experiences, regardless of how cheesy or technologically outdated they me be. Would you buy a Nintendo Labo kit for $69.99 or $79.99? "The 'Variety Kit' features five different games and Toy-Con -- including the RC car, fishing, and piano -- for $69.99," The Verge notes. "The 'Robot Kit,' meanwhile, will be sold separately for $79.99."
Re:Who is buying the stupid thing (Score:4, Interesting)
We have one. It's fun because - even though there aren't many games out - the games tend to do multiplayer well. Most of the time it's 4 of the local kids playing Minecraft, Brawlout, or Mario Cart. Or 6 playing Just Dance (you can use any smart phone as a controller). If you are playing games solo, I assume you have better options - but I have no idea because that's not my hobby.
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There aren't many games out?
There are 403 games in the Switch download shop. (Okay, some of those entries are duplicates - like a game, and game-plus-DLC. But not that many. And one of the things is a non-game.)
There are 37 Switch-exclusive games out, and 15 more that are Switch or 3DS only, no other console/PC.
I can't think of another console that has had this many games in its first year. Granted a lot of those are arcade and indie ports, but there's certainly no lack of games to play on the thing. And th
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Yeah, your numbers are probably right - but misleading. When you are game shopping, it feels like mostly retreads. There are only a few titles that make the console worth buying at the moment. I think one part of the disconnect for me is we are not using the portable aspect, so old titles like Stardew Valley hold little appeal.
Re: Who is buying the stupid thing (Score:2)
Re: The Left will fall for it (Score:2)
it's a money pit (Score:3, Funny)
$300 for the console, $60 for the games, $50 or whatever for the SD card because Nintendo is cheap on space, $80 or so for extra controller, taxes and now $70 each for CARDBOARD toys that cost $1 or so to make.
They can be #3 in the console game and still make out from all the suckers willing to shell out all this money
meanwhile one of my kids can't get enough for a $27 copy of Minecraft on the PC and the other one plays Forza on a $189 xbox one s
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Re:it's a money pit (Score:5, Informative)
If you look at it in that light, the cardboard is an improvement: It's cheaper than the plastic controllers, it's more environmentally friendly, it takes up less shelf space, etc. The only downside is that it's not as sturdy. This is possibly a large drawback.
The confusing bit is that they don't call the game a game, they call it "kit software," and it makes up a very small part of the advertising [nintendo.com]. I think they're trying to spin it as educational, and the fact that you have to assemble it yourself is a positive because... creativity. Or something. The problem is this gives the impression that this whole business is way overpriced.
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The software should cost more like what '1, 2, Switch' does. Otherwise, I think it's a great idea. The game comes with stencils so you can remake the pieces with your own cardboard, if the originals get destroyed. Hopefully the software can be customized to work with your own cardboard designs, if shareable it could take off like Mario Maker.
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The cardboard can prepare you to be an Ikea furniture assembler!
*posting human has never assembled Ikea furniture
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You should watch the video.
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still a money pit
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$300 for the console, $60 for the games, $50 or whatever for the SD card because Nintendo is cheap on space, $80 or so for extra controller
Tell me about it. All that money and what do you get, a system capable of 4 player split screen, including a game for less than the cost of any other system ... without a game ... and only capable of single player.
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Yes, this is 2018. Now we have to pay Playstation Network $80/year for the privilege of multiplayer games with our buddy sitting at the other end of the couch - and he has to drag his own console, controller and flat panel TV along to do it.
Unless you're sitting behind an Apple AirPort, of course... because Apple's NAT-PMP doesn't work well with most Playstation games so you can only have one console online at a time.
This will be fun! (Score:4, Interesting)
Looking forward to taking one of these cardboard interface devises and using a OpenMV camera making my own generic interfaces.
Very well done Nintendo! Not interested in the games at all, but the ideas and implementation of the cardboard part is very good.
Won't someone please think of the children (Score:5, Interesting)
Seriously, I'm sure many of you will be happily mocking Nintendo's newest effort. But I think this particular product isn't aimed at virgin gamers living in their mothers' basements. This product is aimed at families with children. My 7 year old daughter loves to cut up every cardboard box we get and make something out of it. She makes houses, cars, planes, and even a recreation of Wall-e. This sort of stuff is aimed at them. Only now they don't just get to create lifeless box items for their imagination. They can see the mechanics of how steering wheels, pianos, and fishing reels work. The can see the pulley's and cameras driving this stuff. This is engineering for elementary school kids. You want to promote kids getting into STEM fields? Try cultivating their imaginations instead of mocking it.
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i have two kids. one plays forza another one minecraft and rocket league. they also play tekken with a friend and some other games.
for the price of one switch and two games i have a xbox one s, ps4 and at least a dozen games
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Good for you. I have an xbox one too (no PS4 though...sony can fuck off before they ever get a penny from me). My kids by far prefer Nintendo games, as do I. Enjoy what you like or can afford.
Re:Won't someone please think of the children (Score:4, Interesting)
That's some interesting math.
Using Amazon's prices as representative street prices, instead of MSRP, the Xbox One S is $234, the PS4 is $279.
Full retail games for all the consoles are the same price.
So a Switch with Minecraft and Rocket League (assuming you paid list, not a sale price) would still leave you with $163 in change from the other consoles alone to buy games with.
There are plenty of reasons to have an Xbox and a PS4 instead of a Switch, and 'I want to play Forza' is certainly a valid one.
But 'a Switch is more than an Xbox and a PS4 put together' is not one of them.
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christmas season they were $189 and $199. AAA games were like $10 to $15.
and I didn't buy them on amazon cause it's a rip off. gamestop, target or digital copies
Re: Won't someone please think of the children (Score:2)
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Yeah? You got a ROM of Persona 5 that runs on Raspberry Pi?
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Not sure what you mean? My 7 year old daughter loves Zelda, Mario, Arms, and Snipperclips. And I think Nintendo has always targeted the family. Customers grew up loving nintendo, have kids, and then share nintendo gaming with their kids.
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You're asking Nintendo to be like Microsoft or Sony. What would be the point of doing that? If all you are doing is copying someone else, you will always be behind and always #2.
API? (Score:2)
What I'd like to see is for them to release the API so you can make your own arbitrary things out of cardboard and then program the console to sense and interact with your creations. That would be awesome.
Cost of replacement. (Score:2)
Considering most of the cost should come from the game (and not the cardboard), I wonder how much it'll cost to replace the cardboard when you (eventually) break them.
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It's cardboard.
Assuming you can get some templates, and I'd be shocked if they weren't available either from Nintendo or from fans within days, then it's very much a minimal cost / minimal difficulty DIY project.
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It's cardboard.
Assuming you can get some templates, and I'd be shocked if they weren't available either from Nintendo or from fans within days, then it's very much a minimal cost / minimal difficulty DIY project.
Oh I'm sure they will be cheap to produce, but I don't think will send replacement for free neither.
So the question is how much will the replacement cost?
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Again, its just cardboard.
I can't imagine why you couldn't *make your own replacements*, even if Nintendo ends up charging silly amounts, or discontinues the product before you are done playing with it.
And I can see the 3d-printing people having a field day with this too. And then that opens the possibility of linking it with Lego...