This past week, Nintendo revealed Labo, games that come with a set of cardboard cutout peripherals that, once assembled, accommodate the Joy-Con controllers and Switch console itself to perform all manner of play mechanics. The possible creations include a small piano, remote controlled animals, and an entire backpack/hand grip/pulley configuration that allows the player to control a giant mech. I could spend many words and a lot of time trying to convey what this looks like, but it’s probably best that you just watch the reveal video.
A lot of the reaction I’ve seen has been positive, a burst of enthusiasm for Nintendo being Nintendo, flipping our expectations on their ear because that’s just the kind of company they are. But I was left scratching my head.
Who the hell gave this the green light?
This seems like the kind of thing that may look great on paper, but not translate well to the real world. We’re talking peripherals made out of cardboard, a material that is not known for strength or durability. Getting the peripherals even slightly damp would be ruinous. The initial video also makes it look like it’s geared towards younger children, an unparalleled destructive force.
In the video, it shows some of the games included in the Variety Kit, and it seems just a compilation of small games that look more like showcases for the cardboard controllers and nothing with a lot of depth. Wii Sports was tasked with a similar role for the Wii, a pack in designed to be a proof of concept for Nintendo’s new motion controls, but Wii Sports worked because the games were infinitely replayable, as fun on the thousandth time as they were on the first. I’d love to be wrong about the Labo, but from where I stand, this looks more like a flash fad, and nothing that has legs.
My girlfriend is a pediatric occupational therapist, and when I showed her the video, she was immediately excited by the potential therapy applications for the Labo. Where I saw an easily broken children’s toy, she saw an opportunity to engage kids with video games on a more tangible and tactile level, possibilities that I had not considered. I had to admit that she had a point, and perhaps I was being overly critical of a product that isn’t intended for me.
Perspective is everything, and time will tell if the Labo is a success or failure, but one thing is certain; Nintendo will keep sending this stuff out into the world, keeping us on our toes in a way that Microsoft and Sony have never been able to do, and I will always applaud their creativity.
Matt