Nintendo Reveals Labo Build-It-Yourself Kit Experiences For The Nintendo Switch
Nintendo has announced the Nintendo Labo, a new line of build-it-yourself experiences that is compatible with the Nintendo Switch. The kits are made up of modular cardboard components that can be built into various real-world items "specially designed to interact with the Nintendo Switch" and allow gamers to "relive their childhood."
Labo allows Switch owners to build cardboard versions of real-world items like a 13-key piano, fishing rod or motorbike. These are then connected to the Switch in various ways and interact with specific software in creations that Nintendo has dubbed "Toy-Cons." To further explain the kits, the company released a trailer detailing how they work.
"For example, you can make a functioning 13-key piano that brings your musical arrangements to life once the Nintendo Switch console and Right Joy-Con controller are inserted," Nintendo explains in the announcement. "As you play, the IR Motion Camera in the Right Joy-Con detects which keys are pressed and plays each note through the console's built-in speakers. Budding musicians can also experiment with their own musical creations."
The Labo build-it-yourself kits are set to be released on April 20, 2018 with Nintendo offering two kits as a start. The first is the Variety Kit which will be available for $69.99 and includes Variety Kit software as well as materials to build two RC cars, a fishing rod, a house, a motorbike, and a piano that can be built out of cardboard and attached to the Switch. The second is the Robot Kit will be available for $79.99 which offers the Robot Kit software as well as materials to build a robot suit.
The company is also offering a customization set that comes with fun stencils, stickers, and colored tape to customize their kits. The set will go on sale alongside the new kits and will be available for $9.99.