Author Topic: Nintendo Labo Announced  (Read 8635 times)

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Offline nickmitch

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #25 on: January 18, 2018, 10:54:34 AM »
I don't see why kids wouldn't be interested in this.  I went to the Apple store the other day, and they were teaching a class of kids how to program robots or something.  Seems like there's a education component of this at play here too, which should appeal to adults with kids.

Also, shoving the Switch into some cardboard doesn't seem like it would break the the thing.  And the system seems sturdy enough to survive some modest rough housing, even though very little of what was shown looks like you'll have to move the console around too much.
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Offline KeyBilly

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #26 on: January 18, 2018, 10:58:54 AM »
I agree with ejamer that the success depends on the software.  What we've seen in the promo is premade projects that don't allow for much creativity, although they may be great projects for younger kids.  However, if the software allows basic logic with if->then, do->while, etc. in some graphical form, then it could be HUGE.  Raspberry Pi is going to be more flexible regardless, but it is also more intimidating than a simple game kit like this.

Offline broodwars

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #27 on: January 18, 2018, 11:05:42 AM »
If you're well-off enough to own a Switch (among many other electronic devices), I don't see why any kid would have the slightest interest in Labo.


I used to work at a nonprofit that focused on getting kids to play outside through pop-up playgrounds and other creative outlets. One major point was that we used plenty of recycled material including -gasp- cardboard. Kids (of both well-off and low income families) unleashed their creativity in incredible ways.


Sometimes it's ok to admit when you have no idea what you're talking about.

Today's kids play Minecraft as I once played with LEGOs & Lincoln Logs, and the appeal is obvious: endless creative possibilities. Labo is too limited, too expensive, & requires an expensive (& fragile) gaming console. Labo itself is also much more fragile than any of its traditional contemporaries.

For this to have mass appeal, it would need to be considerably cheaper & incorporate a mobile app as well as a Switch one.
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Offline BlackNMild2k1

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #28 on: January 18, 2018, 11:07:35 AM »
After watching the video and seeing how all this works mechanically, I am AMAZED at this.

as I said in the other thread, this would be such an amazing "parent-child" project, but I would be more enthusiastic if my daughter was a little bit older and able to really get into it. It looks a little pricey, but the concept is inspiring. I don't know how it will play out in the end, but for now, I love the idea. Maybe I'll pick one up for future use in a few years.

This is hopefully inspiring the future (Mechanical and computer) engineers of the future. Because it sure got the attention of the young hopeful creative engineer in me from who knows how many years ago.


edit:
At the very least, I can see all the memes being incredibly entertaining :)
https://www.polygon.com/2018/1/17/16903268/nintendo-labo-twitter-jokes
« Last Edit: January 18, 2018, 11:12:33 AM by BlackNMild2k1 »

Offline Order.RSS

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #29 on: January 18, 2018, 11:21:57 AM »
Labo is too limited, too expensive, & requires an expensive (& fragile) gaming console. Labo itself is also much more fragile than any of its traditional contemporaries.

For this to have mass appeal, it would need to be considerably cheaper & incorporate a mobile app as well as a Switch one.

Partially agree yeah, and if this takes off you can guarantee that companies will be rushing phone apps with their own (possibly downloadable, open-source?) cardboard blueprints before the holidays. Honestly I think people will already be having meetings like that this month (could be a great fit for Ikea honestly).

I agree it's possibly rather limited, and certainly on the pricey end. In that regard I think this might've done better as a holiday release, or during Summer when kids have spare time.
That said, I'm inclined to baselessly predict Labo to be a runaway success. It won't reach Wii Sports/Amiibo/Pokémon GO levels, but if a couple of videos go viral with titles like "my cute toddler plays Moonlight Sonata on Labo piano" I feel like this could be big, albeit short-lived, hit. Cheaper variations will follow soon; Nintendo is rarely the cheapest option unfortunately.

Offline nickmitch

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #30 on: January 18, 2018, 11:24:13 AM »
I assume GameStop will make their own cardboard set based on the actual and sell it.
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Offline Adrock

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #31 on: January 18, 2018, 11:56:25 AM »
I assume GameStop will make their own cardboard set based on the actual and sell it.
Will GameStop’s sets still harass customers about pre-orders? 🤔

Offline ejamer

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #32 on: January 18, 2018, 12:01:48 PM »
To people saying it needs to be cheaper, I "had" to buy 2 sets of Twin Hatchimals this holiday season.
They cost far too much, and after the initial hype have become glorified paperweights (as predicted and expected). Nintendo Labo looks way cooler, and I suspect it would have a much better shelf-life.

Not everyone will spend upwards of $80 for a novelty... but enough people will that it could be economically viable if your product can build some hype. Nintendo is hot right now. The Switch is incredibly hot and outselling any other video game platform by a country mile. If this takes hold in social media, then it could be a smash hit; if it doesn't, then it will sell to a niche audience for a short time and then disappear once the cardboard remnants are sold at huge markdown. In either case, it won't be worse than Wii Music.

Will there be iOS clones in short order? Possibly - although the separate sensors and screen you get with Switch are probably better suited to this type of application.  Nintendo providing pre-cut cardboard templates also makes it much more appealing for parents. Competitors can undercut them on price for software alone, but few will have the production/distribution chains to make it convenient... simply showing the plans and asking people to source and cut cardboard themselves is a lot more effort. There's a reason it's being sold as a kit by Nintendo.



Frankly, I don't think it will be a hit. This is a niche product. But most of the complaints I see posted seem unimaginative and ill-informed:
* Don't try to sell me on the "kids won't want to play with this" excuse - I have two kids, and works with kids often.
* *Don't try to sell me on the "cardboard isn't sturdy enough" excuse - I have cardboard projects already that are well made and sturdy enough to hold up to adult and kid play (as long as you don't mind changing some rubber bands once in a while).
* Don't try to sell me on the "it's too expensive to be successful" excuse - I know how much money people (especially parents) waste on novelty items of all sorts. The hype and marketing is much more important than the cost. How it's perceived on social media will likely determine how far this product goes.
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Offline Ian Sane

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #33 on: January 18, 2018, 12:04:29 PM »
There's a lot of talk here about creativity but how would that work?  I'm assuming that each of those examples Nintendo showed off required the software to specifically accomodate it.  How would someone make their own thing out of cardboard and have the Switch actually do what it is supposed to with it?  And if the Switch doesn't interact with it properly then why don't you just play make-believe with cardboard without the Switch?  So far it just looks like you can play fishing rod or robot or whatever because Nintendo made a Switch game for it.

If Labo had been the whole Switch concept I would have lost my mind but unless Nintendo recklessly overproduces the thing it won't matter if this succeeds or not.  It's a product I think kids will like that I fear is overpriced.  But it's not aimed at me and that's okay because the Switch overall IS aimed at me.  It's also aimed at kids and frankly is a flexible game system that anyone can enjoy.  There's some alternate universe where the Nintendo of the Wii era is designing a whole system entirely around this cardboard stuff but thankfully we're not in it.  I've got all these awesome games available to me and the segment of Nintendo management that's obsessed with novelties like this can't bugger that up.  This is how you're supposed to implement ideas like these - as optional accessories for a system that is flexible enough in its design that it works well as just a typical game console.

Though when I look at this it makes me wonder why Nintendo doesn't make toys as a seperate entity from their videogames business.  Clearly with this and some of their motion control implementations there is some strong interest to make products that are more like toys than games, which fits their history.  Well why shoehorn that into videogames?  Why not have a dedicated toys division which while it can create products that leverage Nintendo's game systems, can also create toys unrelated to it?

Offline KeyBilly

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #34 on: January 18, 2018, 12:44:15 PM »
Ian, there are many kid-friendly educational products (and even some for programmers) with easy to grasp visual interfaces for programming.  There would be sensor boxes with parameters (tilt angles, joysticks, distance from the depth camera, touch screen tap, etc.) and output boxes (generating sounds, vibrating, colors on screen, etc).  These interfaces typically work by dragging and dropping the boxes and sticking arrows between them, which is intuitive enough for most people to quickly understand.  If they include an interface like this for custom builds, and hopefully allow for sharing them online, then people could create their own cardboard devices and share the templates online.  That is the real appeal of a product like this.  The sets shown hopefully just act as an introduction to the concepts.

Offline Adrock

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #35 on: January 18, 2018, 12:51:38 PM »
Well why shoehorn that into videogames?  Why not have a dedicated toys division which while it can create products that leverage Nintendo's game systems, can also create toys unrelated to it?
Because Nintendo doesn’t want to. It can license out its IPs for t-shirts, toys, and whatnot, but everything it’s directly involved in creating is related to video games. You call it shoehorning when it’s often the entire point. Wii never would have caught on as a side product. Maybe that’s your point. It’s well established that you hate motion controls. Trying to separate this experimental part of Nintendo is a complete lack of understanding of what is at the core of Nintendo as a company.

The comparison is silly. To me, Nintendo wanted people to buy Wii because of motion controls while Labo seems to be something people may be interested in because they already have a Switch. For that reason, Labo is perfectly positioned. It isn’t strong enough of a concept for wide spread appeal. I can walk right by it at stores and never think twice. It doesn’t even have the allure of being a fun decoration like Amiibo. Still, I love that people generally seem so excited about this.
« Last Edit: January 18, 2018, 03:57:31 PM by Adrock »

Offline ejamer

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #36 on: January 18, 2018, 01:07:14 PM »
Honestly, I'm not expecting the kind of drag-and-drop interface that DonkeyBilly Kong describes - although it would be awesome! And yet Nintendo did release the incredible WarioWare DIY game on DS and a WiiWare counterpart so you could share created mini-games with friends... so maybe it'll happen.


When I talk about creativity, it's more about showing kids what is possible. I'd bet that lots of kids will create their own cardboard contraptions (sans electronics) after playing with this set, using their imaginations to make up for the lack of actual features.  I'd bet that a few get interested enough they pick up an Arduino or Raspberry Pi and a few sensors to see what they can do. Others will just move and not care - although hopefully the experience of building these little devices will be an neat way to get them thinking about some basic engineering.

Seriously - what kid doesn't love seeing how things work? We had books and TV shows about it, why not a video game?  (Whether it holds their attention span for more than an afternoon remains to be seen - frankly, I have my doubt. But at least it's a good afternoon.)



Adrock nails why this isn't a good stand-alone toy. You can already get a few really cool cardboard toys and gadgets to build - but the electronics (and sensors and screens) that are taken for granted with a Switch are what will make this really come alive for some kids. The cost of doing those separately would be prohibitive. Additionally, by selling to the already large and rapidly growing Switch install base, Nintendo will get visibility for the product it could never achieve otherwise. As a stand-alone product it would be a cool novelty that probably doesn't get much attention; as a weird Switch accessory it will at least get enough exposure that it has a chance to take off in social channels.
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Offline KeyBilly

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #37 on: January 18, 2018, 01:18:29 PM »
I'm not really expecting that interface either, since it wasn't shown, but I do think it is a requirement for the product to explode in popularity.  If the software is just for these specific cardboard creations, I don't see it gaining much traction, unless they put out a steady flow of new add-on packs.  It would be more specifically a small kid thing, though, like those LeapFrog activity books and cartridges.  It is odd that the promo featured an adult if it falls into that category.

Nevermind, it's gonna be huge:

« Last Edit: January 18, 2018, 02:01:05 PM by DonkeyBilly Kong »

Offline nickmitch

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #38 on: January 18, 2018, 02:30:20 PM »
Can't wait to see how Sakurai works Labo in the next Smash Bros.
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Offline King of Twitch

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #39 on: January 18, 2018, 02:55:47 PM »
The cardboard house looks great, I wish I had one for my DS or Wii controllers back in the day. They could make some stands/shadowboxes for amiibo collections. It's pure profit, gets kids outside and working together on projects, and gives their dev teams a breather before Smash/Metroid (endless literal lootcrates to fill in release gaps). Miyamoto is a great man, and we are all just playing on his playground.
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Offline Ian Sane

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #40 on: January 18, 2018, 05:53:04 PM »
Well why shoehorn that into videogames?  Why not have a dedicated toys division which while it can create products that leverage Nintendo's game systems, can also create toys unrelated to it?
Because Nintendo doesn’t want to. It can license out its IPs for t-shirts, toys, and whatnot, but everything it’s directly involved in creating is related to video games. You call it shoehorning when it’s often the entire point. Wii never would have caught on as a side product. Maybe that’s your point. It’s well established that you hate motion controls. Trying to separate this experimental part of Nintendo is a complete lack of understanding of what is at the core of Nintendo as a company.

The comparison is silly. To me, Nintendo wanted people to buy Wii because of motion controls while Labo seems to be something people may be interested in because they already have a Switch. For that reason, Labo is perfectly positioned. It isn’t strong enough of a concept for wide spread appeal. I can walk right by it at stores and never think twice. It doesn’t even have the allure of being a fun decoration like Amiibo. Still, I love that people generally seem so excited about this.

I'm thinking of it more as a business opportunity.  Stuff like this and 1-2-Switch are getting very far removed from videogames.  So they obviously have people working there that don't really want to make videogames, but rather toys (or they want to make both).  Those people probably also have ideas that won't work within the confines of a videogame system.  So maybe Nintendo could also make toys, like they did in the past.  I don't mean generic stuff another company can do like t-shirts and action figures but weird creative stuff that only Nintendo could do.  If they want to make toys why restrict themselves to ideas that require implementation with a videogame system?  Why not expand their product line so they can release standalone products as well?  They would have to start small obviously but I think it's something they would be naturally good at.

Offline nickmitch

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #41 on: January 18, 2018, 06:14:01 PM »
I think working with the video game system is starting small.  It builds of their existing line of products and provides an "in" for someone who would be drawn more to one aspect than the other.  That is, someone more drawn to the toy aspect could be compelled to buy a Switch, or a Switch owner could start thinking of Nintendo as more than a video game company.  Labo could even be it's own line of products, which down the road could detach itself from needing the Switch.
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Offline UncleBob

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #42 on: January 18, 2018, 06:52:10 PM »
When did video games stop being toys?
Just some random guy on the internet who has a different opinion of games than you.

Offline nickmitch

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #43 on: January 18, 2018, 07:43:27 PM »
When eSports happened?
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Offline Ian Sane

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #44 on: January 18, 2018, 07:47:19 PM »
When did video games stop being toys?

When they started marketing them to adults.  Mortal Kombat's fault, I guess. :)

Offline Luigi Dude

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #45 on: January 18, 2018, 09:31:35 PM »
Nevermind, it's gonna be huge:



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Offline azeke

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #46 on: January 18, 2018, 10:23:54 PM »
Sometimes it's ok to admit when you have no idea what you're talking about.
But how else will you fish for replies and attention?
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Offline BlackNMild2k1

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #47 on: January 18, 2018, 11:51:01 PM »
Nevermind, it's gonna be huge:



Oh Lord.... the memes... becoming reality...

I hope it gets popular now. just because it's too funny.

Offline UncleBob

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #48 on: January 19, 2018, 12:44:47 AM »
When did video games stop being toys?

When they started marketing them to adults.  Mortal Kombat's fault, I guess. :)

When did toys become off-limits for adults?
Just some random guy on the internet who has a different opinion of games than you.

Offline ThePerm

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Re: Nintendo Labo Announced
« Reply #49 on: January 19, 2018, 06:55:09 AM »
When did video games stop being toys?

When they started marketing them to adults.  Mortal Kombat's fault, I guess. :)

When did toys become off-limits for adults?

jokes on you


« Last Edit: January 19, 2018, 06:59:09 AM by ThePerm »
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