Pre-Ordering Labo Kits for the Nintendo Switch is Probably a Good Idea

01/18/2018 08:36 am EST

In case you missed the big news last night, Nintendo did a very Nintendo thing and unveiled Labo for the Switch. What is Labo? It's a series of DIY cardboard "Toy-Con" project kits that allow users to build and customize toys that are powered by the Switch. As you'll see in the video above, the kits promise to deliver a creative dose of family fun.

The announcement was - to put it mildly - unexpected. But we have come to expect the unexpected from Nintendo, and Labo is clearly the product of a company that's feeling revitalized. They are like Disney in their ability to bring out the inner child in everyone, and make sweet, sweet profits while doing it. That having been said, the Labo kits are available to pre-order now ahead of their April 20th release date. Given Nintendo's history with product rollouts, it's probably a good idea to secure a kit now if you want to have it on launch day. The links you'll need can be found below along with official descriptions of each kit.

• Nintendo Labo - Robot Kit (Amazon): $79.99
• Nintendo Labo - Variety Kit (Amazon): $69.99
• Nintendo Labo - Robot Kit (GameStop): $79.99
• Nintendo Labo - Variety Kit (GameStop): $69.99

With the Nintendo Labo Variety Kit, you can create many different Toy-Con, including two Toy-Con RC Cars, a Toy-Con Fishing Rod, a Toy-Con House, a Toy-Con Motorbike and a Toy-Con Piano. Includes everything you need to assemble your Toy-Con creations, including the building materials and relevant Nintendo Switch software.

• Toy-Con RC Car: Insert the Left and Right Joy-Con into your newly built RC Car and control its movement using touch screen controls on the Nintendo Switch console. The HD Rumble feature in the Joy-Con controllers will cause vibrations that move the car in the direction you choose. Materials to construct two RC Cars are included.
• Toy-Con Fishing Rod: Construct the Fishing Rod with an active, rotating reel that is attached by string to a cradle holding the Nintendo Switch console. Catch one of many exotic fish shown swimming on the Nintendo Switch screen by casting your Fishing Rod and unwinding the reel to lower the hook. Once you feel a vibration from the Joy-Con inserted in the reel, you must tug the Fishing Rod upward and crank the reel quickly to try and complete the catch!
• Toy-Con House: By inserting various assembled blocks into openings in the sides and bottom of the House, you can interact with, play games with and feed a cute creature on the front-facing Nintendo Switch screen. Each differently shaped block is detected by the IR Motion Camera on the Right Joy-Con inserted on top of the House.
• Toy-Con Motorbike: Insert each Joy-Con into an assembled set of handlebars to drive a motorbike on the Nintendo Switch screen. Pressing the ignition button starts the engine, while twisting the right handle activates the throttle. Leaning your body or turning the handlebars left and right controls the motorbike.
• Toy-Con Piano: After assembling a beautifully crafted 13-key piano and inserting the Nintendo Switch console and Joy-Con, you can experiment with your own musical creations by pressing different keys. You can even insert different assembled knobs to create new sound effects and tones!

With the Nintendo Labo Robot Kit, you can build an interactive robot suit with a visor, backpack and straps for your hands and feet, which you can then wear to assume control of a giant in-game robot. Includes everything you need to assemble your Toy-Con creations, including the building materials and relevant Nintendo Switch software.

• Toy-Con Robot: Create a wearable Robot suit, and insert the Left and Right Joy-Con into the designated slots on the backpack and visor to assume control of the robot, which is shown on the TV when the Nintendo Switch console is docked. Enjoy a variety of fun game-play experiences, including Robot mode, in which you can destroy in-game buildings and UFOs.

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