Nintendo Announces the Nintendo Labo for Switch – More Possibilities with LEGO?

Yes, you read it right – and even before you go on thinking that this isn’t Brick Show anymore, be rest assured that you are still in the right place.  Setting aside our seriously insane love for the LEGO brick, I opted to veer from the usual news stuff here on the website and to focus on what came out earlier today from Nintendo’s YouTube channel. In a sort of a mixture between DIY arts and crafts and imaginative play, the Japanese gaming giant has added another dimension to the unique game play offered by its Nintendo Switch. Slated to be released this April, the Nintendo Labo for Switch is not just all fun aesthetics or dressing up your Switch, but also allows a full range of interactive, imaginative play using nonetheless than cleverly designed pieces of cardboard that snaps to the Nintendo Switch in literally dozens of ways. Check out the video below.

Offered in two variants, the Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 01 Variety Kit offers five different Toy-Con projects that consist of creating 2 RC cars, a fishing rod, house, motorbike, and piano. As you have seen in the video, these projects are not just eye candy for your Switch, but are also functional toys that interact with the Switch system itself, allowing a range of activities that can be done with its unique Joy Cons and Switch’s interface. This sort of a starter kit is expected to retail for $70.

The second variant is the aptly named Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 02 Robot Kit, which is basically a sort of a VR system, complete with a place holder for the Switch that acts like your VR screen, and hands and feet control. This kit will retail for $80 and will be released, along with the Variety Kit, starting April 20. Both kits are customizable to such extent where you can add some colors or decorate them with accessories for a more personalized play experience. As it seems, Nintendo promises to offer more of these cardboard, do-it-yourself projects in the near future that will allow an even wider variety of play ideas with the Switch.

Now, the very first thought that came to my mind when I saw the video was the potential use of LEGO pieces in lieu of Nintendo Labo’s cardboard materials. True, the use of these cardboard pieces is brilliant, but any LEGO fan will see right through the concept, and will be able to spot the potential of using LEGO bricks as an accessory in playing with the Switch, like much of what Nintendo Labo is trying to do. LEGO pieces have more potential to interact with Nintendo’s Switch by virtue of the fact that it simply allows a wider range of creativity and innovation. Just think about the LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox (17101) or the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 (31313) and you get the idea. How to create these projects is also similar to how LEGO Dimensions does it – by placing the building instructions on screen as players go along. Both kits – the Variety and Robot Kits – come with softwares that shows a step-by-step guide on how to build these projects.

This is an exciting, all-new play feature that has a seemingly unlimited potential if you will consider using LEGO pieces instead of cardboard. Perhaps LEGO and Nintendo could enter a partnership where the former can come with customized builds that will also interact with the Switch. I can already see how some of these projects can be done in LEGO bricks particularly, the piano, fishing rod and motorbike, reshaping the toys-to-life landscape this year. Imagine your favorite LEGO video games given a new twist using interactive LEGO builds that actually interfaces with the Nintendo Labo system.

So what do you think brick fans, do you think Nintendo has once again stumbled upon a cool idea with the Nintendo Labo? Do you think LEGO and Nintendo is a good fit as far the ideas behind the Labo is concerned? Drop us a comment below and let us know.