Nintendo Labo is a series of video games created and released by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. Players build special tools called Toy-Cons using cardboard pieces and other materials that come with the game. These tools work together with the Nintendo Switch console and Joy-Con controllers to play the games. The Labo series helps children learn about engineering and simple programming concepts.
Gameplay
Nintendo Labo comes in separate Labo Kits. Each kit has cardboard pieces and other materials to make one or more Toy-Con. It also includes a Nintendo Switch game card with instructions on how to build the Toy-Con and software that works with them. Once a Toy-Con is built, players insert the main Nintendo Switch screen and/or the Joy-Con controllers as shown in the instructions. Each Toy-Con works differently with the Joy-Con or the main screen. For example, the piano Toy-Con uses the Right Joy-Con’s infrared sensor to detect which keys are pressed, while robotic Toy-Con move using HD Rumble from the Joy-Con, which are controlled through the touchscreen. Players can color or decorate the cardboard parts with pens, tape, and other materials. More experienced users can also create new ways to use the Toy-Con. The game software explains how the Toy-Con works with the Switch, such as how infrared sensing functions.
Two Labo Kits, the Variety Kit and the Robot Kit, were released in North America, Australia, and Japan on April 20, 2018, and in Europe on April 27, 2018. Stencils, stickers, and tape are sold separately as an accessory set. Replacement parts and Toy-Con can be bought online, and free templates for the cardboard pieces are available for download. Nintendo did not confirm more Toy-Con kits at launch, but other designs were shown in the announcement video, suggesting more kits might be released later.
The Variety Kit includes five Toy-Con:
– Two remote-controlled cars where the Joy-Con’s vibrations control the car’s movement and steering. The software lets players use the Switch as a controller to drive the car or make it follow targets using the Right Joy-Con’s IR motion camera.
– A fishing rod with the Joy-Con placed in the reel and handle. The Joy-Con’s motion input simulates fishing.
– A toy piano with a full octave of keys. The Switch sits on top of the piano as a music stand.
– A motorbike with Joy-Con inserted into the handlebars. The motorbike can be used as a motion controller in games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Moto Rush GT.
– A house with a slot to insert parts that interact with the Switch’s display.
The kit includes a game card with instructions for building each Toy-Con and at least one software program to use them. Some Toy-Con have multiple programs. For example, the motorbike handlebars let players race in stunt bikes, design new tracks, or create tracks based on objects detected by the IR sensor. Similar IR sensing also lets players create new fish for the fishing rod or new sounds for the piano.
The Robot Kit includes parts to build a mecha suit with a visor that holds the left Joy-Con for motion sensing and a backpack that holds the right Joy-Con to detect hand and foot movements. This lets players control a giant robot in a virtual world. The software includes several game modes: Robot, VS, Challenge, Robo-Studio, and the Hangar. In Robot mode, players control the robot to attack targets, fly over cities, or transform into a tank. VS mode lets two players fight with their own Robot Toy-Con. Challenge mode lets players complete missions to unlock special abilities. Robo-Studio mode lets players insert the Switch into the Toy-Con and play sound effects based on their movements, while the Hangar lets players customize their robot’s color and appearance.
Reporters noticed similarities between the Robot Kit and a canceled game called Project Giant Robot for the Wii U, which used the Wii U GamePad’s motion sensing to control a robot. The original Labo Robot prototype was a ground-based tank but was changed to a wearable "Carry-Con" to better use the Joy-Con’s gyro sensor.
Nintendo released its first post-launch Labo Kit in July 2018, available worldwide on September 14, 2018. The Vehicle Kit includes cardboard parts to build three steering consoles: one for a car, one for a plane, and one for a submarine. Each has a slot for a "key" built around a Toy-Con. The game lets players control cars, planes, and submarines, switching between them by moving the Toy-Con key. It also supports two-player cooperative play. The kit includes parts for a pedal Toy-Con to power the vehicles, two key Toy-Con, a spray can Toy-Con, and a stand for the Switch. The spray can Toy-Con includes extra parts for a Paint Studio mode.
The VR Kit, released on April 12, 2019, includes cardboard virtual reality goggles that let players view 3D images using the Switch, like Google Cardboard. The main kit has parts to build five items that attach to the goggles: a Blaster, a camera, a bird, an elephant head, and a pinwheel. It also includes parts for a Wind Pedal that blows air when pressed. A starter kit with only the goggles, pinwheel, and Blaster is available separately. The VR Kit is the only Nintendo Switch game incompatible with the Switch 2 due to the console’s size.
The Nintendo Labo software includes a feature called "Toy-Con Garage," which lets users create and program their own Toy-Con using simple commands. Users can start with Labo kits or use their own materials. Toy-Con Garage works by connecting input and output nodes. For example, pressing a button (input) might cause the Joy-Con to vibrate (output). Middle nodes can adjust how inputs work, like requiring multiple button presses. Outputs include vibrating the Joy-Con or lighting up the Switch screen. In 2021, Nintendo released Game Builder Garage for the Switch, which is based on Toy-Con Garage.
After Nintendo Labo was released, some games received free updates to work with specific Toy-Con.
Development
Nintendo Labo was announced on January 17, 2018. The director is Tsubasa Sakaguchi, and the producer is Kouichi Kawamoto. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé said, "Labo is unlike anything we've done before," and it was created to attract a wider group of players to the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo stated that the product was "specifically designed for children and people who enjoy creative play." The tagline for Labo is "Make, Play, Discover." The word "Discover" means that users can learn about basic science, engineering, and programming by building and playing with the Toy-Con kits. Although Labo was not created to be an educational tool, one of its goals was to explain how the technology inside the Toy-Con works.
The idea for Labo came from Nintendo when they asked employees to think of new ways to use the Switch's Joy-Con controllers. Among many ideas, building cardboard toys around the controllers stood out. Shinya Takahashi explained that using cardboard in toys is common in Japan, and the process of testing cardboard designs was "extremely fun" because it involved trial and error. As the Labo concept developed, it aligned with Nintendo's goal of creating new ways to have fun and introduced the Switch to more people beyond just gamers.
Nintendo Labo developers Kawamoto, Sakaguchi, and Ogasawara said their goal was to use the unique features of the Nintendo Switch in ways no other system could copy. The Joy-Con were treated as a "group of sensors" that could be attached to different hardware pieces. The team focused on features like the gyro motion-sensor, IR motion camera, and HD Rumble. During three weeks of brainstorming sessions called "prototype parties," the team explored Joy-Con attachments and game ideas. The developers chose cardboard over plastic because the 3D printer they used for testing could not keep up with their pace. Cardboard also allowed players to build, fix, and customize the projects themselves.
The initial designs were simple, but later became more complex when the team decided not to require cutting or gluing. Improvements were made based on feedback from tests with players and developers. This led to the creation of interactive instruction software, and the team prioritized simplicity over appearance. Before finalizing the cardboard designs, the team took photographs of prototypes and made booklets to use as temporary instruction manuals. These booklets had 1,000 pages for simpler models and up to 3,000 pages for more complex ones. Although the cardboard Toy-Con are strong, Nintendo acknowledges they may wear over time and sells replacement sheets online. In an interview with CNET, Yoshiyasu Ogasawara said, "We tested their strength through thousands of repetitions, so we expect them to last a long time under normal use."
Starting in October 2018, Nintendo partnered with the Institute of Play to bring Nintendo Labo into elementary schools. The goal was to reach 2,000 students by the end of the 2018–2019 school year. Nintendo provides the Switch and Labo kits, while the Institute of Play creates lesson plans for teachers.
Reception
On January 20, 2018, Nintendo’s stock price increased by about 2.4%, which added approximately $1.4 billion to their total value. Experts believed that the Labo product was a unique idea that only Nintendo could create and sell, showing that the company was returning to a more successful time about ten years earlier. This helped increase the value of Nintendo’s stock.
Nintendo Labo was praised for its unusual approach to video games and the way it encouraged creativity and learning, especially for children. Reviewers liked the fun experience of building the cardboard toys and the clear, step-by-step instructions. Features like the rotatable camera and the ability to fast-forward or rewind were also appreciated. The instructions included humorous messages, which reviewers enjoyed. Some critics were worried about how strong the cardboard was, but they were surprised by how well the finished Toy-Con held up. The software included tips for fixing broken Toy-Con pieces. Some reviewers thought the games themselves were not very fun to play again, with one reviewer saying, “the games are perhaps the least interesting part of Labo.” However, others noted that Toy-Con Garage offered many creative possibilities, allowing users to make and share new ideas. Reports from The Verge and CNET said Labo used the Joy-Con controllers’ motion sensors, HD Rumble, and infrared sensing in clever ways.
In May 2018, Labo appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where Jimmy Fallon, Ariana Grande, and The Roots used Labo kits and Nintendo Switch systems to perform a song from Grande’s album, “No Tears Left to Cry.” Some users have created stronger versions of the cardboard Toy-Con using Lego bricks while keeping the original functions.
In Japan, the Variety Kit sold 90,410 copies in its first week, making it the top-selling product in all formats. The Robot Kit sold 28,629 copies, ranking third, and the Vehicle Kit sold 49,389 copies by December 2018. By March 2019, the Variety Kit had sold 330,000 units in Japan and 1.09 million worldwide. As of 2018, combined sales of all Labo kits reached 1.39 million units globally. According to the 2020 CESA Games White Papers, the Variety Kit sold 1.31 million units worldwide by December 2019.