Nintendo announces Nintendo Labo for Nintendo Switch

A new “interactive experience” is coming to Nintendo Switch. In an announcement post teased earlier today, Nintendo unveiled Nintendo Labo for the console.

Billed as a “line of interactive build-and-play experiences,” the application lets players craft cardboard devices that can be used for games with their Nintendo Switch. The demo showed off multiple projects, from a piano to a cardboard mech outfit to a fishing rod. These devices let players then play various games with their Nintendo Switch, from a musical rhythm game to a mech combat title.

Cardboard designs can be customized, too, so players can paint their own pianos, houses, and other devices. The interactive line is planned for an April 20, 2018 release in the U.S., with two options: “Toy-Con 01,” a “Variety Kit,” and “Toy-Con 02,” a “Robot Kit.” Prices start at $69.99 for the Variety Kit and $79.99 for the Robot Kit. Both kits launch on April 20.

In an interview with The OP, Nintendo U.K. explained that Nintendo Labo is primarily aimed at players aged seven to 12, with a focus on bringing families together and making toys with friends, family, and siblings. It’s not just about building Nintendo’s cardboard designs, but making memories in the process.

Players can also create another piece of the kit if it breaks by simply tracing cardboard through the template and adding the part back in. This means players can both customize parts, and never worry about having to rebuy a Nintendo Labo template. The right Joy-Con’s IR camera is key to most of the mechanics at play, and the initial Nintendo Labo’s mini remote control car moves through the Joy-Con’s rumble, too. In short, that means the Joy-Cons play an important role in getting Nintendo Labo to work.

“With each Nintendo Labo kit, inspired minds across all generations can transform modular sheets of cardboard–specially designed to interact with the Nintendo Switch console and Joy-Con controllers–into interactive creations called Toy-Con,” Nintendo U.K. explained in a press release obtained by The OP. “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.”

Here’s the full list of items you can create between the Variety Kit and Robot Kit.

Variety Kit

• Roy-Con RC Car: Left and right Joy-Cons become an RC car that can be controlled through the Nintendo Switch touch screen. The Joy-Cons’ rumble pilots the car forward.
• Toy-Con Fishing Rod: Contains an actual rotating reel attached by string to a cradle with the Nintendo Switch console.
• Toy-Con House: Interact, play with, and bond with a cute creature living in a Toy-Con house. Blocks assembled for the house are detected via the right Joy-Cons’ IR camera.
• Toy-Con Motorbike: Joy-Cons are placed into handlebar sets, allowing players to drive the motorbike via their Nintendo Switch.
• Toy-Con Piano: 13-key piano with room for a Nintendo Switch and Joy-Cons, letting players create music through the piano.

Robot Kit

• Toy-Con Robot: A wearable robot suit, with the left and right Joy-Con added into backpack and visor slots. This allows players to control the robot when the Nintendo Switch is docked.

Watch the full announcement video here and read more about Nintendo Labo on Nintendo’s official website. Originally, fans expected an Animal Crossing Switch game, but the title’s appearance remains yet to be seen on the console.