Gadgetory

Nintendo is getting into VR with its latest kit for Labo, the DIY cardboard accessory line for the Switch. But in true Nintendo fashion, it’s not like a typical VR experience. VR can be isolating, and the hardware is daunting. But Labo is trying to change that. The games are meant to be shared by passing the headset around, so you get these bite-sized bursts of VR. And it doesn’t take itself too seriously. For starters, one of the controllers is a bird. The whole thing feels like a fresh take on VR gaming, and I'm here for it. Just like the first Labo kit, this comes with a bunch of flat sheets of cardboard and Toy-Con software. It took me and our production manager, Meg, about half a day to build all of the creations, with the blaster taking the longest to build. I had about three hours. But keep in mind that the Labo is aimed at kids, and building is supposed to be part of the fun. The step-by-step instructions are easy to follow, and I feel this with every Labo kit that I build. It’s pretty astounding how well-designed it is. Every fold has a purpose, and there's a reason for every aesthetic choice. (cheerful music) There's no strap for the headset, and that's intentional. A lot of the games that are included are multiplayer. They are turn-based games meant to be played with a friend. So the point isn't really to isolate yourself in this immersive VR environment, but to share these VR experiences. You wouldn't necessarily want to play for a long time anyway. You're basically sticking the Switch's 720p screen right up in your face. And you have to hold it up the entire time that you are playing. Plus, the resolution is not great, and the display is a little blurry. There is an option to play some of the games in 2D mode, but the games are so short anyway that the display isn't too big of an issue. There are six total creations, which Nintendo calls Toy-Cons. There’s the VR goggles, a blaster, a camera, an elephant, a bird, and a wind pedal. Each creation has a few mini-games attached to it. The blaster, for example, can be used to play a game where you fend off an alien invasion, or a turn-based game where you shoot food at hippos to lure them over to your side away from your opponent. The elephant, to me, is the best representation of how the Labo works. There's a little camera on the controller here, which picks up the IR stickers on the elephant's mask. So I'm here with my friend and Vox editor, Allegra Frank, and we are going to play a game of Pictionary. Basically, it’s going to give me a prompt of something to draw, and then I'm going to hand it over to you, and you have to guess what I drew. Um, so it’s giving me a couple of choices, and I can choose to skip the ones that I don't feel confident drawing. I don't want to hit you, but feel free to duck. I don't feel confident in what I've just drawn, but hopefully you can figure this out. Okay. I feel safe now that this is not in your hands. It’s just so big. Yeah. So what are some of the choices? Okay, I don't know what this is. Oh, you know what? Maybe I do. So the choices are: a roller coaster, a merry-go-round, a Ferris wheel, and and haunted house. I see the house. There's definitely a house here. And this very noodly-looking... Noodly? Yeah. Yes, this very spaghetti-looking dude, coming out of the chimney or something? Yeah, yes! This is going to be a haunted house. Oh, you can actually sink it through the floor. Okay? (Laughs) A haunted house on the hill. It’s completely gone now. I'm just burying it. So that was just nothing. Oh, okay. It’s hard not to feel like a kid as you're holding these cardboard creations up to your face. You can use this oversized camera to be an underwater fish photographer, and it even makes a clicking sound as you focus the lens. (clicking noises) Now, before you ask, no, you can't play Pokémon Snap with the camera. It’s a huge missed opportunity, but I'm not ruling anything out. Nintendo recently announced that Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey will be getting free updates to be compatible for a Labo VR. Now, all Nintendo has to do is just bring Pokémon Snap to the Switch, and they will sell like a million of these. In addition to the games attached to the creations, there's a VR plaza with 64 mini-games that were actually created by Nintendo developers with Toy-Con Garage, Labo’s coding platform. Toy-Con Garage is an extremely open-ended platform that can be used for everything from building your own instruments to now making your own games. You can set up actions for input nodes, customize middle nodes of counters and timers, and connect them to the output nodes, which trigger different effects. With the first Labo kit, I made a makeshift guitar and recorded a song, and that honestly took all of my brain power to figure out. ♪One, two, three, four♪ (synth piano and guitar playing) Imagine what that could have done for me if I was a child? I would be so smart now. If you don't feel like creating something from scratch, you can use games that are already made as a blueprint, like this two-player soccer game, and play around with customizing it. You can change the soccer ball to an apple, for example, and it will change the physics of the kick along with it. Some of these aren't VR games, and they are not even really games as they are just activities. The entire VR kit costs $80, or you can go with the $40 starter set, which just comes with the VR goggles and blaster, and buy more extensions perhaps later if you want. It’s also the one that bridges the gap for Labo, taking it from an educational toy for kids to a VR accessory that can be integrated with actual Switch games like Zelda and Mario Odyssey. Yes, you have to hold it up the entire time while you’re playing, but if the DIY spirit of cardboard moves you, you can always create your own makeshift strap or helmet. The point of the Nintendo Labo is to be creative with the tools they have given you. And that's the main difference Labo has over other existing headsets. It’s quick, portable, shareable, customizable, and it changes our notions of what VR can and should be. It’s virtual reality as only Nintendo can see it. So do you know how Beyoncé doesn't go anywhere without her fans? Now, I don't go anywhere without my wind pedal. It’s just like, my feet are getting tired. It’s hard work.