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Nintendo Labo for Nintendo Switch: Toy Con Cardboard Accessories, Games, Price, and More

Nintendo Labo for Nintendo Switch: Toy-Con Cardboard Accessories, Games, Price, and More

By Rishi Alwani | Updated: 20 April 2018 18:43 IST

Highlights

Nintendo Labo is the company's latest accessories
They are used with the Nintendo Switch
Two Labo kits are available right now

Announced earlier in the year, Nintendo Labo is the company’s new range of cardboard accessories for the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo Labo release date is April 20 in the US, and April 27 in UK and Europe. If accessories made of cardboard sounds wacky, this isn’t the first time Nintendo has delved into the realm of weird accessories. In fact it’s rather sedate when compared to its past efforts such as the Virtual Boy headset, R.O.B. (short for Robotic Operating Buddy, an actual robot developed to control the second controller for two player gaming without another human player needed), or the infamous Power Glove. Most of these were made in the late eighties and early nineties, but Nintendo Labo is one of the company’s fresher ideas a post-Wii world. Here’s what you need to know about Nintendo Labo.

Nintendo Labo for Nintendo Switch - what is it?
First and foremost, Nintendo Labo isn’t a game. Well, not in the purest sense. Instead, it’s what is being billed a series of toys you construct out of cardboard cutouts and other materials, which are then fitted on the Nintendo Switch screen and Joy-Con to create what the company calls Toy-Cons.

While constructing Toy-Con is half of what Nintendo Labo is about, the other is what Nintendo has set out to achieve with Labo — namely as a way to teach principles of engineering, physics, and basic programming to those of all ages.

Want to Buy the Nintendo Switch In India? You Need to Read This First

Do you need a Nintendo Switch for Nintendo Labo?
Yes you will need a Nintendo Switch for Nintendo Labo. In fact, without it, you’re pretty much stuck with pieces of cardboard and other construction material. The Nintendo Switch is $299 in the US, and while it hasn't officially launched here, you can get it for around Rs. 27,000 to Rs. 30,000 in India.

Nintendo Labo Toy-Cons - what you can build and what you can play
At the moment, Nintendo Labo has two kits — the Variety Kit and the Robot Kit. They come with all the materials needed.

The Robot Kit lets you make a wearable robot suit Toy-Con that has you inserting the left and right Joy-Cons into the provided backpack and visor to control the robot that’s shown on TV when the Nintendo Switch is in docked mode.

With the Variety Kit you can make the following Toy-Con:

Toy-Con RC Car: both Joy-Cons are inserted into a Nintendo Labo-constructed RC car and movement is controlled with the Nintendo Switch touchscreen.
Toy-Con Fishing Rod: after putting together a fishing rod with the Variety Kit components, you attach its rotating reel to the Nintendo Switch screen. It’s then possible to catch fish on the Switch’ screen by casting the rod and unwinding the reel to lower the hook.
Toy-Con House: this uses the Nintendo Switch’s screen that lets you interact with a creature within the Toy-Con house you construct. Sliding included blocks into the house allows for changes to its interiors, visible on the Switch’s screen.
Toy-Con Motorbike: on inserting both Joy-Cons as handlebars, and the Switch tablet in the centre of this Toy-Con constructed motorbike, you can lean to control it as you watch your progress on the Switch screen.
Toy-Con Piano: probably the most straightforward of the bunch, you put together a 13-key piano and insert the Nintendo Switch screen and Joy-Con to let you create music by pressing different keys.

Nintendo Labo Price
Nintendo Labo Toy-Con Variety Kit is $70 (around Rs. 4,630) while the Robot Kit is $80 (roughly Rs. 5,291), while a customisation set that has stencils, stickers, and coloured tape is $10 (around Rs. 661).

How to Buy Nintendo Switch Games in India

Is Nintendo Labo for Nintendo Switch available in India?
Although the Nintendo Switch is not available in India officially, it can easily be purchased albeit without warranty across the country. This has been the case since the Nintendo Switch release date back in 2017. This isn’t the case for Nintendo Labo just yet.

According to multiple retailers speaking to Gadgets 360, concerns on the fragility of Nintendo Labo’s packaging are yet to be worked around. There's also the fact that it’s out on the same day as God of War — which is undeniably a bigger draw in India — so it means Nintendo fans will have to wait a bit longer before getting their hands on the latest and weirdest from Nintendo.

What are your thoughts on Nintendo Labo? Let us know via the comments.

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