Mal0wner wrote:

I got my email from Nintendo and it looks like I've been shifted to the afternoon session. I'm going get them to confirm that. The venue is the Science Museum.

@Stopharage did they leave a message for you to call back or do you have to wait to see if they call you again?

Have to wait to see if they call again. Fingers resolutely crossed.

Didn’t need to in the end. They called!

Weds 14th Feb 10am-1pm at the Science Museum. My youngest got told he’d need glasses on Saturday (no biggie, but still) and this will really cheer him up. Very excited.

Interesting report of a hands on session - https://www.polygon.com/2018/2/2/16960792/nintendo-switch-labo-photos-hands-on-cardboard-toy-con

The Joycons themselves... They sound amazing.
Who'd have thought that Nintendo would have put a fully functioning infrared camera in there?

I did not remember anyone raving about that when they revealed the thing 2 Septembers ago...

Yeah, it was detailed in the launch stage event, and in the treehouse things immediately afterwards.

Edit: Skip to 2m30s:

dynamiteReady wrote:

Interesting report of a hands on session - https://www.polygon.com/2018/2/2/16960792/nintendo-switch-labo-photos-hands-on-cardboard-toy-con The Joycons themselves... The sound amazing. Who'd have thought that Nintendo would have put a fully functioning infrared camera in there? I did not remember anyone raving about that when they revealed the thing 2 Septembers ago...

Some of us had a moan about the joycons being too expensive, and blamed 'pointless' additions like the infrared camera...little did we know that 18 months later they'd be selling us some cardboard for £70 to make it all worthwhile!

Apologies, copied over from the Switch thread in case folks look in here instead for Labo info. Nothing to see here, if you've already read that. 

So, the Labo event. Turns out, our session was the first one in Europe, so we were surrounded by journos, Nintendo bigwigs and loads of cameras. Saturu Shibata was there and positively gleaming throughout, which was pretty much representative of the event.



It was a rather generous 3.5 hour session and was remarkably well organised throughout. Staff were amazing, enthusiastic and able to field pretty much every question I threw at them; these weren’t a bunch of PR faces but clued up, reverential supporters of Labo. The old adage of never working with animals or children was writ very much untrue; there was real engagement and just utter joy from every kid that was there, ranging from around 5 to 15. This was replicated by the parents too; I spent much of the time with a massive grin on my face.

On entering the session we had a brief intro and a replay of the Labo promo, then we were sat down straight away and were all tasked with creating the RC bug. The cardboard felt quite sturdy, the instructions were very clear and were interactive throughout on the Switch. Took roughly 20 minutes to make and once we’d done that we were invited to decorate them, which the kids loved. This may have been helped by the added incentive of a load of Nintendo goodies for the best design. Nevertheless the kids enjoyed this. We were then invited to slot the joy cons in and begin playing with them. There’s slightly more nuance than just doing that though, you need to decide what level of vibration your bug will have. Following that, we could then battle against other bugs, sumo-style or have a race along a track. The camera on the joycons meant we could also have added visuals on the Switch. Later on these cameras could be used to navigate an invisible track, using the sensors. It was all very impressive, although it’s not particularly revelatory.





Then we were able to go and play on all the various bits of kit. The piano was more sturdy than I expected and there were a range of different sounds and functions you could make by inserting different buttons at the top. You could also make the keys produce high and low notes by pushing a small lever on the side. It was fun for a while on free play but the longevity will come from the ability to copy pre-installed tunes by replicating the key presses represented on screen. Unless there’s a load of available tunes or more games made for it, then I can see this being fun but lacking in sustained play.




The bike was again, more sturdy than expected, especially considering the twisting and various moving elements. The game itself was enjoyable and if this was translated to Mario Kart or F-Zero then I can see it doing very well. One thing that I found especially impressive was the haptic/vibration feedback and in some guises, the use of the camera. 

I didn’t get to have a go on the house because of time restrictions but other people were complimentary about it. 

The fishing rod was excellent, as was the associated game. There was a real addictive element to it; just need to get that one large whopper before I go. 




In part this was due to the amount of time the boys spent on the Robot backpack. This was terrific fun and there was an air of expectancy and excitement as the kids popped their backpacks on and tightened the various hand and feet connections. The game was a mixture of driving, shooting, interactivity, stretching and stomping. There were a number of game modes including some kind of exercise/calorie counter. The kids were raving about this and it was the clear favourite from a playing POV.




We were pretty much given free rein to spend our time as we saw fit and the boys then asked if they could build something else; they chose the fishing rod. Between the two of them, this took around an hour, maybe longer. Every 15 minutes or so, one of them would say how much fun they were having - for me, the making part of it was where the real enjoyment came from. The build was fun, innovative and thoroughly engaging. They had a real sense of achievement at the end of it, in the same way you would once you’d finished a Lego build. 




On the train writing this so it’s probably full of errors and I’ve probably missed stuff out but it’s a day one, essential purchase if you have kids. Making and creating all these peripheries will be a ridiculously rewarding family experience. I’d envisage the builds will take around 5-6 hours based on the two we did.  No idea about the robot but I’ll be getting both kits. Was a wonderful experience.

Back home now, so tidied up that initial write-up. On reflection, it was a hugely enjoyable 3.5 hours. Prior to the event, I was interested in Labo, but can't say that I was ultimately hyped for it. The hard task for Nintendo now is trying to get across the sheer joy in making, playing and discovering Labo. The whole hands-on experience really helps sell it to you. We were all given questionnaires on the way out and both kids said that they enjoyed the making element most. I can't quite express how much fun this part is and how well supported it is by the Switch's on-screen instructions. Also, it's such a brilliant idea as it's clearly designed to bring families together. Kids might be able to do most of it, but having a (proud) parent overseeing the whole process makes it so much more of a group activity. I interjected on a few occasions but got a huge amount of enjoyment from being a largely passive contributor. 

Whereas I had initial reservations about the £60 price point for the variety pack, having used some of it now, I have no issues with that at all. In the same way as 'it's just paper' could be levelled at origami, some folks will just see Labo as 'just a load of cardboard. But the intricacy, design elements and sheer amount of craft and initiative that has gone into Labo means it transcends cardboard. I realise how OTT that may sound , but it's so much more fulfilling than you expect. Gave me the same sense of creative achievement as I expect Tempy gets with his detailed figures, or others get with their Lego builds. As I mentioned before, I'd estimate that the total build for the variety pack would be around 5-6 hours and this is before you spend any time designing and decorating your finished products. The RC bug, for example, had supplementary pieces of cardboard that were for adding to your finished product - extra legs, spoilers, elephant heads etc. I guess if you were going to spend time decorating your items then you'd be looking at around 11-12 hours before you've even played any of the games. 

All of my waffle doesn't even talk about the Discover element of Labo. There was a section open for the kids to be introduced to this. Seems there is the facility to create your own inventions and there is also scope to find out how the Labo peripheries/creations all work. Bit annoyed with myself for not finding out about this educational element but seemed to be a real push by Nintendo to get children to understand how these products work and get them to create their own content. 

We were filmed throughout, way more than any other groups and so I have some concerns that my massive head might make it onto some promotional film/advert. We were asked to have an interview with a filming crew at the end and the interesting thing about this, was the type of questions they were asking. They're really going to push this as a family experience and this was clearly the sales avenue they're going down. 

I'd be very surprised if any of the journos in session were less than complimentary, they all seemed to be having a great time. We were also very lucky to have a table host who was clearly extremely clued up and was the guy that everyone seemed to gravitate towards, hence why we were probably filmed so much. If anyone else is going and you get a chance to have Nimmz, try and snap him up!

Stopharage wrote:

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Moot_Geeza wrote:

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SHOPPED

Only zoomed in because I didn't want my massive head taking over the photo! He was lovely btw.

Mal0wner wrote:

Top reporting. I'm on the morning session tomorrow and I'm already grinning.

Enjoy! Look for Nimmz!

WorKid wrote:

Stoph, is a TV needed to enjoy this? I'm thinking about having our first blast on this when we're away at the inlaws, so we can take ourselves off and I can avoid mixing with the wife's family. But we won't be able to commandeer a telly all day.

With the exception of the robot, we didn't use a TV once. Everything else was done by utilising the screen with the creation. Forgot to say as well that the robot came with a visor, which when used turned the screen into FP mode, which the kids used when doing the shooting sections. 

Just been having a quick scoot around to see if there are any reviews up yet. This was one of the journalists on our table, nothing up on the Independent so far.


and the other guy was Martyn Landi, who works for the Press Association, who has been pretty complimentary on Twitter.

Moot_Geeza wrote:

Stopharage wrote:

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Stopharage wrote:

Shibata was there

As lifesize Labo.

WorKid wrote:

Stoph, is a TV needed to enjoy this? I'm thinking about having our first blast on this when we're away at the inlaws, so we can take ourselves off and I can avoid mixing with the wife's family.

Haha. I often search for any means necessary to escape for a few hours (or days) in those circumstances

They’ve walked in on worse.

Back at home now and still grinning. We managed to try out all 5 toy-cons plus the robot backpack (it fits adults too) The thing I was really impressed with was the depth and variety of modes in some of the software. The piano has a multi-track feature allowing you to record and overlay up to 8 tracks. The fishing game lets you save the fish you catch in an aquarium but you can also design and add your own fish by cutting out a paper template and scanning it the piano. The camera on the joycon is good enough to let you steer the RC bug through a maze in the dark.

We had a look at the Labo garage feature which lets you map inputs from one toy-con to outputs on another. You can set up things like steering the RC bug with the motorbike controls but you could use the piano or fishing rod instead. You aren't limited to the toy-cons and can make your own devices from cardboard or whatever you like. There was a video montage including a cardboard box coin operated drinks can dispenser. Apparently upto 8 pairs of joycons can be incorporated into your inventions.

Lots of filming going on and a few journo types lurking around but I'm guessing not as many as yesterday.

This is all kinds of win.

fuck me Nintendo