I haven’t seen too many people disappointed with this morning’s Nintendo Labo announcement but I’ve definitely seen almost everybody picking apart the cost. I get that it’s cardboard, but I don’t really understand why people think it’s ridiculously expensive.
The Variety Kit is $99 in Australia. You’re getting five different experiences including RC Car Racing, Fishing, Motorbike, Piano and House. You’re getting everything from the software for these five games (1-2 Switch was $69.95 at launch and wasn’t very good) as well as everything you need to make these immersive experiences work.
People have been plonking down $20 per Amiibo without thinking twice and let’s face it, Amiibo have had barely any decent reason to actually use them in-game (but they look quite good on a shelf).
These are complex creations. The piano for instance, can manage different tunes as well as pitch by using the Joy-Con’s IR. It takes around two hours to build and is obvious a serious piece of kit.
The Robot Kit is potentially a harder sell. You’re getting roughly the same amount of materials but only one experience. It’ll all depend on how lengthy this piece of software is in order to judge the overall value.
There’s also a $15 customisation kit which includes some tape, stickers and stencils. Also, going off Nintendo’s over the top pricing, this doesn’t seem too be either.
Gaming has always been an expensive hobby and to be honest, for the innovation that Nintendo seem to be bringing with the Labo (it looks to be one of those things that you need to see in person to understand), I really don’t think the pricing is too bad.
Nintendo Labo launches on April 20th. There’s three pieces of kit (the variety kit, robot kit and customisation kits), and you’ll pay a pretty penny to get all three of these, but you can’t really put a price on innovation.
