Nintendo Labo: Gaming Giant Unveils Its Amazing Creative New Vehicle Kit
The Vehicle Kit is something else.
Nintendo took the wraps off the Vehicle Kit on Friday, a new set of peripherals for the Nintendo Switch video game console that enables players to control a car, plane and submarine. These aren’t just any game accessories, though — the Vehicle Kit is the third product in the Labo range, where users assemble the accessories out of cardboard.
The new kit follows the same basic approach as the first two Labo kits that launched on April 20. Players follow instructions to assemble cardboard “toy-cons,” interacting with the bundled Switch software in different ways. As an example, the previously-released piano design contains a slot for the right-hand-side controller (or “joy-con”), which has an infrared sensor that can pick up the piano key movements to relay to the Switch which notes have been pushed. With the Vehicle Kit, players can assemble a steering wheel with strings and a floor pedal, which when tugged cause the car to pull a wheelie.
Time to get driving.
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The submarine and plane models follow similar unique designs. The submarine toy-con has a button to release a grappling hook, so divers can reach into the deepest seas, while the plane uses a flight stick to swerve through clouds. The software sees players control a transforming vehicle, which transforms by pulling the key toy-con holding a Switch joy-con and placing it into another peripheral. The software also includes a creation mode called Toy-Con Garage, enabling users to craft their own designs onto the cardboard by following tutorials.
As with the original Labo sets, part of the fun is the construction. The Verge described the process as “intuitive and entertaining,” while Cnet called it “surreal, enchanting, challenging.” However, these peripherals will work with other games beyond the bundled software: Nintendo rolled out support in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe last month, and it promises more updates are on the way.
The Vehicle Kit is set to hit stores on September 14 with a retail price of $69.99, including all three designs and relevant software. By comparison, the Variety Kit and Robot Kit cost $69.99 and $79.99 respectively.
Much like the Wii Wheel that came before, Nintendo’s answer to a steering wheel peripheral refuses to follow the crowd.
