After a highly anticipated Nintendo Direct was posted on YouTube last Thursday, speculation continued due to its relatively short of expectations quality. Less than a week later, Nintendo struck again with a very interesting announcement.

On Wednesday morning, a tweet from Nintendo’s Japanese Twitter account and a Facebook post from Nintendo UK was posted that read as follows: “Tune in to discover a new interactive experience for Nintendo Switch that’s specially crafted for kids and those who are kids-at-heart”

The posts showed the date and time and as expected, when Nintendo took to YouTube to post the unexpected.

MIND. BLOWN.

It’s deeper than cardboard

If someone said Nintendo will one day sell cardboard and make a killing before this First Look went live, they would be laughed out of the building. Yet, here we are.

Nintendo Labo is not just cardboard though. This genius DIY paper craft product is a conduit to the exertion of the Motion Controls that Nintendo began to develop with the Wii. Crafting and customizing gaming peripherals influences motion controlling beyond the controller.

Utilizing practical objects (as practical as paper can get) makes it so the gamer doesn’t need to rely on their imagination. The use of the detachable Joy-Cons is already a step up from the wired Wiimote and nunchuck combo but with the HD rumble incorporated in them, controlling capabilities have become a bit more sophisticated.

Being able to control how the split controllers vibrate now decreases the limits of engaging gaming experiences. For Pete’s sake, the Switch turns into a controller to control the controllers. Nintendo has concretized innovative concepts time and time again but Labo exhibits how much they truly “think outside the box.”

From Joy-Con to Toy-Con

Although two kits will be available at launch, the possibilities of additional Toy-Cons are endless.

Seeing as how Nintendo provides a variety of accessories in their product lines, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if the Toy-Con lineup triples by the end of 2018. Just look at the how many different color variations of Joy-Cons are available on the market now. In less than a year, six different color Joy-Cons are out there and I would imagine making cutout cardboard kits are much easier and inexpensive to manufacture.

Although it's marketed toward kids and “kids-at-heart,” the vast creative assortment of Toy-Cons may eventually spark the interest of Switch owners of any age. If it sells poorly, it would not be a financial blow to Nintendo, at least not as much as past failing gaming peripherals were. It’s made from the cheapest and most abundant material one can find. Regardless of its sale performance, it’s nice to see this company keep from alienating their core young demographic on their most adult-looking console since - well, ever. Like it or not, "Labo" is one of the most creative modifications of motion controlling gaming has ever seen.