Nintendo revealed the Nintendo Switch 2 yesterday, but aside from showing off the console – which I can safely describe as a bigger and better Switch – it didn’t say much about what the Switch 2 can do. But there is one line in the press release about what Switch 2 Can’t do it With me … well, don’t worry, but maybe a little crestfall. “Some Nintendo Switch games may not be fully supported or compatible with Nintendo Switch 2,” Nintendo said. I don’t know about you, but my thoughts are immediate They talk about Labo.

(˃̣̣̥ᯅ˂̣̣̥)

Nintendo Labo didn’t set the world on fire, but it’s still one of the most fun, weird, creative, fun things Nintendo has ever done, and yes I’m going to die on that cardboard mountain. For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of assembling the Labo kit yourself, here’s a brief explanation of what it is.

Each Labo kit is a set of so-called “Toy-Cons,” which are assembled from flat cardboard according to an interactive instruction manual not unlike IKEA furniture. Once assembled, you insert the Switch Joy-Cons into your cardboard build, and through a combination of motion sensors, the all-important IR sensor on the right side of the Joy-Con, and plenty of sprinkling. softwareThat sheet of paper will be transformed, like an alchemy, into something that feels unusual. Those tactile Toy-Cons – piano, steering wheel, camera – can be used in simple games, and users can create their own experiences, not unlike Nintendo later. Garage Builder game.

in short, It’s amazing.

In our 2018 Games of the Year list, I called it “one of the most ‘Nintendo’ projects ever made” and now, four years after it was quietly brought out, in the back of a box store, and shot, I find myself feeling a little emotional. Reflect on what Labo has done and it is uncomfortable. Nintendo hasn’t looked as far in Labo’s direction in years, and the omission of the IR sensor on the Switch 2’s new Joy-Cons is another reminder that this product is well and truly dead.

But for a moment, if you will, I would like to reflect on what it was like when it was alive, and I would like to take a moment to thank “Monster Cat,” in my four years. The older son dubbed him, who lives in the toy-house of Variety Kit. The housing accepts the right Joy-Con in its housing, the Switch display in front of it, and then a set of adapters that go into the left, right, and bottom of the housing. The combination of adapters will create different situations on the screen. It’s simple, funny, and really novel.

While the curve from paper to toy has caused much of our amusement, Monster Cat is different. My son will take him out regularly, his house is a permanent fixture of the living room. Our life for years. The house itself has been modified several times, and the modifier – which took more physical abuse – is held together with tape, glue, popsicle sticks, and stickers. It’s an incredible physical testament to the kind of play that Labo enables, and One that I regret not sharing with our second son, who was born in 2018.

I don’t really process that Labo is being paid off in 2021 – Nintendo has a character cagey about his abandonmentRemoving its entire website before saying it still exists. You know what retailers love? Storage of large boxes that are not sold, and their manufacturers will not maintain the most basic of the marketing surface.

When I watched what happened, I followed some stock trackers and hurried to the regular box store, where the inventory was unsurprisingly liquidated. I managed to add more VR sets…when all I wanted was more Variety sets. Our monster cat needs a new home. Of course, Nintendo released the files so that users can find a way to make them remade – admittedly, an attempt to preserve a lot of joy for this most unusual game – but some searches did not result in what seems to be reproducible. (Otherwise, if you can point me in the right direction, my email is here!)

I know people are bummed that Nintendo Switch 2 seems Play it safeAnd the exposed video did not do much to dissuade anyone of that notion. The switch is hit! And I think we all hope the Switch 2 is another hit… but I hope some of the thinking outside the cardboard box that results in a product like Labo isn’t left in the trash. Who knows, maybe the optical mouse sensor will cause us some problems. The next generation of Monster cats may like mice.

(I love you, Monster Cat).