Labo VR is lo-fi, inventive and pure Nintendo

There was a time, not so long ago, when it felt unlikely Nintendo would ever enter the world of VR. As Oculus, Vive and PlayStation VR were all making their initial plays, Nintendo was finding success with a very different bit of kit; a hybrid device that promised the possibility of play anywhere, was built around very traditional video games and sold on the idea of its inherent sociability. It always seemed one of those cute ironies that, while everyone was obsessed with these technologies that asked you to shut yourself away from the world, Nintendo stole a march by offering a console that said you're free to go out and enjoy it.

There now is the prospect of Nintendo VR, though - a tantalisingly close one, too, seeing as it's out early next month - and, typically and somewhat unsurprisingly, it's quite unlike any VR already out there. This is Nintendo marching to its own beat once again; lo-fi, imaginative and with a suite of creative flourishes, Labo VR is everything I'd personally hoped for from Nintendo's first foray into VR since Gunpei Yokoi's ill-fated Virtual Boy.

It helps that it's tied to one of the more offbeat inventions to have come out of Nintendo in recent years (and something which itself feels blessed by the toymaker touch of old-school Yokoi). Labo VR, as the name suggests, is just as much the latest in DIY cardboard construction sets as it is a means for VR, with the first thing you do upon opening up the box being building those goggles yourself. It's a fairly involved, meticulously explained process that should take most people around 20-25 minutes, the end result a sturdy and moderately light headset.

Read more