Labo isn't actually a uniquely Nintendo idea – in fact, they're a bit late to the party. Tech startup Piper, for example, creates a kit employing a Raspberry Pi and a Minecraft-like game to teach young kids how to build a computer. The company is growing quickly, with funding hitting $10 million last fall and over 1,000 schools using its kits to teach engineering and coding. (Its cofounder Mark Pavlyukovskyy was featured on this year's 30 Under 30 in Education.)
It's an obvious niche for Nintendo, who will certainly be one of the biggest players in the space and who can provide significant scaling to this concept.
Compared to say Piper, Labo is more simplified, though not necessarily to a fault. It should still be able to put children in the mind space to think like a programmer. Nintendo reps showed further possibilities of Garage, like repurposing the motorbike wheel to instead move the RC car, or to create a touchscreen guitar the player can strum, or to create a vending machine that spits out soft drinks. It's not a stretch to imagine this in a classroom. Suffice it to say, unlike previous accessories from Nintendo's GameCube and Wii days, Labo seems far more expandable and adaptable, and that should be a winning combo when it hits store shelves.
The company has followed a few key philosophies during this resurgent period. For one, the Switch is a versatile yet easy-to-understand piece of tech; its more idiosyncratic elements never overwhelm its sleek design. Secondly, Nintendo has stuck by its promise to provide a consistent library of games to its users, which hints at a third key indicator for the Switch's strength in the marketplace: its software attach rates. Back in December, during an interview with Forbes' Dave Ewalt, President and Chief Operating Officer of Nintendo of America Reggie Fils-Aimé said, "If you're able to get a game to attach to one out of every five systems, you're doing pretty well." Meanwhile at Nintendo:
Here are some cool stats about Nintendo Switch software.
61% of Nintendo Switch owners have a copy of Super Mario Odyssey.
The attach rates for Mario Kart 8 and Zelda are just under 50%.
Splatoon 2 is selling to around 1 in 3 owners.
These attach rates are extremely high. pic.twitter.com/siJfKOPUzz
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) January 31, 2018
These same winning philosophies – the multitudinous use, the accessibility, the dedicated user base – can be seen in Labo. It seems like a decent bet Nintendo will be able to continue its hot streak heading into its next fiscal year with the launch of Labo. It's a product parents will no doubt grab for the Switch, and if it garners significant buy-in, it can continue mining it for revenue through new kits and perhaps live-service updates, an area of desired growth for Nintendo.
Basically, Nintendo is probably going to make a bunch of money, to the shock of no one.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattpe...endo-labo-looks-like-a-sure-hit/#161e460f6ab4
It's going to shock quite a few people who live exclusively a gamer lifestyle.
