Topic: Nintendo Labo

@KratosMD Yeah I'm not all too pleased about that news either.

Not because I'll be forced into buying whatever they come up with, but because I would much rather have Nintendo focus on games.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, but I'm not really impressed by the upcoming Switch line up.

I told you so. Cardboard is only the first step: recycling unsold Wii U boxes. Plastic peripherals is the next step: recycling the unsold Wii Us themselves.

@KratosMD No system has ever been free of periphery gimmicks. Sorry.

I swear, this thread is like the twilight zone, the people who are normally reasonable and level headed are throwing curve balls in every direction!

@kyleforrester87 I take that as a compliment!

@Octane You do that buddy, it's the Twilight Zone after all

For reference, lets go all the way to the NES and Master System to talk about Peripherals and gimmicks that had games made exclusively for them or required an additional purchase.

NES - Zapper, Power Glove, ROB, that weird running mat
Master System - Light Gun
SNES - Mouse, Super Scope
Mega Drive - 32X, SEGA CD, SEGA Channel
Saturn - Errrr
Dreamcast - VMU, Online
N64 - Rumble, Expansion Pak
PS1 - Multitap, Dualshock (It was optional remember)
PS2 - EyeToy
Gamecube - Online Adaptor
Xbox - Paying to Play Online
Xbox360 - You were pretty much buying more than one of these things, Kinect
PS3 - Move, Wonderbook
Wii - Wii Fit, Wii-Zapper, WiiMotion Plus
PS4 - PSVR, PlayLink
Xbox One - Kinect briefly
Wii U - amiibo, Gamepad, separate controllers
Switch - Labo, amiibo

Every system has had games made specifically for an additional purchase, or came with a gimmick in the box, and you know what? Most of those did pretty well didn't they?

@KratosMD Nintendo can't help it, they will literally imploded on themselves if they don't have a system without some sort of gimmick. Some attribute it to an ancient curse.

@YummyHappyPills I see you keep describing PlayLink as some kind of peripheral gimmick, but it's not. More people in Europe have a smartphone than a tv these days.

I also think you're confusing 'gimmicks' (like Super Scope, Wii Fit and Labo) with actual innovation in gaming as a whole. Xbox Live, Wii Remotes and Rumble, they actually tried to change the way games were meant to be played, supporting many, many games.

Sure, stuff like Kinect fall flat and in the end never grew very big, but at least it tried. But Labo, like Guitar Hero, is a gimmick. And you can have a lot of fun with that, for sure, but they're different from a lot of the other stuff you're naming.

@Tasuki would you say more often than not Nintendos gimmicks/"gimmicks" have resulted in success or failure for the company?

Personally I think you're correct, but not in the way you think - they would implode on themselves if they didn't have such radical thinking, but only because it seems to be the main reason they still exist and are able to compete against Sony and MS.

@Kidfried People are saying these "Gimmicks" ruin the Switch and its future.

I need to remind people that Labo is not all the Switch is or will be. Just like these other optional purchases that had games locked behind them, the Switch will have peripherals that do the same.

Furthermore, what is a feature like Rumble or motion considered before it becomes standardised? Gimmicks right?

Further I am right to refer to PlayLink as a periphery gimmick.

Is your phone a peripheral to the PS4, as in not part of the base purchase of the device? Yes.

Is using your phone to play PS4 games a gimmick, as defined in the English Dictionary: something that is not serious or of real value that is used to attract people's attention or interest temporarily, especially to make them buy something? Yes.

In fact in the realm of video games, a gimmick can be many things: Most notably, a gimmick involves a differentiator, namely a unique selling point. Is PlayLink a USP of the PS4, namely functionality that is only on PS4, barring a few select games on other platforms like Use Your Words? Yes.

Here's the thing: Innovation will initially be non-standard. That's just how it is. But for it to change how we play games, it has to be unique, original, different: A gimmick. Some gimmicks pan out, some do not. Labo is a gimmick. So is PlayLink, so is VR as a platform until it becomes standardised, so were motion controls for the longest time need I remind you of that?

@kyleforrester87 I'd say so. Then again most of Nintendo's moves outside of USPs have hurt them, be it carts, processor choice, disc choice, online, peripheral focus, poor game development...

@KratosMD I will ask you this. Would you be content creating a product that did one thing and one thing only, knowing fine well you could do something to attract a supplementary market and boost your bottom line, announcing said plans only after reinforcing your stance on the primary market (See that mini-Direct and a lot of announcements of games yet to release like that Fire Emblem everyone conveniently forgot is coming this year).

Releasing additional products to get more people into your system is not disappointing, it isn't stupid, it's smart and provides longevity, more sales, more dollars.

Remember Nintendo going mobile was considered a bad thing? Where is all that revenue funnelled from that casual market? Game development.

A platform has to appeal to the widest possible audience to be truly successful. It's no good being only for core gamers or only for casuals. You need to do both. This is Nintendo's way of doing it.

It's this, or they make Switch Fit, Switch Music, Switch Party, and Nintendogs.

@KratosMD A bunch of people said exactly the same when the Switch concept was revealed..a year later and they are saying the same thing about Labo.

As you said, the Switch has achieved unforseen popularity. It isn't the first time Nintendo have managed it, and I don't expect it will be the last.

@kyleforrester87 Labo will be the end of the PushSquare forums.

@Fight_Teza_Fight We aren't losing much then.

@YummyHappyPills oi, this is my home from home

@kyleforrester87 To be fair the forums are small but growing. So in quantitywe wouldnt lose much.

In quality probably quite a lot

@kyleforrester87 Did they need to rely on gimmicks to make the SNES successful? Did they rely on gimmicks to make the NES save the NA video game market? One can argue that the gimmicks have made them the third place system. I don't recall gamers asking for cardboard robot suits.

@Tasuki I dont recall gamers asking for what became the modern FPS control scheme either.

And yeah they did actually rely on gimmicks to sell the NES. To avoid the stigma of video game consoles they sold it as an entertainment system and bundled in the ROB toy.

The dictionary definition of a gimmick actually. They did something to grab attention and make sales.

@Tasuki you're talking ancient history in gaming terms anyway. They were doing pretty much exactly what Sega did. Difference is Sega didn't do what Nintendo started doing, they tried to compete directly with MS and Sony and the rest is history.

Nintendo are still alive because of "gimmicks". Some more successful than others.

@Tasuki ROB and the zapper. That's what I think of when I hear NES