Nintendo Labo is a clever way to augment videogaming with a physical counterpart. With foldable pieces of cardboard, one constructs various toys that the Nintendo Switch can slot into. The different sensors and actuators on the Switch then interact with the cardboard models, creating fishing rods, pianos, motorcycles, robots, and more.

It looks incredibly fun to play with, both as a kid, fully immersed in the make-believe world, and as a parent, playing and setting it up together with your kid. Perhaps even using the in-game explanation of how it works. But beside the joyful appeal, it's very interesting from an interaction design perspective. It does away with the uniform controls of buttons and joysticks for every game. Instead, both input and output of the Switch can be augmented in new ways: cast a physical fishing rod and pull it up to catch fish on-screen, build a mech-suit and dress up as a giant cardboard robot to smash digital buildings, or control and steer cardboard bugs or figurines using the Nintendo Switch. While the input actions and output possibilities are constrained per model, the variation in cardboard models is what makes this so much fun. All extra hardware that is required is some cardboard — which for that reason is less fragile, and even customizable (users are encouraged to paint their models!).

We believe the embodied nature and tangible interaction style of Labo can contribute greatly to the immersion in the game world. The toy might not exactly match the original definition of tangible UIs (both tangible input and tangible output¹) — as the Switch's screen either serves as input (to move or steer cardboard animals) or as output (to show what you've caught with a fishing rod) — but it's clear it's heavily inspired by tangible interaction.

Regardless, Labo is a really creative addition to the Switch. The designers have created an innovative and fun new way of playing, combining strengths of both the physical and digital world. The physical input leverages both gross and fine motor controls, while the digital game continually provides new cognitive stimuli to keep the physical play interesting. We're happy to see the tangible influence in a mass-market product like this.