Nintendo has made a surprise announcement tonight, showing off Nintendo Labo in a promotional video (below) and with the launch of its own website.

The "interactive build-and-play experience" will give you the chance to create accessories out of cardboard, which can then be used in games.

Two initial kits have been announced - Variety Kit and Robot Kit.  The latter appears to be what became of Project Giant Robot while the former includes a piano, fishing rod, house, motorbike and car.

The kits allow you to build 'Toy-Con's and while they look simple on the outside they make use of the tech in the Switch to bring the experiences to life. The piano you can see in the video uses the IR Motion Controller in the Right Joy-Con to detect which key you are pressing and it is then played through the console's speakers.

The promotional video shows users making the items, with help from onscreen guidance on the Switch, and then using them as accessories for the Switch. It feels like an extension of the Wii's 'everything can have its own accessory', but a more personalised and interactive experience.

The kits are set to launch on April 27th in Europe (a week behind America) and while European prices have not been announced yet the Variety Kit is retailing for $70 in America, while Robot Kit is $80. You can also register your interest to visit their 'workshop' to try it out before launch (providing you have a child): https://www.nintendo.co.uk/nintendolabo

The Verge also got their hands on Nintendo Labo and spoke to Nintendo about the story behind this new venture and what to expect from it.

The two kits contain the following:

Variety Kit

With the Variety Kit, you can create many different Toy-Con, including Toy-Con RC Car, Toy-Con Fishing Rod, Toy-Con House, Toy-Con Motorbike and Toy-Con Piano.

• Toy-Con RC Car: Insert the Left and Right Joy-Con into your newly built RC Car and control its movement using touch screen controls on the Nintendo Switch. The HD rumble feature in the Joy-Con controllers will cause vibrations that move the car in the direction you choose. Materials to construct two RC Cars are included.
• Toy-Con Fishing Rod: Construct the Fishing Rod with an active, rotating reel that is attached by string to a cradle holding the Nintendo Switch console. Catch one of many exotic fish shown swimming on the Nintendo Switch screen by casting your Fishing Rod and unwinding the reel to lower the hook. Once you feel a vibration from the Joy-Con inserted in the reel, you must crank the reel quickly and tug the Fishing Rod upwards to try and complete the catch.
• Toy-Con House: By inserting various assembled blocks into openings in the sides and bottom of the House, you can interact, feed and play games with a cute creature on the front-facing Nintendo Switch screen. Each differently shaped block is detected by the IR Motion Camera on the Right Joy-Con inserted on top of the House.
• Toy-Con Motorbike: Insert each Joy-Con into an assembled set of handlebars to drive a motorbike on the Nintendo Switch screen. Pressing the ignition button starts the engine, twisting the right handle activates the throttle, and leaning your body or turning the handlebars left and right controls the motorbike.
• Toy-Con Piano: After assembling a beautifully crafted 13-key piano and inserting the Nintendo Switch console and Joy-Con, you can create your own music by pressing different keys. You can even insert different assembled knobs to create new sound effects and tones.

Robot Kit

• Toy-Con Robot: Create a wearable robot suit, and insert the Left and Right Joy-Con into the designated slots on the backpack and visor to assume control of the robot, which is shown on the TV when the Nintendo Switch console is docked. Enjoy a variety of fun game-play experiences, including Robot mode, where you can destroy in-game buildings and UFOs.