Nintendo, a company who since the relative failure of attempting to go toe to toe console power wise with its GameCube console continues to press ahead with its tactic of using inferior technology but pushing it in ways no one else does, has really taken the biscuit now.

Not content with using GameCube levels of power and shunning HD for its Wii console which was centered around motion controls, and still outselling the infinitely more powerful PS3 and Xbox 360; two fingers were put up to the PSP and PS Vita in favour of a second screen with the DS and no glasses needed 3D technology with the 3DS respectively (admittedly I'm using recent success stories to enhance my point, here); and now, the holy grail of thriftiness from Nintendo has been achieved. And it looks incredible in that classic, classic Nintendo way.

When Nintendo announced that it was introducing a "new way to play for kids and those still kids at heart" I imagined a Skylanders /amiibo type money grab, perhaps even the opportunity to watch all of my son's (and therefore my) favourite Cbeebies shows and maybe interact with them. Instead, perhaps taking inspiration from Google and their cardboard VR headsets, Nintendo Labo was revealed, a series of cardboard push outs that can then be built into a house, a fishing rod, a robot and a piano to name but a few of the examples. Crucially, the Switch and it's Joy-Cons (in Labo use now refered to as Toy-Cons) then fit into each creation and allow you to interact with it; for example the Switch screen goes into the top of the piano, joy cons into the side, and the cardboard keys then turn your switch into an actual piano.

I, or any one from N-E, was not invited to the hands on session with Labo so I'm only judging it from the video we saw for the reveal. But if it works as well as it looks, it really could open the door to a "whole new way to play", and I genuinely think it could appeal to adults as well as children. I mean, I'm excited to make stuff with it and be creative. And chances are, if you're an adult who plays Nintendo games you have that same child like, playful desire as me. Don't get me wrong, I also own an Xbox One and this isn't about "Nintendo iz 4 kids, PS4 only duz shooters OMG" mentality, but older Nintendo gamers generally still have that sense of wonder as I do and just, well, prefer Nintendo style games.

Also driving my excitement is that desire for new, fresh experiences. I don't just want to sit down and press A for four hours, any more. I want to be challenged, I want my gaming horizons broadened, I want to enjoy a new way to play with my games. The Switch itself has provided a life line to my gaming past time, allowing me to pick up and play any time I actually get a moment to do so, rather than the seemingly impossible mission of sitting down in front of the television to make a night of it in my house.

This is Nintendo in confident, ballsy mode. If they attempted something like this during the Wii U era, they'd have been laughed at as "NINTENDOOMED". Yet this is Nintendo exploring their roots and showcasing their talents as toy makers. With the success of Switch, they can roll out Labo and be praised as innovative and, perhaps a strange use of phrase considering they are using cardboard, cutting edge. Even if Labo fails to gain any traction with its target market, it's just another great way to interact with the already massively successful Switch.

My own boy is only 18 months old so, while something like the fishing rod might be abit above him, I can hope that when the piano is set up he'll tentatively press some of the keys, realise it makes a noise and, fingers crossed, start to explore each of the different sounds until something resembling a tune is produced. Either way, I know I'll have a lot of fun watching and playing with him. And, I think, that's the point.