Nintendo has almost always been on the forefront of making some of the most engaging, immersive and entertaining video games for people to play. From The Legend of Zelda to Super Mario, millions have enjoyed their interactive endeavors across multiple home consoles and handheld devices.

The system that is both a home console and handheld device in one unit, Nintendo’s current video game platform: the Nintendo Switch, can do so much more than just play “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” and “Super Mario Odyssey.”

For example, someone can use an integrated motion camera on one of the Joy-Con controllers to detect light and other changes in its environment. Gyro controls can be used to maneuver objects and characters on-screen, and high-definition rumble can vibrate the gamer’s hand in different ways to inform the player of different things going on in a game.

These technologies, combined with cardboard and special computer software, are used to their fullest in Nintendo Labo, a creative educational endeavor that was released by Nintendo in 2018. Targeted mostly for children and “kids at heart,” these Labo kits can be used to exercise the imagination of both gamers and lifelong learners.

Variety packs 1 and 2 released during an April 2018 launch window, provided multiple cardboard kits for players to get started. The slogan of Nintendo Labo, “Make, Play, Discover,” is implemented through several hours of three different styles of learning.

First, children and their parents or teachers construct cardboard fixtures according to detailed instructions that can be observed on the Nintendo Switch. Depending on the kit, this may take several hours; a rocket pack can be strapped to someone’s back, a fishing rod can come to life with string and colored tape, and small strips of cardboard can be folded up into the shape of a miniature piano.

All of these creations lend themselves to never-before-seen gameplay possibilities thanks to the flexible nature of the Joy-Con controllers, which are placed in cardboard pockets for each Labo product.

Put the Joy-Con into the rocket pack, and gamers can become a giant robot that protects a city from invading aliens. Whoever is playing punches in real life to resemble in-game punches from the robot. The player pulls his or her fists downward to hover on jet-propelled robotic feet. These actions are mechanically triggered as levers the player holds are connected to string that causes a chain reaction in the backpack.

The piano works with the Joy-Con sensing which colored tape is pasted on which cardboard keys, which allows Labo to perform music in-game when the player strikes the keys on the real-life replica. Fishing rods, motorbike handles and a miniature house all work in similar ways, each with their own gameplay experiences.

All of these intricacies would be lost on young people without the third part of the slogan: “Discover.” Nintendo wanted Labo to be as much of an educational resource as it would be fun, so anyone can investigate the software through a user-friendly interface to find out how each Labo kit works.

Through this process, not only can Nintendo Labo provide the experiences listed above, but many gamers have figured out how to build and play various other creations. Dozens, if not hundreds, of Labo users have shared their programming creations (including guitars and telescopes) online, and the primary limit to what can be made certainly seems to be one’s imagination, something Nintendo endeavors to expand.

Nintendo Labo is even being placed in schools in North America through the Nintendo Labo Classroom Program. Teachers have been able to use Labo to teach children in elementary and middle schools how basic construction, engineering, physics and game design work in an interactive, engaging and fun way.

Never one to stop pushing a gimmick to its limit, Nintendo has recently announced the newest Labo kit, which will be the cheapest option for a virtual reality experience on the market. By putting the handheld Nintendo Switch screen in different cardboard docks, children will be able to pretend to be an elephant shooting water from its trunk or a bird flapping in the breeze through a very literal first-person perspective.

Nintendo Labo kits can be purchased at any gaming retailer and range in price from $40 to $70. The virtual reality kit is set to launch April 12.

Follow Eric Zavinski at twitter.com/EZavinski.