With Nintendo’s latest ‘Labo’ kit for Switch, the company made its first real strides into VR (not counting Virtual Boy). Within only a week of its release, the cardboard VR headset maker-kit is already sold out all over the web in the US and in parts of Europe.
Large online retailers such as Amazon US, Best Buy, Target, Walmart and NewEgg are all sold out of the $80 full set, which includes Nintendo Labo software, VR headset, Wind Pedal, Camera, Elephant, Bird, and Blaster. The cheaper $40 starter set is still in stock almost everywhere, which only includes the headset and attachable blaster.
European standbys such as Germany’s MediaMarkt and Amazon.de, France’s Amazon.fr and Fnac, and the UK’s Currys PC World and Game are all out of stock of the full set as well. If you can’t wait, Italy’s Amazon.it and the UK’s Amazon.co.uk still have availability, both of which ship to many European countries.
In the US, price gougers on Ebay are currently listing pre-order guarantees for around $130 and up, underscoring just how rare Nintendo’s No. 4 Labo VR Kit has become in the days following its release. Most other ‘buy now’ options come from Japan or Korea, of course with their own hefty markups.
We suggest scouring your local big box store for any leftover units that may still be around. If you find any online, make sure to comment and we’ll try to include it in an update here.
Product Description (full set – $80)
The Nintendo Labo: VR Kit includes a variety of creations to Make, Play, and Discover: Toy-Con VR Goggles, Toy-Con Blaster, Toy-Con Elephant, Toy-Con Camera, Toy-Con Bird, and more. Make cardboard controllers called Toy-Con, and then use your creations to play the software’s variety of fun, immersive games. Sharing the fun is as easy as passing Toy-Con creations from one player to the next; there’s no head strap or complicated equipment to get in your way. Interacting with creations translates into in-game actions to create a truly immersive experience—from firing your Blaster to flapping your Bird’s wings—and each creation enhances the sense of immersion with real-world sensations like movement resistance, sounds, and gusts of wind. Discover how your creations work with the Nintendo Switch technology through handy tutorials, and when you’re ready to try making something uniquely yours, use the software’s intuitive, interactive Toy-Con Garage and Toy-Con Garage VR programming tools to explore new ways to play with your creations, invent new ones, and even make your own quick-play VR games!