That warm, fuzzy feeling
Right from the moment that Nintendo Labo got announced I had this feeling that it might just turn into something awesome. Sure, the functionality that it brings isn't world-shattering. As the fine article rightly points out, Lego (and others) have been there already.
The biggest innovation Labo brings is that it's _cheap_. This enables the children who get a Labo kit to start glancing at all this wonderful cardboard, rope and tape lying around the house and beginning to picture their own creations, reusing a Labo kit or taking inspiration from it.
Compare this to Lego Mindstorms and kin, which when all comes down to it, is rather dull. The contraptions you can build with it are fairly limited, you're not going to build a grub-stumping robotic exoskeleton with it any time soon. Buying additional Lego kits is expensive, and as I have noticed over the past years, Lego has become less about 'here's a pile of bricks, make something with it' and more of a 'here's a design, build it according to the instructions' kind of thing.
It's hard to beat the cost, flexibility and wide availability of cardboard here. Want to repair or extend something? Just grab that cardboard Amazon box before your dad throws it into the bin and scurry off with it like a prized possession before turning it into another marvelous invention.
The parents will no doubt also appreciate the lack of constant pestering for $200+ Lego kits by their offspring :)