Turn your living room into a one-of-a-kind ‘Mario Kart’ level October 16th.
In celebration of the historic 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., Nintendo surprised fans yesterday with a Mario-focused Nintendo Direct presentation, revealing a handful of upcoming Nintendo Switch games featuring everyone’s favorite Goomba-stomping plumber.
The award for the most exciting announcement, however, goes to Mario Kart: Home Circuit, a one-of-a-kind racing experience that combines RC cars with augmented reality to convert your living room into a virtual racetrack. Developed in partnership with New York-based indie game studio Velan Studios, players use their Nintendo Switch device to control one of two physical RC cars as they race against digital enemies throughout their real-world environments.
A camera mounted to the top of each RC car lets you view the action from a third-person perspective, just like in the game. Using a set of physical gates you’ll have the ability to customize the layout of your racetrack as you race against virtual competitors brought to life on-screen using some type of AR technology. Players can collect digital power-ups, both new and old, which can be used to alter the track and slow down other racers, offering the same level of high-speed chaos you’ve come to expect from a Mario Kart title.
“We invented the initial mixed reality hardware and game prototype to really nail the exhilaration of racing in the real world with the play and feel of a video game,” said Velan chief executive Karthik Bala while speaking to VentureBeat. “We showed the experience to Nintendo and were thrilled they saw its potential. That started a wonderful multi-year creative collaboration, which became Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit. We can’t wait to see the creative ways fans play when they race around their own creations as Mario and Luigi.”
According to Nintendo, Mario Kart: Home Circuit launches October 16th on Nintendo Switch. You’ll have the choice between two models—Mario and Luigi—available for $100 each. Each racetrack supports up to four players locally at one time.
In addition to this AR-powered racer, Nintendo also announced Super Mario 3D All-Stars—a compilation release featuring Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy— as well as Super Mario 3D World Deluxe, and Super Mario Bros. 35—a battle royale-style multiplayer experience.
Image Credit: Nintendo
