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Nintendo reveals surprise real-life Mario Kart game, plus 3D Mario All-Stars
- Nintendo revealed a surprise new game today called Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit.
- The Nintendo Switch title enables you to race real-life RC cars through custom tracks in your home.
- The company also announced a new Mario All-Stars compilation and a few more Mario-related releases.
To celebrate the thirty-fifth anniversary of Mario (wow, we’re old), Nintendo pulled out all the stops today announcing some brand new games. The first is absolutely bonkers: a real-life Mario Kart game in which you race remote-controlled cars on custom tracks in your own home.
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit comes with either a Mario or Luigi RC cart. You set up a track in whatever formation you like throughout your home and then, using your Nintendo Switch console, race that kart while viewing an AR experience on the Switch’s display. It’s like building your own real-life Mario Kart game!
The video above does a terrific job of explaining the whole premise without any dialog at all. In a word, it looks awesome and perfect for kids (and adults) trapped at home.
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
The new Mario Kart game will launch on October 16, 2020, with a retail price of $99.99. That gets you either a Mario or Luigi kart and the AR game download. There will be additional course materials available as well, although Nintendo is mum on those details at the moment.
The game will support local multiplayer, too. Of course, you’ll need at least two karts for that to work. But think of how fun it would be to race around little Mario and Luigi karts in your living room and see them flying by in real life while simultaneously playing a cool new Mario Kart game? Worth it!
Super Mario 3D All-Stars
Nintendo didn’t just have Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit to announce. It also revealed the long-rumored new entry in the All-Stars compilation series that focuses on the most prominent 3D Mario games.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars will feature enhanced ports of the Nintendo 64 classic Super Mario 64, the Nintendo GameCube classic Super Mario Sunshine, and the Nintendo Wii classic Super Mario Galaxy. Unfortunately, it will not include the excellent sequel to that last title for some reason. The list price will be $59.99.
Related: The best Nintendo Switch accessories
All three games will have enhanced controls that will best-utilize elements of the Switch, although it’s not quite clear how that will exactly work yet. The compilation arrives on September 18, 2020, and will only be available for six months before Nintendo will retire sales.
Even more Mario
Nintendo is also, today, re-releasing the original Super Mario All-Stars on the Switch. It’s exclusive for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers — you can find it in the SNES retro console.
There’s also a brand new game called Super Mario Bros. 35 which pits 35 players simultaneously against each other. Similar to Tetris 99, this online multiplayer experience will require a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. The game will be active starting October 1, 2020, and then stop working on March 31, 2021.
Finally, Nintendo will also port the Wii U game Super Mario 3D World to the Switch. However, this will be a standalone game and not part of the All-Stars compilation. It will be an enhanced port, with the official title Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury. That game will land on February 12, 2021.