Nintendo’s Mario Kart theme park ride ‘will use AR goggles’

Nintendo’s Mario Kart theme park ride will feature AR goggles and cars that can ‘drift’ around corners, according to a new report.

Theme Park Shop reports that the Mario Kart Ride, which is set to appear in all iterations of Universal Studios’ upcoming Super Nintendo World, will feature several locations from the Mario Kart games.

According to the publication, passengers on the ride will pass through locations such as Rainbow Road, a haunted house, volcano and more, while game characters will appear to ride alongside them.

The entrance to the ride will be based on Bowser’s castle, it’s claimed, with visitors queuing though several familiar game locations including a portrait gallery, library, courtyard and more. Later in the queue there will be a “training area” with trophies from the Mario Kart series.

Each ride car will hold four passengers – two in the front and two in the back – and run alongside a second track with other passengers, creating the illusion of a race.

The ride will utilise LED screens, projection mapping and moving objects to create an impression that passengers are travelling faster than they actually are, it’s claimed.

Most significant is the suggestion that the ride could utilise augmented reality goggles, with passengers able to collect and use items from the Mario Kart series on other users.

At the end of the ride, visitors would then be able to compare their score to other passengers.

It’s suggested that the ‘karts’ will also have some movement abilities, such as ‘drifting’ around corners and spinning when hit by items.

Japan’s Super Nintendo World theme park at Universal Studios Japan will open in spring 2020, in time for the 2020 Olympic Games.

Initially, the park will feature two rides: Super Mario Kart and Yoshi’s Adventures, Universal Parks & Resorts CEO Tom Williams revealed at a media conference on Thursday (attended by Attractions Magazine).

“It’s the best, and we’ve tested them all, and they’re killers. It’s a great lineup. It takes it to the whole next level. It’s gonna redefine what a park experience is like. It really is special,” said Williams when asked about the land’s attractions.

Williams also revealed a new, yet unannounced interactive element for the land will involve magnetic bracelets that guests can use to interact with the land’s environment.

Guests will be able to track their “scores” gained through interactions and rides, said Williams, and this scorekeeping will interface “back with your game console so you can build on it and come back again.”

It’s not yet clear how this system would work, but it could involve some kind of Nintendo Switch app.