I can't seem to get how to Power Slide and everything I do makes me go out of control. Can't do turns without sliding off course. Tips?

I don´t remember if it uses the same technique of the GBA version (i don´t play Snes Mario Kart since 15 or more years). When i take a curve a press the accelerate button many times so i can turn with more control. Try it, i think it can help. But many more suggerences are welcome.

That game has the worst controls I've ever seen. It makes it almost unplayable.

Especially considering it came out almost a year after F-Zero, which IMHO, is the better game.

The only help the original instruction manual is going to give you:

Experiment with using the L and R Buttons when turning corners. If you time it just right, you can do a power slide. You'll find it is possible (but difficult) to take sharp corners without letting up on the gas!
B Button + Control Pad + L or R Button -> Tight turn
If your timing isn't quite right, you may slide off the course or even spin out. If you find yourself going out of control, let up on the gas.

In the SNES MK, L/R normally does a (mostly? completely?) useless jump.

@KaiserGX, it's been way too long, since I've played Super Mario Kart. The only thing I can remember is how fun battling was. 3D Pixel Racing is fairly difficult when turning through bends in the track, so I can only give you my strategy for that racer. I find it the easiest to turn sharply into the bend, and begin turning earlier than you think you should be. Brake or deccelerate as you're turning into the bend, and then gradually accelerate as you're about to come out of the turn. That should bring you back up to top speed, by the time you've made your way through the bend.

I used to be able to power slide on the original MK no bother. Used to be a wizard on Rainbow Road, but since more recent and more controllable versions have appeared, I haven't been able to do anything with the original any more. It really does have bad controls.

Tapping accelerate while turning works for me.

I'll try doing that. I just hate how Bowser keeps throwing Fireballs and Mario and Luigi keep using stars even though they never hit an item block. The original hackers of Mario Kart.

Which character are you using?

Koopa, I tried switching to Bowser but I hit a corner... and it takes so long to go back to top speed.

Nope. Its just that if you're familar with the later games you will instinctively attempt to powerslide as you would in those games, which won't work. If Super Mario Kart was your first game, you wouldn't think it had bad controls.

snes mario kart has great controls and the best powerslide of the whole series.
admittedly it is very different from the other karts
but if u take the turns right and bounce off of walls and collect coins
you will get a permanent speed boost that is really noticeable and satisfying.

I believe although I can be wrong since its been a few months since I played this game that as you are going into the corner you have to jump using either the L or R button I general use the button that coincides with the corner ie R if its a right turn L if its left. Once you jump continue holding down the shoulder button while turning into the corner using the left or right button if you are about to hit the wall easy up on the left or right directional button.

No, this was the first Mario Kart game I played back at my aunt's house on her SNES. I didn't like the controls back then and I don't like them now. Mario and Luigi keep using stars every time I am a bout to pass them. All the tricks of power sliding and tapping A don't work when there's a snake fest of a road (they work when the curves are far apart). I bump into one little thing and it send me flying back miles, or I get stuck there for eternity were I might as well give up n the spot. Then the half screen doesn't help either with a mesh of pixelated **** that makes it hard to see what your looking at. All the items hurt me more then they help. It ****ing sucks it ****ing blows it's a piece of **** and I don't like it.

Then dont play it.

Bad controls from a 1992 perspective? Absolutely not.

Bad controls from a nowadays perspective whether you're familiar with it or not, absolutely. Plus the rubber band AI and poor item balancing compliments the bad controls thoroughly.

Rubber band AI? I think that only happens in newer games (you mean how losing players get better power-ups?).
For the most part the "AI" of the original was simply the CPU drivers following a grid that tells them which direction and which speed to turn at each tile on the track. I do agree CPU Mario/Luigi having infinite stars was pretty cheap.

Why not? Trying to play Rainbow Road, I did the first 2 cups in 100cc.

Well @KaiserGX, videogames are supposed to be an enjoyable experience, even if a bit challenging. By your statements above, you don't seem to be enjoying it very much. That's probably why @Tasuki suggested that maybe you shouldn't play it anymore.

I am, even if I think everything is crap. I'm going to reach Rainbow Road!!!