Remember the Wii Wheel? It’s a plastic peripheral that some would rather forget, and others will have fonder memories of. Despite mixed reactions, the wheel was ultimately an integral part of the Mario Kart experience on the Wii. Nintendo strongly marketed the product offering a new way to play, making it an accessory even the most conventional of Mario Kart fans had trouble avoiding, and even going as far as inserting footage of iconic Nintendo characters using the accessory in the opening scene of the Wii iteration of the game.
With the foundations of the Wii Wheel well in place, a new and officially licensed racing wheel has now been revealed for the latest Wii U entry in the series, Mario Kart 8. As can be seen, there are a few adjustments here and there - including the removal of the upper mid-section of wheel to provide a more racing-like look (and hopefully feel), along with some dashing artwork to round it off.
The product (currently standalone only) is available via UK retailer GAME for the preorder price of £10 — including free delivery — and will be released roughly one week prior to the release of Mario Kart 8 on May 20th. There is currently no information regarding the release of the new Mario Kart Racing Wheel elsewhere, or if there will be a bundle deal including the latest Mario Kart game, but to ease the minds of those who are concerned, there should be nothing stopping Mario Kart 8 users from using their existing Wii Wheels. It's just a lump of plastic, after all!
Let us know if you like the lines and styling of the Mario Kart 8 Race Wheel in the comments below, or if you feel that Nintendo should have tried something a little more different this time around.
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[source au.ign.com]
Comments 64
i might get this to replace 2 of the ones that i don't really like (i have 2 white ones and 1 blue & 1 red)
Bah. Motion and waggle stuff just doesn't work in Mario Kart. Gimmie the Gamepad and Pro Controller any day!
No thanks I prefer to use the gamepad or controller for Mario kart the last thing I need is more plastic crap lying around
They should also offer a black one imo. I wouldn't buy it for myself though.
Sold my Wii long ago because I was just so ready to bid the Wii remote centric software like MKWii goodbye. No thank you, I'll be passing around pro controllers this gen. Good riddance wii wheel.
Cool, but I think I'll pass.
the funny thing though. you still saw people with the wheel icon dominating in multiplayer. because while good driving skill is important. no matter if it is pro control or wheel. you are just an item spam away from losing.
Both my parents prefer using the Wii Wheel for MKWii and since we only have one this could be worth picking up. No words on a bundle?
Ugh, thankfully it's a 3rd party trying to cash in on MKWii who is making this, rather than Nintendo being clueless enough to believe people care for plastic shells 8 years later.
Preordering stuff is so overrated, and sometimes straight up nonsense.
I'd be slightly interested if they did one that could fit the motion plus attachments but I think I bought a Classic Controller before MKW was released and only used the wheel on the first day. I'm, quite interest to see how good a wheel the gamepad will be.
I hope the online is closer to MKW than Wii Sports Club. I will find it much harder to get people to play with me if they can't easily go online with their Mii. I expect that Nintendo turning off all their Wii and DS servers is so they can give us the definitive online experience for MK8
I have two Wii Wheels I picked up second hand for use with Need for Speed on Wii U and the Japanese copy of Excite Bots I scored last year. Now that I've got a couple of extra kids who'll want to be playing Mario Kart 8 two more wheels are a must so naturally I'll be getting a couple of the new ones.
I guess Nintendo don't want to keep on spending so much on those blue rings on the back of the Wii Wheels.
I thought mariokart 8 was out may 31st? You say here its our may 20th?
The Wii Wheel is so lame.
Nintendo could have made this a premium item.
They could have made a simple Wii IR camera attachment (either a mirror at one end of the wiimote or a separate IR camera device connected via the dongle) to look in the direction of the sensor bar to provide super sharp steering feedback.
Another overlooked feature is sensory vibration feedback through the wheel. This could easily be achieved through subsonic stereo speakers to give 'road-feel' or 'drivetrain feel' when changing gears or changing engine rpm. This would use little power, weigh little and could double as real stereo speakers.
Looks pretty slick.
@kenzo Sound like good ideas to me- get onto it Nintendo!
I'm sticking to the sticks and buttons thank you very much.
I used the Wheel (Nothing to it playing with buttons unlike say All Stars Racing Transformed). Blasted through the 150cc cup first time with what should have been the hardest character to use. (Doing that having never used the wheel before I should have been into the sides constantly and have to choose an easier character and reduce the cc to 50 never happened.) It was easy enough as it is - no need to make it even easier.
I liked/like Excitebots Trick Racing much more. (Got it when I got a US Wii and wasn't disappointed).
Come on Nintendo, you really think anyone wants another one of those plastic wheels? Not like I'll ever use/buy it, but it still seems kinda lame Nintendo wouldn't make something more worthwhile. I doubt they heard much positive reactions from the Wii Wheel.
I'll probably use the gamepad and buy a few Wii Wheels used from GameStop. They're probably much cheaper.
Eh, I'm better off without one of these. It helped at first (back when Mario Kart Wii was still relevant), but that was only because Mario Kart Wii's motion controls took some adjusting to.
The box says it is a PowerA product license rather than a Nintendo wheel. As it is sold by Game I wonder if you preorder it then they bump up the price on launch like the Brighton store tried with my Lego Movie preorder.
I'm hoping Club Nintendo release a gold one to match the wii one I have lying around somewhere
I've got two Wii Wheels, and I love em. I've always used the Wii Wheel and I still use it all the time. I don't think I would use this though, if I wanted to keep using the motion control I would just stick with MKWii's Wheel, or try out the Gamepad. Looks pretty nice though.
Don't know why people hate the wheel. I love it as well as the motion control.
I already got 2 of the first Wii Wheel so I'm good, unless they also have it bundled with Mario Kart 8, then I'll be a jerk to complain.
Still have the gold one on display. XD
its just a piece of plastic. i got some at the dollar store, in a bag with the tennis racket one, and a few others for a buck.
@CaptainSquid
Love your profile pic
I like the Wii wheel.
Curious to see if the Gamepad will support motion control like the batarang control in Arkham City?
I could use another of those, but I want a black one... I got a black one in the black Wii & Mario Kart bundle I bought a few years ago. But they only sell white ones separately. My Wii U is black, my pro controller is black and all my Wii remotes are black. Why would I want a white one?
Wii wheel is very cute, works great, thing is tiny- plastic clutter? C'mon!
@Mochtroid
Dude, I play Mario Kart Wii exclusively with motion controls and I can race with the best of'em. I'll be looking for ya when Mario Kart 8 comes out.
@Monkeh wii wheel is the best.
@MrGawain Yes, at E3 2013 they showed off gameplay, and one of the control options was to use the Wii U Gamepad as a steering wheel (so essentially same thing as the wheel, but free).
I always just used the wiimote and nunchuck, the wii wheel was ust so awkward feeling to me. I feel the same about the gyro sensors on the 3ds MK7.
With this announcement my anticipation (which was't too high to begin with) has dropped significantly for Mario Kart 8. I would argue Mario Kart Wii was the worst Mario Kart in relation to the time it was released because it was designed for casuals but also because it was designed to compensate for the inaccuracy of using motion control to steer, which meant the race courses in the game were notoriously EASY, FORGIVING, AND BORING.
Not directly related but I'd like Nintendo to stop making Mario Kart games with FAKE stats for characters and race vehicles and not have INVISIBLE stats either. What is the goal in LYING to the players Nintendo?
Um...okay.
I dunno about you guys, but if I want to drive with motion controls, I'll just use the GamePad.
@Marshi In the States, it's out May 30th.
I think I will stick with my old Wii wheel if i do use the motion controls.
No garbage please!
I hope the Pro controller can be used, otherwise I'll stick to the Wiimote and my Wii wheels.
I want a Wheel shell for the GamePad
Eh, i'll pass on this pointless accessory. Not a fan of Power-A accessories.
Crap and £10 is twice the price of the old one!
Too bad you can't use the wavebird. It's either tablet or pro controller for me.
BS... I just use my old one from Mario Kart Wii.
The Wii wheel is my primary controller for MK wii. I know quite a few people dislike it but it works perfect for me. I kinda didn't like the waggling but eh. It looks like a cool addition to a per-order but I already have two.
Is that product actually legit? It doesn't make much sense. You'd think a wheel for Wii U would be made for the gamepad, since that is what makes it a Wii U. It's pretty stupid for Nintendo to make a Wii U steering wheel for a controller that's not even included in the basic SKU.
@Turbo857 what's your friend code on Wii U? I need to stock up on people to race with...
@K-Gamer
My ID is Kevz but I'll supply my friend code as soon as I'm home. If anybody else on here needs people to race with when MK 8 comes out, feel free to add me. And that goes double for those looking for Smash Bros. competition.
@DarkKirby
The motion controls were not inaccurate. You tilt the remote right, you go right. You tilt it left you go left. Not everybody prefers them but I found them to be appropriately sensitive and work really well, as they did in Punch Out Wii, and as they did in Skyward Sword. I find Mario Kart Wii to be the best one and 150cc is as always very challenging.
As a gamer who's played every MK game I don't feel that the Wii edition was dumbed down at all for casuals. The core gameplay of MK was always pick up and play.
@Turbo857 150cc is not at all challenging. (Compare it to the harder tracks in All Stars Racing Transformed on 4*s - like burning depths).
@unrandomsam
That's a matter of opinion. But to be frank, I meant 150cc is very challenging in comparison to 50cc-100cc and in relation to 150cc modes in all other MK games.
All Stars Transformed is a tougher game all around.
I like motion. Always did. Not for everything, obviously, but I think motion adds value to a great many games. The "waggle" accusation is actually just a simple flick of the wrist in most cases, and motion offers so much more variety than that. IR and gyroscope offer precision IR pointer controls and 1:1 motion response. Some games are not cut from the right cloth for motion, but some games truly shine with it in play. While I will be playing Mario Kart 8 with the Gamepad/Pro Controller, I most definitely will be giving it a go with the ol' Wii Wheel too!!!
@micronean
It's not stupid. It's because in multiplayer you need additional controllers, and there is only one gamepad. The gamepad already mimics a wheel of sorts, due to the flat, parallel sides. You can use the gamepad exactly like you would use a Wiimote/Wheel combo. These wheels are for additional players who will be joining in the fun with Wiimotes. No, the Wiimote isn't included in a SKU, but it doesn't have to be. This is an accessory for those that do have Wiimotes. If a person doesn't have Wiimotes, then this isn't for them.
I could barely control the Wii game with this method, its horrible IMO, and for collectible purposes Id only get one if it were black to match all of my Wii U accessories (I even imported a black balance board cover for the same reason)
@Turbo857
Are you claiming the motion controls were equally as accurate or better than using the joystick for Mario Kart Wii?
Did you play Double Dash, Mario Kart 64, or other Mario Kart games before it? Many of the race courses required lots of drifting, had lots of tight turns, featured narrow passageways for some shortcuts. These would make playing with the motion controls pretty difficult, which is why they intentionally made and choose courses without them in Mario Kart Wii.
@DarkKirby
I do indeed claim that I have played all MK games and I do indeed claim that I am much better at MK Wii with the motion controls. There are in fact narrow shortcuts in Mario Kart Wii stages as well especially in some of the retro stages so I question the accuracy of your statement. As with Punch Out Wii, when it comes to MK games I'll never go back to analog control.
I've adapted very well to the motion controls of MK Wii and the steering is simulated very accurately in my opinion. Some reviewers said the motion control sucked and are imprecise in MK Wii, and some said they sucked in Punch-Out Wii. But since I've beaten both games (all modes in each) with motion controls I guess it's safe to say I'm living proof that they work rather effectively. I even slaughtered friends who played against me in DBZ BT3 when I used motion control and they used analog. So if people think motion controls suck, it's simply because they suck using motion controls. It's a play style that they simply haven't learned to adapt to or aren't willing to learn to adapt to. Probably the same people who complained about it in Skyward Sword when they use unnecessary over-exaggerated movements and claimed it exhausted them. They just sucked at it.
However, I can't currently defend the Balance Board movement implementation in Punch-Out. I found that imprecise, but I will be trying out again later.
@Turbo857 Alright, just add me, I'm Brawlman180.
Definitely don't want anymore of these things cluttering up the house, but at least the option is there for those who might.
Love it or hate it, I thnk the original played a big part in making MKW a success.
Now if they could just create a new racing IP for those of us that want something more hardcore that would be great. coughf-zerocough
Dangit, I was hoping for a ginormous round Gamepad dock...
Looks nice.
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