Weirdness: You Can Play and Win in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Without Touching the Controller

So good the game plays itself! Don't try this at home kids!

Those options aren't in online matches, right...?

This is great for little ones

Luigi Wins By Doing Absolutely Nothing

Can we send this back in time to witty YouTube folks "reviewing" FFXIII?

LOL
Auto Play... XD

@Som64 Death stares count as doing something you know....

@Marxally
Auto Play for Online Play ?
Cheeta... I mean , Cheater.

Well that is delightful

This is huge for me. I used to really dislike playing with my young sons because I would finish a race and then wait for ten or so minutes while they repeatedly drove backwards until they finally gave up in frustration. At that point, I'd take their controllers and do all three laps for them. Cups would take an hour each doing this.

I'm really excited!

Wow. My 3 year old son loves playing games with me, but the only things he can really play are SSB, Rayman Legends (he's Murfy), and Kirby's Epic Yarn. Just like @Mechageo , when I've tried playing MK8 with him, it gets to be too frustrating for me. Sounds crazy, but this may just be a reason for me to re-buy the game!

Oh great, once again Nintendo is making a feature designed for fetuses.

I can understand the positive side of this if you are a parent and you wanna play with your kid but if he or she can't find the track, I don't think they are old enough to play videogames in the first place. Just wait a few years like I did with my cousins and they'll be ready for MK9. Also I have a feeling that if my cousins used this feature and still lost to me, they'd be mad. Oh well, all kids are different and I most certainly don't know your kids so who am I to judge or tell you what to do.

Smart Steering doesn't allow you to do the ultra drift, and stops you from taking shortcuts!

Reminds me of that level in Star Fox Zero and the Luigi SSB Wii U video where you win by doing nothing.

You're fooling nobody Alex. We all seen what you did.

Such an inclusive feature for kids and people with disabilities. I am sure there will be some Donald Grumps suggesting they dumbed the game down allowing foetuses to play it.

Finally a mode made for me. Yep I suck at Mario Kart.

@GoldenGamer88 Hope you have protective armor ready. Here you can borrow my flame shield. You are going to need it.

@Ryu_Niiyama Lol, thanks, I'm aware.

@GoldenGamer88 well then Im a fetus I guess. I mean I can play the 50cc and the 150cc but the 250cc and when is mirror well I suck at that.

Cue the whining of the under-25 YouTube generation; saying it's a 'feature designed for fetuses' or something selfish like that...

(loads shotgun) Now I know no one here said anything like that...

@yuwarite I know right! I like this mode because now I can play with friends at 250cc and actually finish in a decent place. Lol!

@Anti-Matter
Are you calling me a cheater? I don't want to use that baby-like function and I don't want to play against people using that neither.

I'm yet another person excited for this so that I can play with my kids more easily. Between that and battle mode, totally worth a rebuy. Not to mention I'll actually have others to play with...unlike on Wii U.

Must've been all those stability updates.

Coming soon, the Beat a Game button, as foretold by the Angry Videogame Nerd.

@kingc8 Yes, you might even be able to beat him now.

I have some neices and nephews who want to play on my switch but are godawful at any game, honestly this feature is pretty welcomed for me at least

@Jessica286 I'm not sure this feature will be as effective and useful on harder difficulties as it is on 50cc cup. To tell the truth I think it shouldn't

This is perfect for us lazy people. Now I need a machine that breathes for me. We're so much closer to the Wall E life style.

Well, there's a new horse race to bet on.

Mario Kart arcade does this too, actually. Watched a kid swipe his card, leave before the race even started, and still came in 1st.

At least on this version, that's likely only possible on 50cc, and even then on a simple course. Even the AI had trouble staying on the track period at 200cc on the Wii U.

@Marxally You would absolutely lose badly if you tried to depend on this online instead of just racing the AI on easy mode (notice he also said in the video that he got last place every time on the harder difficulties), but regardless, both the assisted steering and acceleration can be allowed or disallowed in online tournaments according to Nintendo back when it was first announced.

That's ridiculous. I don't care if it's for kids. I was a kid, and I got good at Mario Kart just by playing. That's the fun of it x_x

I know people are making fun of its inclusion, but as a quadripelegic this actually might make the game playable for me.

I understand offering assists for newcomers, but this is just stupid.

@Jessica286 Wait... what? When did 250cc mode come out? Did I miss something? jk

Love this, actually. Kids are good enough now (daughter beats me in Fast RMX), but Mario Kart has been a frustration for them when they were little.

And they were able to play many other types of games just fine. The idea of looking to the horizon to steer just seems too difficult for them to grasp and their reaction time wasn't great either, so they wait until they see that wall of a corner coming close and then turn way too late.

@GoldenGamer88 "so who am I to judge or tell you what to do." Yep.

@ThePirateCaptain

A quadraplegic?!

I'm angry. Blah blah blah blah, reaction to the article.Blwrghhhhh.

Nintendo continues to borrow from Western game design, I see.

@Jessica286 its all about the drifts

People used to complain that Mario Kart games didn't contain enough options. Now they're complaining that there are too many. I don't need or want this feature so it shouldn't exist. That's my healthy world view.

@yuwarite Maybe people should try getting good at a game, instead of the game holding their hand the entire time while playing it. The point in losing is not to make you feel bad about yourself, but to motivate you to do better.

This will be a nice feature for especially young players and their families. I have no doubt that anybody seeking to improve their skills past a certain point, or wanting to participate in the more competitive online components or single-player modes, will graduate beyond the feature once they're ready. The more options, and the most inclusive a title is, the better as far as I'm concerned.

@Som64
Luigi Death Stare AND Luigi Wins by doing Absolutely Nothing........

... in the SAME GAME?!?!?!?!?

You got me, Nintendo. I'll buy it again. For Luigi!!!!!!!!

can now legitimately let my cousins and nieces/nephews play this by themselves now

@LuckyLand yeah totally shouldn't but with this I'll not fall over ever again in 200cc which is a plus for me.

@brutalpanda believe me I try!!!

I just realized Diddy Kong is not in this game... but we have Pink Gold Peach and Metal Mario...

I don't get all the negativity, this feature is clearly aimed at kids under 5. If you don't need it, so what, it's not like you're forced to use it.

As others have said, this is a mode clearly designed for children who would otherwise be terrible at the game.

I think this really says everything about how basic 50cc is, though!

Disgusting.

Kids played mario kart just fine in the 90's.

Stupid games for an increasingly stupid generation.

Now jingle key design is no longer a metaphor.

@dizzy_boy 100% agree this has now been preordered for the simple reason my 4 year old little girl can play as well. A great idea so everyone can play in the family even our cat.

You have it? So, when does the review come?

Awesome to know our little one can have a little fun with us. Super Mario Kart was one of my first games after all.

@Marxally
Hi, relax.
I was joking about saying "Cheater" to you.
I typed Cheeta... suddenly I changed Cheater, based on one of Fairly Odd Parents episode that shown the Cupid punish the Cheater with Real Cheetah.
I'm so Sorry if you insulted.

@kingc8 my thoughts exactly lol. My son turns 4 in May and he loves games, but he's horrible at them.

@TNGYM
Stupid What ?!
Just because it has "Auto-Pilot" feature inside, it doesn't mean the game will make the kids become lazy and stupid.
There were another games featured "Auto-Play" also (Guitar Freaks & DrumMania PS2, BeatMania IIDX PS2). You can set the songs being "Auto-Play" but.... You Will NEVER Able Save your Score (Your Perfect Score will be NOT saved). That's the consequences to make it fair.

Maybe one day I will finally be able to say the words "You have to use your hands? That's like a baby's toy!"

@memoryman3
Ah... I see.
Smart Steering = Auto Grip minus Mini Boost.

@AlwaysGreener Maybe you should try viewing the scenario from the perspective of parents with young kids, people with disabilities, etc. Not everyone is you. Understand?

@GrailUK The possibility of inclusion reminds me of this story.

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/08/say_what_you_will_about_nabbit_but_hes_helped_a_blind_girl_enjoy_games

People poo pooing this are really a bunch of sad sacks.

It's only useful in 50cc other sites are claiming you will get rekt in any other. I'm the oldest of 6, the youngest always want to be involved, this is perfect. Claiming that it dumbs the game down when it's optional is just plain stupidity.

You have to use your hands? That's like a baby's toy!

Laughed so hard at 57 points and 2 stars. Nice one Alex. The toddlers are going to love this, as will The Miller Report.

Fingers crossed these assists are off by default though.

@freaksloan - It's like the people that rant against the casual modes in Fire Emblem (although Phoenix mode is a bit much admittedly)... play on the correct difficulty for you.

I play many action RPGs on crazy hard difficulty because I'm a Diablo, Torchlight, Fate, Sacred, Titan's Quest, Victor Vran, Alien Syndrome, and Gauntlet fanatic.

I play fighting games on easy because even though I've been playing them since Killer Instinct and Street Fighter 2 on SNES, I still suck at them!

I'm disgusted by the whiny elitist attitudes by some of the commenters here who have completely missed the point of why this feature exists in the first place. This feature is not designed for you, so get over yourselves. I have wanted options like this in games for years because I'm mindful of that crazy little notion that hey, not all people are of equal ability, even when it comes to frivolous hobbies like this.

There was a similar feature in a Mario Kart clone in the 90s, funnily enough (called Wacky Wheels) that would accelerate for you, and the player would only need to steer the car in the right direction. It was called "Kid Mode" and it was restricted to single-player mode only, and so it did not accomodate multiple players of variable ability. Mario Kart goes that one step further so that anybody can play, regardless of their ability. I'm thrilled that this feature covers acceleration as well so that literally anybody can play. Even a blind person can just throw items at others in lieu of following the track! I think Nintendo are completely mad for not publicising this feature more prominently as this is the sort of thing that could bring back the Wii crowd.

Absolutely brilliant. I love this feature so much and I hope that Nintendo will incorporate similar features into some of their other games in future. Can't wait for April 28th!

Looks like we can see who the real triggered snowflakes are.

More options for more people is more better. It's not like you have to use them yourself.

Reminds me of kirby air ride. It was auto accelerate and had a handicap. I played it with my young daughter and turned the handicap for her to max. She beat me almost all the time without me having to let her win.

@sillygostly
Even Handicap people (Especially Blind) can play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with Smart Steering ?
Wow...

It's a good feature, but I hope it's not in the online mode enabled.

Smart business move, get kids hooked younger

I'm hoping the framerate issues are just down to the YouTube video. Also, it's weird that they removed the fake sponsor logos from the loading screen.

@kingc8 It's much better they figure it out themselves, as MK8 already had excellent motion controls.

My son was 3 at the time MK8 released (now 5 and half) and he figured out the motion controls within a couple weeks and manage to reach 1st place in the 50cc cups, unlocked everything on his own the months after.

He felt immensely proud of himself and the accomplishments.

Soon after, he started trying out Splatoon when he was around 4 and half years old. About 6 months in he was rank B+ (almost rank A- ) on his own in ranked matches. Also thanks to the excellent motion controls in Splatoon.

Again. He felt immensely proud of himself and his accomplishments.

Full autoplay looks good at first, but it doesn't teach young kids anything, other than getting instant gratification with no effort.
They will learn that everything is handed to them with no effort and will not be interested in any challenge anymore.

Learning your young kids to master the motion controls is good for them to develop coordination and their motoric skills.

Just my 2 cents.

PS. Me too I hope it's for local only and not possible to use in Online matches, as it's too easily abused and would ruin the game in Online. :-/

Thing is, when the person using this feature is actually playing, all that zig zagging will compensate for the assistance.

@Steel76 Sigh. If they are young and using the steering motion controls, then this is nothing more than stabilisers while they develop their motor skills.

Perfect for my son. He's only 2 and can't quite get the hang of accelerating and steering at the same time

Now I can bring an AI player with me to online matches!

I could see that being useful if you need to pause in the middle of an online race but don't want to exit the match.

Funny how the people complaining about "this whiny generation" are actually the ones whining here.

Take a good look in the mirror sometime.

But, but, but... he didn't win!

@yuwarite Well I apologise if I struck a nerve with you. Everyone has an opinion whether you people consider it selfish or not. Though I commend Nintendo's attribute for having this feature, so that everyone can play, but you fail to understand that some players will just use this feature and never try to better themselves in terms at getting better at the game.

I think something people miss with features like this is that by adding these modes it allows the challenge to be maintained for the more skillful players.

It's like the Golden Tanooki Suit in Super Mario 3D World. The base game can stay as intense because features like these help players through the courses. Which is preferable to dumbing down the level design or FLUDD's jetpack in Sunshine where platforming is trivialised by default.

I don't see the fuss, Sonic games have been doing this for 20 years 😃

In my opinion an option that makes a game playing itself is not inclusive at all. It is playing in your place, there is no point in options like this one imho. I think an easier game for less skilled player is better than this.
I have nothing against such an option, I always play Mario Kart offline and usually in single player mode, I just won't use it and I will enjoy the game as I always have in the past, it's just that I don't understand it when you can just make different games properly playable for people with zero skills or experience.
I think Snipperclips is exceptional in this regard: I had a lot of fun playing it in single player mode, then I tried it with a friend of mine who was not able to play any other console game I showed him before (he's older than me he is not used to this kind of things) and he was as good as me with Snipperclips

@-DG And Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, and Gold Mario. Such variety

Cool. My buddy who is absolutely terrible at racing games can play now.

@AlwaysGreener "some players will just use this feature and never try to better themselves in terms at getting better at the game."

^ This is a very weak thing to get upset about. Why does it bother you how people play a game they paid for? It's not going to affect you, and I doubt you'd lose to anyone using it. Furthermore, how do you know everyone who uses the feature will use it forever? Perhaps for some, it's just a set of training wheels until they can master the game without the need for it; otherwise, it's just there for people who need it.

@yuwarite It could be training wheels, however there is a possibility of people who'll just use it forever. I mean you were the guy who called everyone under 25 the whining generation. The reason i'm bothered by this is that there might be a possibility of such a thing, however the only one who's upset here is you my friend, since I just stated my opinion and my opinion only.

@AlwaysGreener "however there is a possibility of people who'll just use it forever." Well, what can I say, other than that's both an unfounded and selfish thing to worry about. I would rather thank the developer for going out of their way to implement this feature than find a strawman to complain about it.

@yuwarite I except your stance on the feature, honestly I do, but people have the right to state their opinion whether you consider it selfish or not. Having a cautious mind is better then having a naive one. Whether you consider it my only consternation weak or not, it's my opinion take with a grain salt if you really have to. Though as I said before it's not a bad feature, I still have the right to speak out my concerns, if someone can't except someone else's opinion then they're just as selfish. It's ironic how we're complaining about people complaining, but I feel this conversation has run it's course. I hope you do not feel ill-will towards me because of this argument for I do not have anything against you. Thank you for keeping this argument civil and have a good day.

@AlwaysGreener "but people have the right to state their opinion whether you consider it selfish or not."

Yeah, I consider it selfish, because I too have a right to voice my opinion of someone else's opinion.

"if someone can't except someone else's opinion then they're just as selfish."

No. If I disagree with an opinion, I'm not going to accept it. Would you accept the opinions of a Bigot, for example? No, so that logic doesn't make sense.

Otherwise, no hard feelings, and to be fair, you weren't the person I was even referring to in the first place.

I keep wanting to like the stories on this website, but stories like this keep popping up. Not properly researched or even shown in a realistic scenario. So what smart steering won a 50cc match. You can lap the cpu easily in 50cc with moderate skill level. Smart steering couldn't even get 1st place. How is this even a real story? I don't think you could have presented a more misleading title. How is 50cc considered winning the game.

How about an objective test that shows all modes to include online? Article destroyed, because it has been done and you cannot win with smart steering on any mode beyond easy. It only exists to help out children and those with a handicap. If you don't like it, ignore all Nintendo games, because they will continue to add features like this that allow children to enjoy their games without effecting your experience at all. Stop being an elitist and trying to change a game feature based purely on your opinion of how a game should be played. It doesn't effect you and as such, you shouldn't be triggered sjws.