Even At £100, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit Doesn't Come With A Game Card

Makes no difference to me, already have the Luigi version preordered and it looks like its going to be great fun

This was the highlight of the Direct for my son. He's going to love this. The download shouldn't be more than a couple GBs, and really, you're going to have to have home internet for this to work anyway, so buyers shouldn't complain too much about having to download. Plus, I've learned with children and the Switch, the fewer tiny cartridges to go missing, the better.

What has put me off of buying it is living alone in a carpeted apartment.

Gonna be a no from me dawg, I'll be building one with the scraps of my Labo sets.

I can’t really see how this can be successful in many regions. It’s expensive, realistically impractical in many homes, and the price of being able to play multiplayer is a bit mad. Please just give us a traditional Mario Kart 9.

Booooooo!

Double booooooo!

I think it's expensive for what it is, but how many homes would this work in?

Even if my floors worked with the kart I'm not sure how many "courses" I could make with this. Maybe a sad square around a rug but that's it.

I really want this, but Mario Kart is best as a multiplayer game and at £200 for that experience there’s other things I’d want to spend that kind of cash on. So am leaning towards passing on this. If there’s ever a half price sale I’m instabuy. Roll on Black Friday 2021...

It honestly kind of makes sense considering because otherwise they'd have to bundle a card with every kart.

I think that’s good. If everyone can download it for free, it’ll be easy for you to connect your personal Switch to someone else’s Kart for a quick game. Maybe eventually I’ll get more than one Kart so I can play it with any of my friends

again, Nintendo is just making all this stuff that scalpers are drooling over. I bet this is going to sell for up to $500-$1000 once Nintendo implements their usual hardware scarcity.

Always a catch with Nintendo! Cool toy but just a lot of weird decisions that put me off. Would have been great when I was younger.

I won't be buying this. Me living alone in a small apartment. This game isn't for me, but I'm okay with that.

I will most likely resell mine at 3x the price on ebay and go party in Tijuana

I’ll get one, as soon as I get a bigger house

.. and another switch.. and a kid to play it with

Probably those cars stop running after 31st March 2021 11:59:59 PM.

Something no one is talking about is house compatibility.
Mine is all stairs and thick carpet so this won't work.

Doesn’t matter there’s no game card - you’re paying for the software, materials, tech, R&D, brand, Nintendo’s profit, VAT etc... and it seems as though it’s digital-only so they can likely sell the RC cars separately alongside this starter kit at a better price point? It was only revealed yesterday, so there’s likely to be more info released about it over the next 5 weeks or so.

Looking at the price anyway, it’s already <£90 on ShopTo and big hitters like Amazon haven’t waded into the price war yet. It might drop to £85ish if it kicks off. Not too shabby.

Well, there's even less incentive for me to get this then. On top of the pricing, the lack of space, no Yoshi variant, and the concept looking like it will just get old fast, I have basically zero interest in this.

But hey, track editor in Mario Kart! ...kind of! ....that's something, right?

Wow the cost of entry is huge, let alone buying a 2nd switch and kart.
Too bad you couldn't use your existing phone to control the kart?

I really wish they offered a M&L double pack at a slight discount. If they did, I might convince the Misses to get two, but I won’t be able to do it if we need to double dip. Oh well, I’ll still have a blast with one.

@mjharper same here he was so excited. day before my birthday so might treat myself.

If they had other characters would have considered it, but if its download only, no thank you.

Gonna get this for sure! Makes no difference to me. And if they make this compatible with the V.R. headset...you've shrunk yourself down to 6 inches and driving around the house! All that crap under the couch is lost no more!

@San_D : why do I get impression switch pro will release in March 2021?

Lol £200 to play Co op? You can buy a new switch lite for that money, what are they thinking? And to top it off you don't get a game cartridge. And to add injury to insult they charge £50 for 3 old (some really old) ports?
Fingers crossed they have a direct soon and announce zome new games for the holiday season, I'm hoping i can get sunshine singularly on the store aswell

This was the highlight of the direct for me. The price is a bit steep but I pre ordered anyway. The 3d Mario collection can wait...
The fact that the actual game is a download is not an issue, on the contrary.

@Clammy At this point, I don't care about Switch Pro at all.

I think that keeping the software as digital only was the smartest choice, moreso considering that this kit is aimed at kids.

Imagine buying the kart and then not being able to play with it because you lost the cartridge. It would become a $100 paperweight.

This is the kind of game I would love as a kid. Seeing how I'm not a kid though, and my all-carpet apartment probably won't work with this, I'm going to have to pass. I still think it's neat though.

I was upset at first but after thinking about it i realized this is the better decision since kids wouldn't be able to play with their toy if they loose the game card and selling a physical copy without the AC kart bundle would be unconventional. In this case, digital is better and the software is free which makes up for the steep price, unfortunately it might also mean is low budgeted so we shouldn't expect to much from the game visuals and sounds (specifically since there were no voice clips in the trailer, just some cartoony sfx)

So in less than a decade these will all just be useless models. Great, more garbage.

I doubt it is as fun as it seems.
Also, why do I need a real cart running around my living when all I am going to look at the whole time is at my Switch's screen?

If it's a free download, no problem at all.
The most useless thing in my shelf is the LABO cartridge – after the toys are assembled, you cant even resell the game and thats the only reason for buying physical media these days,

I wonder how much this will sell.

On one hand, it is a device that requires a decently large space to play and may get repetitive really quickly. Also, being $100 makes it the most expensive hardware accessory ever on a Nintendo platform (Wii Fit + the Wii Fit Balance Board retailed at $90).

On the other hand, Mario Kart is a huge brand and this looks like a great Christmas gift for kids. Ring Fit Adventure being a huge hit proves that expensive hardware accessory-based games can still sell well in this day and age.

I don't ser this selling better than labo to be honest although you never know with the Mario kart branding... Is too expensive and toys to life was a fad

@JimmySpades You can probably play it outside in portable mode. I can definitely imagine that some kids will do that. Hopefully the cars will work outside.

I thought of getting it, but after thinking i will probably be bored of it after 30 mins as it's more of a kids toy than a game.
In reality it's not much more than a overpriced remote controlled car.

At least it's great AR usage.

Nintendo is always innovating, and this MK is not the exception. This is a great idea for kids (and adults) to get entertained while on quarantine. But if Ring Fit got a physical release with a game card, why this one doesn't?

The cool Carrera RC Mario Kart cost 70€, so taking into account the camera it is not a bad price.

You cab check out the Carrera RC licenses version here (which has been out for a while): https://www.carrera-toys.com/es/product/370162107-24ghz-mario-karttm-mario-race-kart-con-sonido

I don't really care that much about game cards. The biggest plus with physical games is that you can sell them on if you wish to. As this software is a free download for anyone, you can still sell the kart on if you get bored with it.

@carlos82 Same, Luigi version all the way. A mate of mine has ordered the Mario version. Can't wait for the 2 player battles on games nights.

@Yosher "track editor"
Thanks, now I'm imagining Mario Kart Maker

It's just an expensive toy for rich kids with big houses. 😄 Can't see it being a big seller.

@Shamrock have you prices good RC cars? Yea those with a camera and the other features alone is worth more than 100

Not for me. Especially at £100!

Way I see it is, you could either have a game card and a higher price tag, or the same price with a game card but the camera is of much lower quality.

3DS cameras were not great quality. Hopefully for the cost and tech, you're getting a pretty nice cam.

Let's face it, this is a 20 minute novelty aimed at kids (which makes the price even worse tbh). You can probably get an entry level RC car for less and it'll be way better quality than this one. There's probably not much depth to the game. It's pretty cool the mushrooms affect the real kart, but no powersliding, no hover boosts or flying. Plus, who has such a big living space with a hard floor to take advantage of it?? Not a not of people. It's a no from me, if I was 10 I'd be all over it but I'd love to try it out in a shop or something. It's a really interesting idea that shows how technology has progressed but like I said, the novelty would wear off after a few goes.

In 10 or 15 years the only problem will be unusable karts for the shelf. Nobody knows how long Nintendo will keep the eShop for Switch online. But nobody wants to hear that or think about what happens to the countless eShop purchases if their own switch or microSD card breaks in 20 years and the Switch eShop has been offline for a long time and you cannot download your purchases again. With Nintendo Games in particular, old titles will still be in demand for years to come.

Some really miserable people in here today, Nintendo come up with a great new innovative way to play Mario Kart which looks a lot of fun and so many just complain (not those who haven't got space or have a carpet)

@blockfight Its gonna be awesome, I'm lucky having just moved house. My old place would have been no good but my new house is all laminate, I've got double doors between the living room and my games room so have plenty of space

This looks cool but I just want a real Mario Kart sequel, it's been years since 8 first hit Wii U and all we've had since is a port, a mobile game and this.

I want the option to resell if it I get bored of it... But a free download works for me too.

@Shamrock I'd like it if they had more characters. My wife and daughter would be more interested in Princess Peach.

I imagine it's just a free download from the eShop. It would kill the toy's chance on the second hand market otherwise, surely.

Either way I don't have enough room for this, which is a shame. Looks kinda fun.

Not for me, it looks over priced for what it is. I can't imagine anyone would ever get 50 hours of playtime on this thing before the novelty of it wears off. So it costing $200 will just make it all a big loss of money if you calculate game time played by how much money you spend (1 hour = 1 dollar) - using that measurement to see if a game is worth it would make this game a terrible choice.

I’m just over here watching people over the age of 9 years old proclaiming the results of their consideration over whether or not to purchase the Mario RC car game for...themselves.

The free download is smart, but 100€ is way too much for the little Kart. No thanks Nintendo, the game looks cool, but that's way too expensive for a game that will most likely won't have much lasting appeal.

People keep saying "no time to play at home" or "no extra cash" for only having a Switch.

But then somehow have - time & money - for random super expensive stuff, that you can only play at home 🤷‍♂️

Anyway, for $200 I can get Dirt5, an actual racetrack for the little ones, Flowers for the Mrs... and still have enough for Pizza and Disney+

Happy home 😉

@Ulysses You are welcome.

@Shamrock Unfortunately, I can't pre-order the 3D Collection with cash. All I have is cash.

@Skeletor1979 In 10 or 15 years time, when Nintendo have stopped supporting the Switch, I can't imagine it'll be too tricky to get hold of software you can no longer download for it and make it work - as with every other Nintendo console in the past.

This looks absolutely brilliant, but my interest went from 100% all in on both karts to zero when I zoomed in to the fine print and noticed that a cartridge is not included. I refuse to buy a console game tied to physical toys that doesn't come with a physical copy of the game. It makes no bloody sense to not include one. Once the Switch eShop goes kaput and if something happens to the console, then the toys are useless as well.

It's a real shame because this is the sort of wild concept you would only see on a Nintendo console, but unless the Japanese release includes a cartridge (which I strongly doubt), I'm afraid this is a pass from me.

If, however, the price plummets (as Labo have been available for dirt cheap at times) then I will reconsider, but I won't be investing AU$300 in this.

And? Physical media is pretty much the domain of collectors at this point. The collectible here is the damn car.

Who cares? Having too download isn't the issue you should be focused on. What should be the focused on is that this thing is half the price of the switch for multiplayer. 200$ for two is crazy expensive. This over Mario Kart the actual game on the Switch would of been way better for me

I can't help but feel this is simply going to be strictly a cult status thing really.

I mean for probably 80% of people this is just going to be a no no straight off the bat, simply because of their living rooms uncompatibility with it. (unless the karts work on flawlessly on carpet?)

I mean, is it going to have the depth of a full fat Mario Kart title? (I seriously doubt it) I mean how will the power slide work? If it does actually turns out to be a full fat Mario Kart experience. Well then I'll seriously consider it. (I've wooden flooring)

I've absolutely no doubt their will be a selection of hardcore fans out there with the space and suitable flooring designing custom courses, and building dedicated track spaces for it, and I'll be honest, I really hope it works out! As it could be genuinely amazing if executed properly. If this was any other company even attempting this sort of thing, I'd immediately dismiss it. But if anybody can get this to work, then it's definitely Nintendo.

Fair play to them for even attempting it.

Includes special toys... yeah, this is more comparable to toys-to-life games, but it's good that the game will be instantly avaliable. A price comparison with these games could help.

I'm just more interested on the track creation

My 10 year old self would have loved this, and the lack of another pointless card (it's probably going to be like a gig or two anyways) is a plus in my book. Not having kids and only so much free space, I don't think I'll pick it up though, maybe at a discount at some point. It's a really, really neat idea, that I hope works well in practice. Kids all around will love this if it does. Hell, I might still pick one up for my niece in a year or two when she is old enough to appreciate it!

@mr_benn
Yes with retail games, but it would be new to me that you get the download only titles for DSi Ware and 3DS illegally for hacked DSi and 3DS. And that's what it's all about, the download only titles. Apart from that, if you have bought countless titles legally, you will at some point just have to get them illegally via a hacked switch. In Germany, for example, illegal downloading is a more severely punished offense than shoplifting.

No interested unless there's Yoshi. Knowing Nintendo, other characters will come later.

@Skeletor1979 Totally agree with what you're saying. Essentially, you reach a point with the downloadable stuff that once the servers are shut off, your only choice is to hack your console and download. If you're so inclined, WiiWare is a pretty easy thing to manage, DSiWare is a bit more of a pain.

@JimmySpades I live in a forest, not the best environment for this kind of thing either (but I wouldn't trade it for anything that isn't a larger forest with a river in it), and I don't live alone, but the dogs won't play with this as intended I'm afraid.

@Damo I think with that "clearly readable" boxart, the NL image has a bit too much JPEG blurriness, making it not so clear.
Even checking the high-res image on the source site, it's still barely readable.

@EmirParkreiner But at an asking price of a hundred dollars (even more so pounds), you'd think Nintendo could afford to spend a few for the game card.

Its basically "toys to life" something that has died of a bit. But this being Mariokart I can see it sell well. I personally hope we will see a new Mariokart someday, preferably with lots of different Nintendo characters and tracks. Mariokart allstars. This toys to life thing isn't for me, even if it looks cool.

Well, at least I had the amazing Crash team racing: Nitro fuelled recently. Lets hope we will see a true, new Mariokart in the future!

I don't see a problem with this. Cartridges are a pain in the arse anyway. I think it will be massive.

This looks really cool if you have the space, but I wish it had online matches.

I’m pretty sure the idea is for each kid to ask Santa for one for Christmas and then they can play against each other and their parents/grandparents are going to watch the trailer and go into “whoah that’s super rad” mode just like my daughter’s grandfather did. Again, y’all discussing about “$200 for ‘co-op’ “ got some serious issues...
Then again, I don’t wet my pants when I see gawdy IP skinned special edition controllers, plastic figurines and Nintendo themed garments, so perhaps I’m just not one with the “fandom”. 💅