As the name implies, split-screen allows for two karts to be connected to a single Switch with two feeds displayed on the screen at once. Relay Race is a new co-op mode where players take turns driving and must compete against Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings. Other new content includes the Luigi Cup for Grand Prix, which unlocks two new Environments and three new Gate Types in Course Creation.

Also, if the player fulfills certain conditions in the new Cup, they can unlock the Poltergust G-00 and Spooky Horn for their kart. Check out the full patch notes below for more details.

Ver. 2.0.0

Additional Features

• Luigi Cup was added to Grand Prix. Fulfill certain conditions in Luigi Cup to acquire two new Environments and three new Gate Types to use in Course Creation.
• The POLTERGUST G-00 and SPOOKY HORN have been added to Kart Customization in game. Acquire them by fulfilling certain conditions in Luigi Cup.
• Relay Race was added to Multiplayer. This is a cooperative mode where up to four players take turns driving one kart, playing as Princess Peach, Toad, Yoshi, and Mario / Luigi (depending on the kart used) against Bowser Jr., and the Koopalings. Enough controllers to match the number of players is required to play Relay Race.
• Split Screen was added to Multiplayer. Connect two karts to one Nintendo Switch console, to play together at the same time. The video feed from the karts will be divided onto the screen, allowing two feeds to be displayed at once.
• Playing Split Screen requires two karts, and two Joy-Con, or Pro controllers.

General Fixes

• Adjustments made to enhance the play experience of the game.

The three new courses are Slip Circuit, which adds oil spills to the mix; Barrel Temple, which adds Donkey Kong barrels on the track; and Fossil Field, which features hot-air geysers that can push players off-course if they get caught. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is an augmented reality spin-off of the genre-defining kart racer, where players can build courses and race on them using a real-life remote-controlled racing kart.

It’s been over 4 years since Mario Kart 8: Deluxe released, and fans are still clamoring for an update on the next mainline entry in the franchise. Nintendo revealed and provided updates on a bunch of games during its E3 2021 Direct – including the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – but sadly enough, no Mario Kart.

UPDATE NOTES:

• “Mario Cup” has been added to “Grand Prix”. Fulfill certain conditions in “Mario Cup” and receive three new “Environments” and a “Gate” to use in course creation.
• “Super Yoshi” and “Yoshi Horn” have been added to the kart designs in the game. Unlock them by fulfilling certain conditions in Mario Cup.
• Made general changes to improve enjoyment of the game.

Nintendo has revealed its Q3 earnings for fiscal year 2021, detailing software sales for the quarter ending December 31st 2020. It announced that Animal Crossing: New Horizons had sold 5.14 million in this period with cumulative sales topping 31.18 million units. Super Mario 3D All-Stars has also performed very well, selling 8.32 million units since launch.

Other noteworthy sales figures include Paper Mario: The Origami King at 3.05 million unis sold; Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit selling 1.08 million units; and Pikmin 3 Deluxe topping 1.94 million units sold. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continues to be a sales juggernaut with 8.64 million sold in this period (total sales now being 33.41 million). Ring Fit Adventure sold 5.95 million in the same time frame and is now at 8.68 million cumulative sales.

Overall, software sales hit 75.85 million, which is an increase of 43 percent year-on-year. This quarter should be especially lucrative for the Switch with exclusives like Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury and Bravely Default 2 out in February. Stay tuned for more details and figures from the company’s quarterly report.

The NPD Group’s sales data for October 2020 is out and consumer spending for video games – which includes hardware, software and accessories – hit $3.8 billion. Year-to-date spending also hit $37.5 billion, which is 20 percent higher than the previous year, and that’s expected to increase with the release of Xbox Series X/S and PS5. In the meantime, the previous gen had some strong sellers with FIFA 21 being the best-selling title for the month.

Along with topping both Xbox and PlayStation charts, this is the first time that a FIFA title actually topped the overall sales charts in the US. Madden NFL 21 was in second, which should come as no surprise given the series’ success in the market. Then there’s Watch Dogs: Legion whose sales were tracked for only three days in the month and still managed to rank as the third best-selling title.

NHL 21 also had a pretty good month, ranking fourth the overall software sales charts. Its launch month dollar sales were also the highest for any title in the franchise NHL 16 released in September 2015. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit also did pretty good, despite not being a traditional Mario Kart title. It topped sales charts for Nintendo platforms and ranked fifth in sales overall.

Check out The NPD Group’s top ten best-selling titles in the US, ranked on dollar sales, below:

1. FIFA 21
2. Madden NFL 21
3. Watch Dogs: Legion
4. NHL 21
5. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
6. Super Mario 3D All-Stars*
7. Animal Crossing: New Horizons*
8. Star Wars: Squadrons
9. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
10. Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time

*Digital sales not included

Revealed during the 35th anniversary Direct for Mario, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is coming to Nintendo Switch later this month. It’s not your typical Mario Kart game though, relaying on AR tech and other resources to effectively play. Check out the overview trailer for more details.

Essentially, the game is about setting down tracks in one’s home and then racing with Mario Kart-styled RC cars. These come to life on the Switch’s screen along with various obstacles, items and much more. A 12′ x 10′ space is recommended and four gates must be placed and driven through before you can begin though.

For an AR game, there is a decent amount of options. Along with Grand Prix (consisting of eight cups across 24 races), there’s Custom Races, Time Trials and even mirrored tracks. You can also choose race from 50cc all the way up to 200cc. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is out on October 16th for Nintendo Switch and retails at $99.99 – stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Nintendo recently made a flurry of new Mario-related announcements in a surprise Super Mario Direct in celebration of the franchise’s imminent 35th anniversary, from Super Mario 3D World coming to Switch, to Super Mario 3D All-Stars’ limited-time release, to the new multiplayer game Super Mario Bros. 35, and more. Alongside all of that also came a surprise announcement for a new Mario Kart title- only, it’s not what you expect.

Called Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, it is an augmented reality game that uses real-life remote-controlled cars. So how exactly does that work? Well, the augmented reality elements come in when you place gates in the real world to create your own custom courses, and then control the RC cars. Both the real-world track and the karts then appear on your Switch, allowing you to race.

It features four player local multiplayer, as well as customizations and costumes for Mario and Luigi. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit will come in two varieties – Mario and Luigi – and launch for the Switch on October 16. It will cost $99.99.