Super Nintendo World Japan features an augmented-reality Mario Kart ride that takes riders on an actual race with Mario and friends.
The tech behind it was revealed during a recent press conference about the opening of Super Nintendo World Osaka. Global executive producer Tom Geraghty shared an interesting tidbit about the ride’s inner workings.
AR Mario Kart Ride tech details
In particular, he revealed that the ride was actually built within a game engine – which allowed designers from around the world to experience and tweak it in virtual reality!
We used the technology, also, in the design process. We built the entire land in VR and the design team could look around at a place and get sightlines and figure out where to move elements.
Mario Kart was built in a game engine, so while [senior vice president Thierry Coup] was back in the States he could actually drive Mario Kart in a game engine, and give us notes in Japan.
Vice president Coup added that the system was flexible enough for its developers to change the experience over time. This may include adding new characters and even special events;
Because it’s in a game engine, we can keep updating, upgrading, putting new characters [in], changing themes, changing actions on the fly. So if there’s a special event, anything we want to release can be done overnight if we really wanted to.
That makes it so much more flexible – it freshens up the experience. Every time you come back you could experience something new and exciting.
Man I wished this was available here in Europe … well after the ongoing global pandemic that is.
