What a morning! Nintendo has officially unveiled the Nintendo Switch 2—a larger, sleeker, and backwards-compatible successor to the Nintendo Switch. While details remain scarce for now, Nintendo has promised a full reveal during a Nintendo Switch 2-themed Nintendo Direct on April 2nd.
The two-minute trailer primarily focused on the hardware, showcasing exciting updates to the console’s design. But Nintendo didn’t stop there—they teased a surprise game as well. That’s right, Mario Kart 9 is on the way! While Nintendo may choose to call it something else, a brand-new Mario Kart installment is officially in the works.
So what can we expect from the next installment in Mario Kart? Let’s dissect the 10 seconds of footage and see what we have to work with.
The Course
The footage opens with racers lining up on the Mario Bros. Circuit, a track set in a desert environment surrounded by sand and canyons. The course is adorned with flags, billboards, and other visual details, adding to the atmosphere. Notably, a series of lights can be seen around the track, hinting that night racing might be making its debut in the franchise!
Another fun detail is what appears to be a burger shop owned by Yoshi! That sign is giving me some serious Yoshi’s Cookie vibes!
The Racers
As expected, most of the fan-favorite characters are present. The trailer features
- Mario
- Luigi
- Peach
- Bowser
- Donkey Kong
- Toad
- Yoshi
- Rosalina
- Daisy
- Baby Mario
- Paulene
- Toadette (?)
- Wario
- Wauligi
While we only get about five seconds of racer footage, there are some interesting details to unpack:
Donkey Kong appears to have a refreshed, more cartoony look, with a redesigned face and body. It’s possible this is just compression from YouTube, but take a closer look and decide for yourself!
There’s also a blink-and-you-miss-it moment where Mario appears to make a face as if he just got the wind knocked out of him. It’s a quick shot, but the facial animations seem noticeably improved compared to those in Mario Kart 8!
The karts themselves seem to have undergone a redesign, featuring sleek new bikes and updated kart models!
Stay tuned to Nintendo Wire for Mario Kart news as we get it!
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Written by Jason Ganos
Nintendo super fan since birth, Jason is the creator of Amiibo News and editor-in-chief at Nintendo Wire. One of his life goals is to provide the latest Nintendo news to fellow gamers with his natural know-how.
