Mario Kart: Home Circuit, Now Playable on the Internet

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is the latest iteration in the Mario Kart series. Unlike previous generations, it’s actually a mixed reality experience, where you race actual Karts around a physical track that you construct. It’s sort of a modern take on slot car racing, with the track surface set using a series of markers and a start gate, and mapped with an on-Kart camera setup.

The concept is truly ingenious, but naturally it’s a local network-only experience. Or was, that is, in the short time before Surrogate.TV got their hands on it.

To put this game online, Surrogate.TV is using four Nintendo Switches simultaneously, each controlling its own Kart. Each Switch is connected to a Raspberry Pi 4, running the SurroRTG streaming and robotics control platform, and using an Adafruit M0 Trinket to transfer remote keyboard commands via NSGadgetPi firmware. Video is transmitted to the Pi over USB using an HDMI capture card, and a USB sound card takes care of the audio portion. Three sets of Karts are used in rotation, enabling two to charge while one set is active, theoretically letting this online real-live gaming experience run continuously.

The game looks incredible in the video below. It's an amazing showcase of both Nintedo’s mixed reality game, and how Surrogate.TV’s SurroRTG platform can allow for low-latency control of just about anything over the Internet. You can play the game here, or even sign up to create your own unique experience!