Cabinet Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit Manufacturer Nintendo, Velan Studios True, we’re pushing the definition of ‘arcade’ here. Yet Nintendo’s latest is firmly in keeping with the coin-op spirit of hardware innovation, as it once more embraces its status as the industry’s toymaker-in-chief. Home Circuit invites you to turn any room into an augmented-reality Mario Kart course, which you’ll steer an RC car around using your Switch. Once you’ve cleared sufficient space, the setup is straightforward: position the four foldable cardboard gates to form a circuit and then - once Lakitu has slapped some pink paint on your wheels, the first of many delightful touches - drive around it to create the track.
Creating enough space is perhaps the biggest technical hurdle, unless you plan to take the circuit through multiple rooms, since you need to be within a certain distance of the kart to maintain a consistent signal. You might want to move any rugs, too: the kart itself can handle thin carpet and laminate but anything thicker is a struggle. Otherwise, this is just about everything you’d expect an AR Mario Kart to be. Track gimmicks are typically playful: Kamek transforms Magikoopa Mirage into a mirror circuit, reversing the kart controls, while you’ll really feel like you’re battling the elements as a sepia squall whips up in Windswept Prairie. Unlockable cosmetics add replay value, though it’s arguably as a passthe-Switch time-trialler that Home Circuit works best. Granted, it’s as likely to have you returning to MK8 Deluxe as shifting your furniture around for another go; but if so, Nintendo’s hardly going to be too concerned.