Have you ever wanted to sort of throw a red shell at a person in real-time? Well, now you can thanks to Bandai Namco, who have decided to bring Mario Kart VR to the UK for the first time ever at the company’s VR Zone Portal inside the Hollywood Bowl at the O2 Arena in Greenwich. Which means, yes, you’ll finally be able to settle those rivalries in real life too. Just make sure you don’t try throwing shells at people after the experience…
The reason why Bandai Namco has decided to bring Mario Kart VR over to Europe was due to its massive success back at the company’s large VR Zone amusement park in Shinjuku, Tokyo. It was well-loved and so now the UK launch of Mario Kart VR can be expected to release tomorrow, August 3rd.
Mario Kart has to be one of the most popular games around, and so it would make sense that such a worldwide hit would eventually find its way to the UK. According to WIRED UK, Bandai Namco’s VR project manager, Matt Bradley, seems to agree with that sentiment.
“It’s such a strong IP,” he says. “When you say Mario Kart, all kids know Mario Kart, all grown-ups know Mario Kart.” He also adds that the non-VR arcade game, Mario Kart GP, has always sold well in the Bandai Namco amusement centers. If it does so well there, why not give the VR Mario Kart a chance?
How it works is pretty simple. You sit on the moving platform, which has a steering wheel as well as two pedals that work as your accelerator and brakes. You’ll also have hand trackers strapped to you, where you’ll look down and see that your character’s hands respond to every little movement you make. Which just has to be one of the coolest things ever in my opinion.
Sadly it only seems to be appearing in the UK and Japan for now. But if the demand is high enough, no doubt it’ll be making its way to the US sometime soon.