A new update for Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit adds split-screen multiplayer, allowing more users to visit head-to-head in mixed reality. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit sees players use their Nintendo Change to control real-life Mario Kart-inspired RC karts for at-home racing. The karts traverse real-life tracks designed by the player, as the Nintendo Switch populates the track with virtual hazards and obstacles on screen. Previously the game was only playable in single-player and also the AI-controlled opponents were only visible through the Nintendo Switch.
Since its holiday release this past year, Mario Kart: Home Circuit has already established a small quantity of updates. In July, Nintendo released patch 1.1.0, which added Mario Cup, new obstacles, and Yoshi karts to the game. The brand new hazards included water geysers, oil slicks, and tumbling barrels that interrupt the player as they attempt to beat the real-world track. Though the obstacles are virtual, accidentally hitting one will affect the real-life kart in various ways, either by negatively impacting its handling, temporarily obscuring a player's visual view, or slowing the kart down. To unlock Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit's new environmental items and the two new Yoshi kart designs, players need to complete goals within the Mario Cup. The July update expanded Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit's gameplay features, nevertheless its next update is transforming the game even further.
As seen around the Nintendo YouTube channel, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit has now received its Version 2.0 Update, adding split-screen multiplayer. The free update allows two to four players to compete against one another using one Nintendo Switch system. The competitive split-screen mode lets two players race, with each controlling their own RC kart while traversing the track simultaneously. The update also adds the relay race co-op mode that allows 2 to 4 players to race against each other. Each team's players can automatically swap characters during a race, as well as help each other out with items until one team comes out victorious.
Watch the recording online here.
The split-screen update for Mario Kart can be a welcome addition for family-friendly play this holidays, but it isn't without its flaws. The problem is that each Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit set includes just one kart – either Mario or Luigi. To play with two or more players, fans will have to purchase multiple sets, each one of these ranging from about $80 to $90 depending on the retailer. While Nintendo's update gives split-screen play for free, players will still have to purchase additional karts to experience the different modes.
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit's free update does expand the mixed reality game, and it's worth noting that lots of players had recently been racing one another using multiple karts with no official split-screen option. Nintendo's update only serves to make competitive play more accessible, providing official support via the Nintendo Switch console.
