Mario Kart World is one of Nintendo’s more interesting Switch 2 exclusives. Launching day-and-date with the console itself, MK World felt like somewhat of an incomplete experience – especially compared to the previous Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. That said, Nintendo has ever so slowly but surely been updating the title with ‘new’ content. Live right now, version 1.8.0 adds “10 classic courses from Super Mario Kart”; except for the fact that these courses were already technically available.

Officially announced during Nintendo’s most recent Direct showcase, Mario Kart World update 1.8.0 brings with it new-yet-pre-existing tracks to race on across its VS Race, Time Trials and online modes:

• SNES Mario Circuit (1, 2 and 3)
• SNES Ghost Valley (1, 2 and 3)
• SNES Choco Island (1 and 2)
• SNES Vanilla Lake
• SNES Koopa Beach

Of course, the addition of 10 new tracks is nothing to sniff at. That said, all of these SNES courses have been present since day-one; albeit only when free roaming (which begs the question as to why they weren’t included in VS Races from the get-go).

Beyond this, Mario Kart World has also received two new Knockout Tour tracks – Propeller Rally and Turnip Rally – as well as a plethora of QoL features, including:

• Time Trials lap improvements with new visual indicators
• Spectator mode improvements
• Up to 26 players can now join a room in Online Play
• Nerfs to multiple different power items
• Other balance tweaks and bug fixes

While content-wise, Mario Kart World has been somewhat underserved, it is welcome at the very least to see Nintendo continuing to update the game with various bug fixes, quality of life improvements and other minor conveniences – something which the console maker has typically struggled with in the past.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this latest update? Are you glad to see Nintendo continuing to balance the game? How long will we have to wait for actual new, original tracks? Let us know down below.

In a somewhat uncommon practice for the console maker, Nintendo announced that it would be hosting two separate Direct Showcases on back-to-back days, with a Zelda-focused stream going live later today followed by a general showcase tomorrow. As with pretty much all Directs, leakers have come out to give insight into what to expect – with claims that Mario Kart World DLC, Luigi’s Mansion 4 and much more could be announced.

As reported by known Nintendo leaker ‘malo932’, the Switch maker has a ton of new entries in well-loved franchises currently in the works. While this should of course be taken with a big pinch of salt (especially as the claims have since been deleted), the insider suggested that Mario Kart World will be getting Star Fox-themed DLC next year, in alignment with a new Adventure-styled original Star Fox game.

Beyond this, Malo932 also hinted at the possibility for a new entry in the iconic Nintendogs series – a franchise not seen since the 3DS. Additionally, a new original Super Smash Bros. title is said to also be in the works.

Another known Nintendo leaker – NecroFelipe – appeared to corroborate Malo’s report while also claiming that Luigi’s Mansion 4 may be announced soon.

Of course, this does not mean that all of the above will be present at the upcoming Nintendo Direct. That said, given the fact that the Switch 2’s upcoming slate of first-party releases is somewhat sparse, it is high time for a major Direct showcase. Hopefully Nintendo does not disappoint.

KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to the upcoming Direct? What are your hopes for the Zelda showcase in particular? Let us know down below.

Mario Kart 8 is easily one of Nintendo’s longest-supported titles, with the 2014 Wii U original receiving plenty of DLC at the time, followed by a Switch 1 Deluxe Edition in 2017 and its Booster Course Pass in 2022-23. Despite its successor (MK World) being in its second year on the market, Nintendo has released a surprise Switch 2 update for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

In an unexpected move, Nintendo announced and released a dedicated Switch 2 update for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Listed as version 4.0.0, the patch brings in a bunch of welcome and surprise enhancements, including:

• Higher resolution output on Switch 2 and external displays
• Reduced loading times
• Local split-screen support for up to 8 players
• Switch 2 CameraPlay functionality
• Overall player speed increased by the equivalent of one Coin
• Boo power-up no longer slows you down
• New ‘96 Race’ challenge option

It is worth noting that this update is available on both the OG Switch as well as the Switch 2. That said, the main additions – being the 8-player split-screen and higher resolution – are understandably locked to Nintendo’s current-gen system.

Regardless, it is interesting to see Nintendo still occasionally updating Mario Kart 8 Deluxe despite the fact that MK World currently stands as THE Mario Kart experience for Switch 2. Hopefully the aforementioned Mario Kart World sees just as much support over the course of the Switch 2’s life (and perhaps beyond).

KitGuru says: What do you think of this update? Does Nintendo’s lack of consistency with updates bother you? Are you disappointed in the fact that 4-player split-screen does not run at 60fps on Switch 2? Let us know down below.

While Nintendo is highly protective of its IPs, the console maker did dip its toes into the mobile gaming space for a while, releasing a variety of titles based on Mario; Animal Crossing; Fire Emblem and others. Some succeeded, while others did not. Though the Switch maker is unlikely to leave the mobile space entirely (especially when it comes to Pokemon), one of its biggest successes will soon be shut down forever – with Mario Kart Tour going offline in September.

Making the official announcement, Nintendo took to their support page to reveal that Mario Kart Tour will soon be going offline, writing: “Service for the Mario Kart Tour game for smart devices will come to an end as of 11:00 p.m. Pacific on September 29. We sincerely thank the many players who have loved and supported the game since service began so long ago. Thank you for playing Mario Kart Tour.”

Full details on the shut down can be found HERE, including how this will impact the sale of Tour’s in-game items.

Mario Kart Tour is an interesting title. Released during the drought following Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the game was barebones in many ways, featuring limited controls while not even allowing for landscape play.

Over the years however, the game changed quite a bit, with Nintendo adding tons of new tracks, characters, skins and more – all the while getting rid of some of its more predatory practices. A good number of original tracks made for Tour would even wind up being added to MK8 Deluxe as part of the game’s Booster Course Pass.

All this is to say it is unfortunate to see Mario Kart Tour being fully shut down. The game was already in maintenance mode, with no new content being added as of 2023, but shutting down access forever is another matter entirely.

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KitGuru says: What did you think of Mario Kart Tour? Did it satiate your MK needs on mobile? What did Tour do better than other mainline entries? Let us know your thoughts down below.

Being Nintendo’s most expensive game to date, many fans held high expectations for Mario Kart World, especially when it came to post-launch support. Unfortunately, Nintendo’s 10 million+ seller has seen very little in this regard, especially compared to some of its contemporaries. It seems Nintendo hasn’t completely abandoned the game however, with MK World having just gotten a small-yet-welcome update.

Announcing and releasing the free update simultaneously, Nintendo officially detailed Mario Kart World Update 1.7.0. As mentioned, the list of changes is rather small in nature. That said, it still does bring some new features, namely:

• Two new routes added to Knockout Tour
• Drill Rally
• Boomerang Rally
• More routes to be added in the future
• You can now use your collectible stickers in photo mode

Given the potential offered by Mario Kart World, it is disappointing to see Nintendo doing so very little with its updates. That being said, the console maker knows that MK World will continue to sell consistently for the rest of the Switch 2’s life, and so they’re likely just taking their time with drip feeding content.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this latest update? Has Nintendo been ignoring Mario Kart World? Did you expect to have gotten new/additional tracks by now? Let us know down below.

Though Mario Kart World served as a strong launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2, the game has received some criticism for its relative lack of content, especially when compared to the last-gen Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. While World has gotten a few notable updates post-launch, it appears as though Nintendo accidentally leaked the fact that the game is set to receive a pretty significant addition to its Battle Mode.

In celebration of their upcoming Mario Day (March 10th) Nintendo announced a bunch of different sales, deals and in-person events.

While nothing new for the console maker, one of the screenshots pertaining to Mario Kart World’s MAR10 events showed an updated Battle Mode icon which seems to suggest that Bob-Omb Blast could arrive as a new option.

Given that Mario Kart World’s Battle Mode in particular is rather barren content-wise, adding Bob-Omb Blast should aid in its replayability.

As mentioned, Mario Kart World has gotten some updates of note since its release, however a majority of the changes were more mechanical and structural in nature – less so about bringing in new content.

As such, here’s to hoping that Nintendo is indeed planning to bring Bob-Omb Blast to MK World; the first of many new potential additions. We will have to wait and see.

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KitGuru says: What did you think of Mario Kart World at launch? How’s Nintendo’s post-launch support been so far? What are your most requested additions? Let us know down below.