--- title: "New Trailer for Virtual-Reality Mario Kart Game Looks Like a Crazy Good Time" description: "Turns out, Mario Kart is pretty intense in first-person VR." date: "2017-07-14" modified: "2017-07-14" authors: - name: "Kyle Cheromcha" job_title: "Editor-in-Chief" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/12492/new-virtual-reality-mario-kart-trailer-looks-like-a-crazy-good-time" categories: - "News" tags: - "arcade" - "Japan" - "Mario Kart" - "Video Games" - "Virtual Reality" - "VR" --- # New Trailer for Virtual-Reality Mario Kart Game Looks Like a Crazy Good Time ![]() *\www.thedrive.com\* There are few experiences more satisfying in multiplayer gaming than hurling a perfectly-placed green shell at your friend in [*Mario Kart.*]() You line up, take aim as you're both hurtling down a straight, and *whamo,* watch them flip majestically through the air as you zip by underneath. Now imagine all that, but in glorious first-person virtual reality. Count us in. Bandai Namco has produced several licensed arcade versions of Nintendo's most popular racing series, but its latest creation is no cabinet with a steering wheel. No, [*Mario Kart Arcade GP VR*]() is a life-sized kart simulator with a tilting, vibrating base, an HTC Vive virtual-reality headset for truly immersive action, and hand trackers so you can actually grab and throw items at your opponents. [We reported on the project]() when it was announced back in June, but today the game was officially unveiled at Bandai Namco's VR Zone Shinjuku, a huge, virtual-reality arcade complex in Tokyo, Japan. With early reviews [starting to trickle in,]() a new trailer released this week seems to confirm what they've all been saying—it's a rollicking, insanely fun time. https://youtube.com/embed/mETJHs7NP4M Up to four players can get behind the wheel and race each other through familiar settings like Princess Peach's Castle, using green shells, bananas, and hammers to take down their competitors. Regular *Mario Kart* isn't what anyone would call a sedate experience, and being so close to the action kicks the intensity up about twenty notches. One thing that stands out is just how massive everything looks in virtual reality. Modern [*Mario Kart*]() tracks are designed as big showpieces with a sense of scale befitting the third-person camera perspective. But down on the track, Piranha Plants loom like hungry dinosaurs, Bullet Bill seems to blot out the sun as he passes overhead, and even Peach's Castle soars menacingly into the sky. If this sounds like your thing (and it should), you'll unfortunately have to spring for a ticket to Japan. Bandai Namco is [only planning on rolling out]() *Mario Kart Arcade GP VR* at its facilities in their home country for now, so don't hold your breath for it to trickle down to your local Dave & Busters. https://youtube.com/embed/ud\_4MTQuw74 ## Author Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()