For a long time, the Nintendo Switch 2 was probably the gaming industry's worst kept secret. Now white smoke is rising over the Nintendo HQ in Kyoto and we can see the new console from all sides in the official trailer.
But we even see the first new Mario game briefly. Or not?It's either Mario Kart 9- or in the end Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Deluxe U (with Dante from Devil May Cry).
Whatever Nintendo calls the latest installment in its immensely popular racing game series, one thing is certain:Unfortunately, only a few seconds of gameplay are shown.Nevertheless, we examined what we saw with a magnifying glass and our Nintendo expertise for clues.
New? Old? It remains exciting
What speaks against a new Mario Kart?Mario Kart 9 (or 8.5) looks graphically very similar to its predecessor. Anyone who now throws their arms over their heads and screamsOh dear, the Switch 2 will deliver poor performance!
, we can reassure him with a good reason for the visual similarity:It is very likely that the new Mario Kart will be a cross-gen title, i.e. appear for both Switch 1 and Switch 2.
Why?This is obvious: When the game is released, in the best case scenario there will be a few million Switch 2s compared to an installation base of over 140 million Switch 1s. Nintendo won't miss out on this amount of potential games sold, launch titles or not.
This wouldn't be the first time that Nintendo has decided to do this:was released for both the Wii U and the then brand new Switch.
The future Mario Kart 9 looks very similar to its predecessor.
What speaks for a new Mario Kart?
- We see a completely new route - the
Mario Bros. Turn around
- which does not exist in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. But it's hard to imagine that it's just another DLC pass. - The acceleration strips in the image above did not exist in MK8.
- Mario Kart 8 is already 11 years old and has since sold over 71 million copies. It's unlikely that Nintendo will rehash the game. In addition, all fans should now own Mario Kart 8, so a completely new part should be financially more worthwhile.
So the chances are not at all small that we are actually dealing with the first glimpse of the next chapter of the racing game series from the Mushroom Kingdom.
However, this has not (yet) been officially confirmed. We simply asked Nintendo and will keep you updated on what else we find out!
The internet is imploding right now, so don't be surprised if everything around you feels like it's all about the Nintendo Switch 2. In any case, we have already put together a comprehensive package with lots of information about the new console for you. Just take a look at the box above and prepare yourself optimally for the Switch 2 so that you can have a say on the train or at work.
