Nintendo just dropped a surprise update for the 71 million players of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, bringing brand-new Switch 2 support to the 2017 kart-racing game. The new Mario Kart 8 Deluxe update brings some expected features, including “clearer visuals” for the Nintendo Switch 2 display and high-resolution TVs, as well as faster loading times.
But Nintendo went above and beyond for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Switch 2 upgrade, bringing expanded split-screen multiplayer and something new for Booster Course Pass owners.
According to Nintendo’s official patch notes, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe now supports up to eight players on a single screen on Switch 2, doubling the number of players possible in split-screen on the original Nintendo Switch. Switch 2 owners can now connect up to seven Nintendo Switch controllers — either Joy-Cons or Switch Pro Controllers — to play eight-player split-screen. At least one Joy-Con 2 controller or a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller is required for eight-player play.
Suffice it to say, having eight players on a single screen looks like absolute chaos.
Image: Nintendo
To add to that eight-player madness, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe now supports CameraPlay on Switch 2.
Elsewhere in the update, Nintendo has also made Mario Kart 8 Deluxe faster. Player speed during races has increased by the equivalent of one coin. Time to revisit your time trials, Mario Kart 8 sickos.
And while eight-player split-screen sounds like a wild number, Nintendo’s update has an even bigger digit to boast about: 96. Players who have access to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Booster Course Pass can now play a “96 Races” endurance challenge in the game’s “VS Race” rule settings. That spans all 96 courses available in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and its six-part, 48-course DLC. Wild stuff.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was released for the original Nintendo Switch in April 2017, a month after the Switch launched. MK8 Deluxe is an updated version of Mario Kart 8, which was originally released for Wii U in 2014. Hopefully, Switch 2 owners can expect a similar decade’s worth of support for Mario Kart World, which could really use some new content of its own.
Read on for the official patch notes for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s new update.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Ver. 4.0.0 patch notes
Support for the Nintendo Switch 2 system
Added support for the Nintendo Switch 2 display and high-resolution TVs, allowing for clearer visuals.
Shortened the loading time before races and battles begin.
Added support for 5–8 players in Multiplayer. You can connect up to seven Nintendo Switch controllers (Joy-Con or Nintendo Switch Pro Controllers) to the Nintendo Switch 2 system. In order to play with eight people, you need at least one Joy-Con 2 controller or a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller.
Added CameraPlay support. A USB camera (sold separately) is required to use CameraPlay. Players can turn camera ON or OFF in Multiplayer (2-4 players) and Online Play modes. In order to use a camera on the internet, players must participate in a GameChat session. The camera footage and microphone audio will be sent only to GameChat members. When the camera is ON, the player’s face is displayed during the race.
General
Increased player speed during races by the equivalent of one coin.
Players will not slow down while using Boo to become invisible, even when entering an offroad area.
Players with access to the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass will have “96 Races” added to the “VS Race” rule settings.
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