Universal Studios Japan was supposed to be opening their Super Nintendo World attractions today, and thanks to the recent escalations in COVID-19 infections, those plans have been put on indefinite hiatus. But that doesn’t mean that no one can experience it, as there have already been a lucky few people who have had a chance to go and check out all the attractions of Super Nintendo World. Today, Universal Parks News Today put out a series of videos that give you virtual access to essentially all of Super Nintendo World. But there are two videos that stood out to me, and those are the videos of the Mario Kart attraction.
The attraction can be ridden in two ways: the first is just your generic ride the ride, shoot the things, have some fun. But the real way is with the help of Augmented Reality. The ride without AR is definitely lacking, but once you strap on the Microsoft Hololens-esque headset and you’re off to the races. The characters are vibrant, interact with the surroundings, and seem to give you the actual feeling that you are there, participating in a real-life Mario Kart race.
Even though I live in Tokyo, which is about a two-and-a-half hour shinkansen ride from Osaka, I think that once things get a little better out here and USJ opens back up, I might just have to plan a trip down there. There just seems something special about being able to experience something that was such a major part of my childhood in a way that feels oh so real. Hopefully, I get to do that sooner rather than later.