Nintendo Labo Now Works With the Nintendo Switch's Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Nintendo's range of cardboard accessories for the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Labo is now compatible with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. If you own the Nintendo Labo Variety Kit and a copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, you can play the game by building the Toy-Con Motorbike controller from the Variety Kit and use it as a steering wheel Nintendo announced. You can use it while playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in handheld or docked mode and if you have enough Labo kits and Joy-Con you could have four players playing at once in the same way.

This coincides with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe getting a new update that supports the Labo Variety Kit and you can toggle Toy-Con support on and off from the game itself. Dubbed as update version 1.5.0 here's what else it brings to the table.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Nintendo Labo patch notes

• Now supports the use of the Toy-Con Motorbike from Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 01 Variety Kit
• You can now set whether or not to use the Toy-Con Motorbike from the Toy-Con settings in the top menu
• At the screen right before the game begins, please set the Joy-Con inside the Toy-Con Motorbike
• When using the Toy-Con Motorbike, the camera will look over the character’s shoulder, increasing immersion
• Press the downward directional button to play with normal view again
• Addressed an issue where, after setting up a tournament, the “Search by code” feature would stop functioning
• Addressed an issue that made it impossible for a player to proceed after colliding with a Star Thwomp
• The latest update data is needed to play matches online
• Once you have downloaded the latest update data, you will no longer be able to play “Local Wireless” and “LAN Play” matches with other players who have not downloaded this data

This is an interesting addition to Nintendo Labo functionality when you consider the company initially positioned it as an educational toy to teach the principles of physics, engineering, and basic programming for those of all ages. Perhaps this secondary use case could bolster flagging sales for Nintendo Labo. And if successful, we could see other kits incorporate similar functionality. With the likes of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate out this year, could Nintendo bake in Labo support from day one? If so, it could result in some interesting gameplay dynamics particularly when you consider the competitive aspects of that game.

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