It's a big day for Nintendo, as Mario Kart 8 is out today exclusively on the Wii U consoles, and alongside it, four new controllers in the theme of some of Nintendo's most recognized characters.
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Face it, Nintendo has always been the master of hocking molded plastic, going all the way back to the old NES days. The Wii and Wii U just gave them an excuse to show us what they're good at. Case in point, after a tease late last month, the Mushroom Kingdom's most infamous characters own themed WiiMotes are now available for purchase. The controllers and protective casings are all modeled in their characters' respective colors (seen above) -- the same under shirt colors for the famous plumbers, the pretty pastels for the Princess, and light green of the saddled egg chucking reptile, and a representative icon is emblazoned at dead center of each WiiMote should you ever be struck colorblind and can't tell Mario from Luigi.
The Mario, Luigi, and Peach controllers are all available at a wide array of retailers like Best Buy, GamStop, Amazon, etc. for $40 (depending on the retailer). As for the Yoshi controller, well, there's the downside. That's only available in Europe, and Nintendo hasn't mentioned bringing it across the water just yet.
Everything You Need to Know About Mario Kart 8
Besides the controllers, gamers can also head out and grab a Mario Kart 8-Wii U console bundles. Over in Europe and the U.K., players can get the Mario Kart 8 Premium Pack - Special Edition. The bundle (North American availability yet to be announced) offers up a include a black Wii U Premium console with 32GB* of storage packaged alongside a black Wii U GamePad controller, Sensor Bar, and the all-important Mario Kart 8 game disc according to a press release.
Stateside, players can get their own bundle, featuring the same amount of items as the European and U.K's Special Edition, but with an additional Mario Wii Wheel controller accessory, and the controller is Mario red instead of black. The pack will set players back $330.
You can check out Mario Kart 8's trailer below.
