Hori's Mario Kart World Racing Wheels are finally out in the wild, and these new officially licensed add-ons are exactly what Nintendo's first wheels should have been. Each wheel is themed after a racer, including Mario, Princess Peach, and Yoshi, and is draped in the character's colorways, featuring little details including the character's emblem and a piece of art on the back - a huge step up from the wheels Nintendo launched earlier this year.
Revealed on Hori's official Twitter (X) profile on November 20 with nothing but an "available soon" as a release date, I can confirm I've now spotted the Nintendo Switch 2 accessories for $14.99 each at US retailers in both the Mario and Princess Peach styles for now. In the UK, they're not expected until December 19, but you can still race to pre-order them, including the Yoshi design, if you're as eager as me to take them for a test drive.
The first official set of Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con wheel add-ins launched alongside the gaming handheld on June 5, and while they weren't the ugliest accessories in the world, I wish we had gotten these Hori versions instead. The theming here is particularly (and literally) on brand, with the Mario model featuring a red and blue color palette to match his iconic overalls.
It's not just the coloring that I'm a fan of, but there's a small Mario emblem on the top of the front-facing part of the wheel, and on the back, there's an adorable piece of art in what appears to be the style of 2D Mario artist Shigehisa Nakaue of Mario sitting in his kart. These design features are found throughout each wheel and differ depending on which one you're after. For example, Peach's wheel is draped out in her iconic pink, with her crown emblem proudly on the front, and a cute drawing of her on her bike at the back, and the Yoshi version, available to pre-order for £12.99 at Amazon UK, has unique art of its own.
I much prefer these to Hori's Mario Kart 8 Deluxe wheels released for the original Switch, which were only available in red and black, and that was that. However, these versions don't just have it going in the looks department. These controller add-ons are also decked out in large, easy-to-press SL and SR buttons, much like the 4Gamers Twin Racing Wheels, to make the single Joy-Con user experience a lot better, and feature a textured grip on the back for comfort. But what I admire the most about these wheels is that they're backwards compatible.
Hori's Mario Kart Wheels can fit both Switch 2 Joy-Con and the Joy-Con from the original and OLED Switch, so you can still use your older pads while playing Mario Kart World. To go about this, Hori included two visible ridges in each wheel that fit either generation of Joy-Con, and I'm all for this design choice. Especially as it means anyone not able to budget in the next-gen leap to the Switch 2 quite yet can still make full use of these adorable wheels.
Whether you want to grab them now for Mario Kart World on the Switch 2, or use them for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe until you're ready to make the new handheld leap, they're available right now in the US at Amazon, or those in the UK can pre-order them as they're due to launch on December 19. For now, the Yoshi model is marked as "currently unavailable" in the US on Amazon, but I'll be sure to let you know when that egg is ready to hatch.
- View all Hori Nintendo Switch 2 accessories at Amazon
- View all Nintendo Switch 2 deals at Amazon
- Nintendo Joy-Con 2 Wheel (set of 2) | $19.99 at Amazon
Our guides for the best Nintendo Switch 2 headsets, the best Nintendo Switch 2 cases, and the best Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Express Cards are full of other accessories that are worth your time and attention.
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