This Mario 64 mod uses Xbox Kinect to control Mario with real-life triple jumps

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This Mario 64 mod uses an Xbox Kinect to control Mario using real-life jumps and spins

(Image credit: SuperLouis64 (via Reddit)/Nintendo)

Someone is using the Xbox Kinect motion sensors to make Mario jump and spin using real-life movements.

Exercising while trying to stay inside as much as possible is a relatable challenge in 2020, so Reddit user SuperLouis64 designed this creative Kinect mod to stay in shape and play a classic game at the same time.

I made a Kinect mod for Mario 64 to add some Exercise at Home! Jump and Spin IRL to Control Mario from r/gaming

Using a modded version of Mario 64 on PC, the player is able to move around with the Xbox Kinect one-handed controller, but more importantly they can jump, spin, and crouch and have Mario do the same. At one point in the brief explanation video above, the modder mentions that you need to time your IRL jumps precisely to achieve Mario's triple jump move. I especially enjoyed watching the player spin around on the trampoline while Mario swings and launches Bowser to his demise.

The modder says they used a software called FAAST to make the Mario 64 mod work with Xbox Kinect. You'll see the UI for body-tracking in the video above, but I can't attest to how intuitive the software is for newcomers to modding. Besides, surely it's only a matter of time before Nintendo's ever-watchful ban hammer comes down on the Mario 64 PC mod.

It's a very cool experiment and one that looks surprisingly successful, but it also underscores some of the missed potential of the Kinect, which sadly didn't produce many worthwhile games and was discontinued by Microsoft in 2017.

All you need to stay fit at home are the best fitness games to play in 2020.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.