Nintendo is a company that seems to always put a smile on the faces of its fans with creations like party game Mario Kart and experimental ideas like the Nintendo LABO. One particular fan recently decided to show off said fandom by coming up with an idea that seems like something unusual enough that Nintendo itself would come up with; an exercise bike to play Mario Kart.
YouTuber mechachoi (Mike Choi) recently uploaded a video of a rather creation that he is calling the LABO Fit Adventure Kart. The video itself mixes comedy and engineering creativity to create a real exercise machine that works with playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. While LABO seems to have taken a back seat for Nintendo for now, as nothing new has released for some time, Choi's creation would be unique enough to breathe new life into LABO if Nintendo were ever to announce it.
In the Nintendo Direct-like video, Choi shows off the LABO Fit Adventure Kart in action and then explains how it works. The kit is built up of three main components. The first part is the Bike-Con, which is built to look like a LABO cardboard piece, though it's actually just an exercise bike that is surrounded by cardboard. However, there are sensors that read the speed of the movement of the pedaling, which allows for Mario Kart 8 to know if the player is accelerating. The second piece is from Ring Fit Adventure, a game that sold well in 2020. The Ring-Con from the game is used as a wheel for driving in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, as well as squeezing for the usage of items in-game like Shells and Bananas.
The third, and most important component of the LABO Fit Adventure Kart, is the TAPBO Module. This device is what the Joy-Con slides into, and it also is what the other devices communicate with. It presses buttons on the Joy-Con once it receives signals from the other devices (like accelerating, for example). To help show off this engineering portion of the video, Choi uses a 3D animated video, much like physical video game console modders use in showing off their work.
Choi even created a fake Amiibo for the TAPBO Module, which holds onto a mini Joy-Con via a magnet. Amiibo are still being released from Nintendo, as a Bowser and Bowser Jr. Amiibo are being released alongside Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury next month. Choi's entire video is done with a level of charm, comedy, and wit that make it worth watching for the knowledge of the LABO Fit Adventure Kart, as well as the sheer entertainment.
Nintendo has made plenty of exercising video games and accessories for said games; which is something that Choi points out in the video. Although he claims to be a big fan of The Big N, he jokes that he has only lasted a few weeks with games like Wii Sports, Wii Fit, Jump Rope Challenge, and the aforementioned Ring Fit Adventure. Of course, those games worked very well for many others. But with the success of Peloton and at-home workout regimes, perhaps a Nintendo bike and races around the world would not be a bad idea.