19 Sep 2019
Interactive scorekeeping wristbands planned for Super Nintendo World
BY Andy Knaggs
Interactive wristbands that interface back to a user's Nintendo game console look to be part of plans for Super Nintendo World, which is due to open at Universal Studios Japan theme park in Q2 2020.
Speaking at Comcast's 2019 Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference on 11 September, Universal Parks & Resorts chairman and CEO Tom Williams said that the first phase of the three-level new world in Osaka will have two rides – a Super Mario Kart ride and "Yoshi's Adventures" – reportedly a short omnimover-type ride.
Williams said the rides had been tested and would "redefine what a park experience is like".
Although the plan is for every Universal Park except Beijing to eventually have the experience, there remains no timeline announced for any except that in Japan, where ground was broken on the development in 2017.
Williams also said that Mario-branded magnetic bracelets worn by visitors will gather scores gained through interactions and rides in Super Nintendo World, and that the scorekeeping would interface with games consoles, so that the score can be built upon.
The anticipated opening of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan during Q2 2020 means that the new attraction will be operating before the start of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which begins in July 2020.
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