Satoru Iwata is as hands-on as any dedicated boss out there is. After giving us a rundown of Wii Fit, the Nintendo president and CEO is back with Volume Five of the Iwata Asks interview series. This time around, Iwata lets us in on Mario Kart Wii.

Mario Kart Wii is the sixth game in the racing series with Mario at the wheels. What's new with the game? Iwata shares the table with head developers Kenichiro Ashida, Hideki Konno, and who else but the Italian plumber's father himself, Shigeru Miyamoto.

How did the Mario Kart inspiration begin in the first place? It wasn't all about Mario, really. The original sketch featured a kart with a guy in overalls as its driver, according to Konno. As far as overalls are concerned, Mario has no opposition, except maybe Luigi. So it was only natural to use Nintendo's most charismatic character for the game.

With Mario in the mix, Miyamoto was definitely in. The noted developer suggested the use of the Wii Wheel and online battles using Nintendo's Wi-fi connection.

Ashida, the Wii Wheel's project leader, revealed that the Wii Wheel has undergone a lot of changes since its early prototype. To prove his point, he brought along the Wii Wheel's different builds (click the images below for a higher resolution).

 

 

What makes the Nintendo Wii Wheel different, according to Ashida, is its lack of drive shaft. It is also lightweight so anyone from kids to grandparents can easily play it. A few days back, we've reported that the Wii Wheel only costs US$ 10.

The Nintendo Wi-Fi connection has been used in Mario Kart DS, however, technology was greatly limited then. So when the Wii version came up, Konno and the devs immediately jumped the gun to enhance its online feature, starting with the Mario Kart Channel.

Konno also mentions the steps they've taken regarding players who use different controllers to play the game over at the Mario Kart Channel. If you're using a classic Gamecube controller instead of the Wii Wheel, there will be an icon that'll show this. Also, expert Wii Wheel gamers are rewarded with a Golden Wheel icon. That's bragging rights for you there.

But wait, Ashida actually made a Golden Wheel prototype!

 

For the online mode, the devs also added Ghost Battles and a 100-man brawl mode similar to Super Smash Bros. Brawl. What's more, Konno has incorporated motorbikes! Yes, that's right, extreme sports enthusiasts are covered with the Mario Kart X course. There's a little more for the little boys, says Konno.

Mario Kart Wii is set for a release date of April 27. Updates will be raining until then. Keep coming back here at QJ.NET for more of them.

Images courtesy of Wii UK.