Those who recall a specific period in television history may remember regional versions of TV Powww, a syndicated show where at-home viewers provided verbal guidance to an operator controlling an Intellivision game.

One of the most well-known iterations was TV PIXXX in New York, where participants would vocalize “PIXX” – a nod to the station’s call sign – for a chance to win prizes like a T-shirt or a U.S. Savings Bond. The program was notably challenged by the technical difficulties and delays typical of such an undertaking.

Fortunately, technology has advanced considerably since then. Recent years have seen significant progress in live-streaming and cloud gaming. Surrogate.tv, a Finnish service established in 2017, presents an innovative approach by offering remote play experiences for games that incorporate physical components. Pinball, robot combat, and claw machines are among the featured attractions. Consequently, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is an ideal game for the platform.

Launched recently, Surrogate.tv is currently enabling users to play the game remotely during scheduled time slots throughout the week (requiring a live operator at the physical location). The service allows up to four players simultaneously to control the RC karts, utilizing video feeds from remote Nintendo Switch consoles to display the augmented reality overlay.

To create this experience (which Surrogate.tv emphasizes is not connected with Nintendo), the site utilized the GitHub NSGadgetPi project to emulate the Switch, built with an Adafruit M0 microcontroller. Furthermore, Surrogate.tv specifies the following requirements for each kart:

This provides a compelling way to enjoy the game without the $99 cost of a kart (or four times that amount for a complete four-player setup). As expected, some latency issues are present, as confirmed by members of our team who have tested the service. Mastering the remote control requires practice over several races, which can be time-consuming. The waiting list can also become lengthy, particularly with increased attention from media coverage.

Nevertheless, the current state of the technology represents a substantial improvement over the challenges faced by programs like TV Powww.