Voice/text chat officially confirmed for Mario Kart 8 (friends/lobbies only)
This is included in the press release already posted on the site, but I figured the below news deserves some attention of its own. Nintendo has officially confirmed both voice and text chat (the latter coming in the form of certain phrases) for Mario Kart 8, though the feature will only be available if playing with friends and in lobbies.
Nintendo’s official notice about Mario Kart 8’s chat functionality states:
Like to trash-talk your friends while you’re preparing for a race? You’re in luck! Mario Kart 8 lets players chat with one another in the lobby area using the Wii U GamePad microphone or text phrases as they wait for their friends to join.