Tech demo

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Not to be confused with vaporware, which refers to a commercial product that presumably started development but never got released, or internal tests, which are not meant for public viewing and are strictly for use inside Nintendo.

"Tech demo" is a computer and video game industry term referring to short applications designed to gauge interest in an upcoming product and/or to demonstrate hardware-specific features. Tech demos have various levels of interactivity, ranging from real-time videos to short but fully playable demonstrations. Tech demos are rarely intended to be turned into fully fledged commercial products, though their ideas and concepts are sometimes reused. The Super Mario franchise has been the subject of or has been featured in many tech demos.

List of Super Mario-related tech demos[edit]

Game System Image Description
Game Boy Color Promotional Demo Game Boy Color The title card of the Game Boy Color Promotional Demo. An animated sequence showcasing the Game Boy Color's colorized graphics and increased power, for use in various store kiosks selling the console.[1] Prominently features Wario Land II, alongside sequences using graphics from Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins.
Super Mario 128 Nintendo GameCube Title screen of the unreleased game Super Mario 128. A series of experiments originally intended to be a sequel to Super Mario 64. Concepts from this demo were used in other projects, such as Pikmin and Super Mario Galaxy.[2]
Luigi's Mansion A pre-release version of Luigi's Mansion. Luigi's Mansion was originally shown off at Space World 2000 as a tech demo designed to show off the graphical capabilities of the Nintendo GameCube.[3][4]
Mario Kart for Nintendo GameCube Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Early A seven-second clip featuring Mario and Luigi driving karts using Super Smash Bros. Melee models. It was most likely reworked into Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.
Balloon Trip Nintendo DS Balloon Trip A Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island-themed minigame making use of the Nintendo DS's touchscreen and dual screen setup. It ended up forming the basis of Yoshi Touch & Go.[5]
Mario's Face Screenshot from the unreleased tech demo, Mario's Face A tech demo featuring Mario and Wario's heads that could be squeezed or stretched in various ways, similar to the title screen for Super Mario 64.[6]
DSpeak The DSpeak tech demo at Nintendo's E3 2005 booth A tech demo featured at E3 2005 which showcased the DS's wireless communication and microphone capabilities. Each DS system displayed Mario's or Wario's head on the top screen. Their mouths were synchronized to the input of the opposing DS.[7]
DS Wireless Internet Tech Demo The poster for the Nintendo DS Wireless Internet Tech demo. A tech demo at E3 2005 which showcased the DS's wireless communication capabilities through the internet, which featured both Mario Kart DS and Animal Crossing: Wild World.[8]
Carving Footage of the Carving Tech demo. A tech demo showing the Nintendo DS' 3D-rendering capabilities and touchscreen controls, which features both Mario and Yoshi as potential objects to carve.[9]
3DS Classic Collection Nintendo 3DS The 3DS Classic Collection Tech demo, running on a Nintendo 3DS console. A tech demo featuring a series of dioramas based on Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo Entertainment System games with stereoscopic 3D, including Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros., NES Open Tournament Golf, Super Mario World, and Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. This would later serve as the basis for the 3D Classics series.[10]
New Super Mario Bros. Mii Wii U The start screen of the E3 demo for New Super Mario Bros. Mii An experience tech demo loosely based on New Super Mario Bros. Wii appearing at E3 2011. The demo's primary purpose was to show off the "Off-TV Play" function of the Wii U. It served as the basis for New Super Mario Bros. U.
Chase Mii Chase Mii, a tech demo that would become Mario Chase. It features Miis in Super Mario-themed costumes playing a game similar to tag. A refined version of this demo appears in Nintendo Land under the name Mario Chase.
Shield Pose Chase Mii, a tech demo that would become the Game & Wario game Pirates. A rhythm-based minigame in which the player moves the GamePad around to block attacks. Initially developed as pre-installed software for the console,[11] the demo's scope was expanded and it was reworked as the Game & Wario minigame Pirates.
Measure Up Measure Up, a tech demo that would become the Game & Wario game Design. A minigame in which the player is instructed to draw geometrical shapes. It was released as the Game & Wario minigame Design.
Zapper tech demo Zapper, a Wii U tech demo that would become the Game & Wario game Shutter. A minigame in which the player moves the GamePad to shoot Miis.[12] It ended up being the basis of the Game & Wario minigame Shutter.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong Wii U demo A tech demo for a Mario vs. Donkey Kong game that would become Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars Developed with Nintendo Web Framework (a development environment based on WebKit), the Mario vs. Donkey Kong Wii U demo was shown at GDC 2014, used as a sample to show the potential of Nintendo Web Framework. Like previous installments in the series, the goal of each level is to guide the Mini Marios to the exit, creating paths through the positioning of platforms and other interactions with the setting made through the touch screen of the GamePad. The first stage shows some of the basic features of Nintendo Web Framework, and then after this stage is a bigger stage, which brings more complex lighting effects and animations.[13][14] This title was reworked into Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars.

References[edit]

  1. ^ https://tcrf.net/Game_Boy_Color_Promotional_Demo. The Cutting Room Floor (English). Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  2. ^ U64 Staff & Contributors (April 8, 2008). Super Mario 128 [Gamecube – Tech Demo]. Unseen64 (English). Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  3. ^ BreadCrustCouncil (November 21, 2010). Nintendo Gamecube, SpaceWorld 2000. YouTube (English). Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  4. ^ Noclip Game History Archive (July 3, 2023). Nintendo Spaceworld 2000 Gamecube Tech Demo (NEW HIGH QUALITY VERSION). YouTube (English). Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  5. ^ U64 Staff & Contributors (April 8, 2008). Balloon Trip / Yoshi Touch & Go [DS – Proto]. Unseen64 (English). Retrieved January 1, 2052.
  6. ^ U64 Staff & Contributors (April 8, 2008). Mario’s Face [DS – Tech Demo]. Unseen64 (English). Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  7. ^ Harris, Craig (May 18, 2005). E3 2005: DSpeak Impressions. IGN (English). Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  8. ^ Berube, Justin (April 30, 2015). A Look Back at Nintendo’s E3 2005 Show: E3 2005 Pictures. English. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
  9. ^ CompatDK (December 28, 2007). Nintendo DS Tech Demo. YouTube (English). Retrieved June 13, 2025.
  10. ^ Kaluszka, Aaron (June 17, 2010). First Look: 3DS Classic Collection. Nintendo World Report (English). Retrieved June 13, 2025.
  11. ^ Iwata Asks: Game & Wario. Nintendo.com (English). Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  12. ^ Wii U Demo Software (Pre-Release). nindb. Archived October 29, 2014, 05:10:21 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  13. ^ SuperZambezi (March 19, 2014). Mario Vs. Donkey Kong Wii U Demo Playable at GDC. Mario Party Legacy (English). Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  14. ^ Bonamin, Kadu (March 22, 2014). Demo técnica de "Mario vs Donkey Kong" para Wii U ganha novo vídeo de jogabilidade; assista. Reino do Cogumelo (Portuguese). Retrieved January 1, 2025.