Nintendo peripherals don’t just grow on digital trees. Real live people have to design them. Whether it’s the Zapper or the steering wheel, a ton of research and thought goes into them. During the design process for the wheel, Nintendo studied steering wheels from many go karts to make sure they got things just right.

They tried roughly 30 designs before they got it the way they wanted. I personally can’t wait to play some Mario Kart and if I know Nintendo, their final wheel may not look as cool as some of the ones above, but it should perform very nicely.

Mario Kart has not yet been released, but already there is at least one alternative that’s better then the steering wheel that comes with the game. Thrustmaster has apparently branched out from the joystick business and they are now selling the T-GoKart NW steering wheel accessory for the Wii.

First, it looks much cooler then the original that comes with Mario Kart. Plus, the T-GoKart has a rubber grip and strategically positions the Wiimote so that you can access the buttons easily while your hands are at the ‘10 and 2′ positions. It also has holes on both sides so you can use the Wiimote for pointing while it’s in the wheel or for connecting the Nunchuck controller when needed. You can get it in April for about $10. Let’s-a-go!