Matt over at IGN has confirmed that the upcoming Mario Kart Wii will not support voice chat, but will instead be text-only. Nintendo of Europe also explained that players will only be able use this feature before races, not during them. "You can create rooms for friends to join and even text chat while you're waiting for other racers," NOE said.

With all of the new (for the Wii anyways) features that Mario Kart Wii is bringing to Nintendo's console, the lack of voice support is a bit disappointing. Even if you aren't a fan of being called racially insensitive names by complete strangers, it is always nice to have the option. Hopefully, the game will also feature USB keyboard support to make the text chatting a little more bearable.

You will be able to get your chat on soon, as Mario Kart Wii is set to hit store shelves this April.