With Nintendo still prepping the upcoming holiday launch of Mario Kart 7 for the Nintendo 3DS, the company has just revealed new information about the game’s online features.

As was the case with Mario Kart 3DS and Mario Kart Wii, MK7 will feature online races, but this time around, Nintendo is adding a Community feature that will allow gamers to create groups with other players to set up specific rules for custom races.  The game’s StreetPass feature will allow for quick community creation and sharing.  There will be Community leaderboards which will show information about recent races.

As for the single-player Grand Prix and Time Trial modes, gamers will be able to use either the handheld’s Circle Pad for controlling their racer, or the gyro controls of the 3DS to steer their karts. The gyro controls will be in effect when using the first-ever first-person perspective.

StreetPass will also be used to share racing scores, win/loss records, the amount of coins collected and other data.  SpotPass will also be used in the game, which will let players receive ghost data, with up to seven ghosts available to be downloaded at one time for a full eight-player race.

There will also be a separate Mario Kart channel, much like in the Wii version, where players can view information collected via StreetPass and SpotPass.

Hitting the track for the first time in a Mario Kart game, will also be Metal Mario (Super Mario 64) and Lakitu, the cloud riding, Koopa.  Players will also be able to use their Miis to race.  Meanwhile, new power-ups include the Super Leaf, which adds a Tanooki Tail to knock opponents off the track or knock items out of the way, as well as the Fire Flower which throws balls of fire at other drivers.  Karts will also have gliders now for maneuvering through the air and propellers for underwater racing.

New courses will include Wuhu Island, created by Retro Studios and set in the jungles of Donkey Kong Country Returns.  Also the Shell and Banana Cups will feature eight classic courses including Luigi’s Mansion (DS), Koopa Beach (N64) for a total of 16 new courses and 16 classic courses.