If you've ever driven a go-kart, and you should, you know that go-karts are a hell of a lot of fun. They don't necessarily go super fast, but they are so low to the ground that you feel as if you are Max Verstappen on the last lap of the Monaco Grand Prix, Dale Earnhardt at Daytona, or Mario on the Yoshi's circuit.

There is one problem, however. During the winter, that go-kart just sits in the garage gathering dust. If you live in an area where it's cold five months out of the year, a $2,000 investment in a go-cart seems like a pretty poor investment.

Segway's new Go-Kart Pro 2 solves the bad weather problem in a clever way. It turns the entire go-kart into a game console controller. I had the opportunity to drive the GoKart Pro 2 at CES 2024, both on the track and at the wheel for racing games. Here are my impressions.

On Best Buy's website, the Segway GoKart Pro 2 is available for pre-order for $2,299 with an estimated ship date of March 8, 2024.

According to the listing, the GoKart Pro 2 weighs 106 pounds and measures 55.9 x 33.5 x 23.6 inches.

Outwardly, the Go-Kart Pro 2 is very similar to its predecessor, the Go-Kart Pro. It has the same gray finish, but this time with neon blue accents instead of green throughout.

The most obvious difference is the steering wheel, which has controls in the center of the wheel similar to those found on the best PC game controllers, with a D-pad on the left and a traditional four-button layout on the right. In the center is a small display that shows the go-kart's speed, battery level, and other data. On the back side are two paddle shifters, which can be used both in-game and to "shift up" and "shift down" gears on the go-kart.

For me, at 6'5" tall, the GoKart Pro 2 was a bit cramped and I had to fold myself down to fit in the seat.

The top speed of the Pro 2 is 26.7 mph, 4 mph faster than the original. There are three driving modes that limit the maximum speed: Eco (5 mph), Sport (11 mph), and Race (26.7 mph), but the maximum speed can be increased or decreased on the fly by using the paddle shifters in manual mode.

The Pro 2 is powered by a 4,800-watt air-cooled motor and a 432 Wh battery, which Segway claims can travel up to 15.5 miles before needing a charge.

Even in sport mode, even in a parking lot, the Pro 2 felt very fun to drive. Like Segway's other go-karts, the Pro 2 has a handbrake on the right side that allows you to power slide or drift into turns. I really didn't want to get out of the car.

Then I went inside and found the GoKart Pro 2 hooked up to a gaming console. Segway has not yet officially announced the partnership, so I can't tell you which gaming console it is. (Segway has not yet officially announced the partnership, so I cannot say which console.) Once I started the game, I used the Pro 2's controls just as I would on the track: accelerate to move the car, brake to stop, and steer to turn. I accelerated to move the car, braked to stop, and steered to turn. In no time at all, I was roaring down the road.

But there was another layer of realism added by the Segway: the Pro 2's seat had tactile feedback built into it, so every time I ran over a tree or a fence or hit another car, I could feel it with my entire body. I am a poor gamer, so for all the work Haptics does, I essentially got a lower back massage.

At $2,000, the Segway GoKart Pro 2 is not a cheap investment. As much as I enjoyed driving it, it would be hard to find a reason to buy it. Others would have made the same calculation. But now that go-karts can be used off the road as well as on it, gamers may want to give it a try.

Check out all the top gadgets presented at the show in our Best of CES 2024 awards. You can also check out Tom's Guide's TikTok channel for the latest videos from CES.