| Story Filed:12/29/2005 12:00 PM |
| Microsoft and Nissan Create the Ultimate Gaming Platform |
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When Nissan takes the wraps off its newest concept car at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in January, the automaker will show more than just a racy sport coupe. This sporty two-door is also a unique driving-game platform. The Nissan URGE concept is designed to be fun to drive even when standing still. That’s because in addition to being a sports car, the URGE is also a platform for the most powerful gaming console available, Microsoft’s Xbox 360. (MSN Autos is owned by Microsoft.)After taking a spirited cruise on real-world roads, a driver can park and then have the URGE convert into the ultimate driving game. A large fold-down screen that operates as a rearview mirror while driving on real roads becomes a display screen for an Xbox 360. The URGE’s race-inspired steering wheel, gas and brake pedals become the controls for the game. And what would be more appropriate to play in this car than Project Gotham Racing 3 (PGR3)? The latest in the series of Project Gotham racing games, PGR3 takes full advantage of the power of the Xbox 360. PGR3 puts the driver into cockpits of the 80 fastest supercars in the world, including offerings from Nissan such as the extreme R390 GT1. And just because you’re parked on the side of the road in Oregon or Kansas doesn’t mean your driving experiences can’t take you to more exotic locations all over the world. The impressive graphics of the Xbox 360 drop you in New York, London, Las Vegas, Tokyo or even in Germany on the famed Nurburgring test track.“The Echo Boomer generation, born between roughly 1976 and 1996, has grown up on video games. By 2012, nearly all 87 million of them will be of driving age and they will be looking for much more from a car than simple transportation—entertainment, a social space, personalization and flexibility,” said Bruce Campbell, vice president, design, Nissan Design America, Inc. (NDA) in La Jolla, Calif. “The ability to park the car and activate the game system adds another dimension of entertainment beyond the pure driving pleasure of the URGE. Like its drivers, this vehicle is able to switch between the real world and video world whenever the URGE strikes.”The inspiration for the URGE concept came from the results of an Internet survey of approximately 2,000 young car and gaming enthusiasts. “Not surprisingly, most of the young, primarily male, respondents to our survey said that they want a small, fun-to-drive sports car that can incorporate the technology products that they use on a daily basis, such as cell phones, mp3 players and game consoles,” said Campbell.The URGE remains just a concept, but it’s likely that features of this unique sports coupe could find their way into future production models from Nissan. More details of the URGE will be made available following Nissan’s press conference at the NAIAS on January 9, 2006. |
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A large screen folds down for playing Xbox 360 and doubles as a rearview mirror in real-driving mode.
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The compact Xbox 360 doesn’t take up much room in the rear storage area.
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The Nissan URGE Concept could be the perfect platform for playing Project Gotham Racing 3 on Xbox 360.
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