Slashdot Mirror
Sony and Toyota Bring Real-Life Racing Into the Game World
cartechboy writes: "Racing games on consoles are fun, but, ultimately, they aren't real. The difference between racing around a track on a TV screen and being behind the wheel of a real car on the asphalt is substantial — there's no reset button in real life. But Sony and Toyota have teamed up to blur that line with a new Sports Drive Logger device. It's a USB data logger that maps your real-world lines around a local racing circuit using the car's data systems and GPS coordinates. Using satellite positioning, pedal depression, steering angle, gear selection, engine revs, and vehicle speed, the Sports Drive Logger replicates this data in Gran Turismo 6. You use this data in the game's telemetry screen, or watch a virtual representation of the laps you've just driven, and even compare that data against your friend's data. If you're brave enough, you can compare your data to that of a professional driver's. Unfortunately this system is only available on the Japanese-spec Toyota GT 86 (a near-twin to the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ in the U.S.) — for now."
Dat downforce...
And only available on three tracks in Japan. Certainly not my local circuit, and I would guess not most peoples local circuit here either. The article also mentions that other tracks are able to join, however I'm guessing this in only tracks that are in GT6, or at least could be in some future DLC. Ultimately it is neat, but being such a limited use case really not that exciting.
Central Ohio Home Theater Installation - The Theater People
An add on for GTA that tracks how many actual pedestrians you run down in your stolen cars.
Since Toyota took a bit of a hit after the acceleration problems they were having, I expected Sony might come along to help them out. I'm just waiting for this collaboration to eventually yeild a power drivers seat with a memorystick slot in it that remembers the shape of your ass.
Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
As an FRS owner, this gives me some hope that toyota hasn't completely abandoned the platform. I like my car enough to want to spend more money on it, but the only factory upgrades they've offered so far have been ludicrously overpriced (1000$ headunit? Why is a radio priced like it has an i7 in it..) and cosmetic rather than performance. (No thanks to your 80$ oil cap). There have been rumors of a factory installed turbocharger since their original run, but so far nothing. It's a toyota vehicle, but many of the components (mainly the 4 cylinder engine) were manufactured by subaru. I read somewhere that relations between subaru and toyota chilled for some reason, and that's the major reason why it's been so orphaned. This gives me hope that's not entirely the case.
Headline makes it sound like they made a more-realistic driving simulator.
But in actuality, this is just taking actual data telemetry from actually driving around in an actual car, and then replying it on a computer.
I am disappoint.
Neat concept, but as others have said, pretty useless in practice except for a very small minority of people who own the game, the right car, and live in the right place.
I'm still waiting for the smartphone app they advertised prior to release that was supposed to allow you to take a GPS track from driving around (or walking) and turn it into an in-game course; that seems a lot more useful to a lot more people. Of course, it would also require them to release some sort of course maker, which so far they have failed to do. It feels like they've pretty much abandoned GT6 in favor of working on a version for next-gen consoles - updates thus far have been few, and mostly very minor.
Let me race the car in GT6, remotely operating the car on the real track. Why can't we have this instead?
1.Netcraft confirms:In Soviet Russia all your base welcomes a beowolf cluster of CowboyNeal overlords. 2.? 3.Profit!!1!
See, I'd think it would be more interesting if things were reversed: you load your GT6 profile into the car, and let it drive the IRL track!
Maybe Sony and Toyota will read this post, then give the Goog a ring-a-ding-ding...
#wishfulthinking
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Yeah my accelerator pedal's depressed, it's in a hybrid. ;)
robotic drone software finishes First, Second, ....
Jeremy Clarkson attempted to take on a course he'd often played in a video game in a car he'd played in the game, and the real world experience was different enough that he could not match his best video game lap time: http://www.carsite.co.uk/gallery/videos/id/1148-jeremy-clarkson-brings-playstation-3-lap-to-life-in-honda-nsx
Just when you thought they couldn't get more evil.
Letting a bunch of inexperienced kids with still fresh ink on their drivers license into a high powered sports car onto a race track, to compete each against each other and encouraging them to drive faster and faster right to the ragged edge. What could possibly go wrong?
They might as well build a drive in morgue at the end of turn 1!
History is littered with those failures.
Mechwarrior Pods, they went out of business and all that is left is a handfull across the country still played by a small rabid fanbase. (I luckily have a bunch near me)
NASCAR Experience stores... Again died off rapidly, had a small but rabid following. Price to play was so high that barely anyone played them.
The Sony/Toyota venture will also be a failure. Everyone before them failed badly because it was done half assed, and horribly overpriced to play. If it costs more than $2.00 to play for 10 minutes, you are overpriced and need to stop now.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
For some reason, the first time I scanned over the title, I read it as "Toyota and Sony bring real life racism to the game world". I was waiting for an epic story - but instead only got a story about how some peeps are using GPS data in a simulation.
Given Sony's record with electronics and Toyota's record with runaway automobiles, I'm not sure that's the best combination.
It'll look good, but it won't be very functional.
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
Just give it time, they'll expand it to any GPS route you capture and then a getaway driver will use it to perfect his escape!
I would be wary of a rootkit in the accelerator microcode.
Please, dear slashvertisers, remember that GT6 is definitely not realistic, as the Gran Turismo series has never been realistic at all. Now would you come back later with the same option in any proper PC driving simulator?