Newsflash:Nissan URGE: The Ultimate Gaming Platform
At A Glance
Nissan North America Inc. and Microsoft® have merged automobile design and gaming technology to create the first-ever fully integrated gaming system within a vehicle. Conceived by Nissan Design America Inc. (NDA), and equipped with the next-generation Xbox 360™ game and entertainment system, the Nissan URGE concept car allows drivers (while parked) to play Project Gotham Racing® 3 using the car's own steering wheel, gas pedal, and brake pedal while viewing the game on a flip-down seven-inch LCD screen. PGR™ 3 was developed exclusively for Xbox 360 by Bizarre Creations for Microsoft Game Studios. The URGE, a racy sport coupe that made its world debut at the 2006 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) on January 9, offers a glimpse of how "echo boomers" are influencing the next generation of vehicle design.
Drive it or play it. "The Echo Boomer generation, born between roughly 1976 and 1996, has grown up on video games," said Bruce Campbell, vice president of design at Nissan Design America in La Jolla, California. "Nissan conducted an Internet survey of 2,000 echo boomers, a majority of which said technology and gaming are among the most important attributes in their first car. Xbox 360 offered the latest in technology and was already a favorite among this audience." Immersive Driving Experience
The steering wheel doubles as a controller. "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 award-winning PGR 3 takes you on a breathtaking trip through the streets of five photo-realistic locations: New York City, London, Las Vegas, Tokyo, and the Nurburgring test track in Germany. While seated behind the steering wheel, view and play the game on a flip-down LCD screen, which doubles as a rear-view mirror when the car is being used for "real" driving. Hop into the cockpits of 80 of the fastest supercars in the world, including vehicles from Nissan such as the extreme R390 GT1. Control the action using the Nissan URGE's race-inspired steering wheel, gas pedal, and brake pedal. You could, for example, maneuver through the streets of New York, park the car and fire up Xbox 360, then virtually race through the same streets using the same steering wheel, gas pedal, and brake pedal—blurring fantasy and reality in a way that the automotive world has never before seen.
Xbox 360 fits neatly in the trunk. Nissan |
