The concept's a joint venture between Toyota and Microsoft Xbox. "We've taken the idea of what would it be like to take an off-road vehicle and still be able to play your favorite video games in remote locations," said David Williams, a Toyota marketing planner.

The Tacoma ATG (TACO ATG for short — and on the license plate) starts with a stock double cab pickup with a 6-foot bed, removes the B-pillars and welds the front and rear doors together to create giant gull-wing doors on both sides of the pickup, creating a "patio-like" shelter for gamers.

Mike Levine from PickupTrucks.com has more to say:

"The driver and front passenger seats fold out and back, lining up next to the rear seats, so that four players can compete head-to-head in Microsoft's new Halo ODST multiplayer videogame for the Xbox. Four Samsung 24-inch LCD displays are stowed in the center of the cabin and swing out to give each player their own view of the gaming action.

Spectators can watch the action via a 60-inch Sharp LCD television mounted in the Tacoma's trailer receiver hitch."

But in our minds the best part is the license plate holder. It says "My other car is a Warthog." It's a nice touch...for a completely silly concept truck.

2008 Acura #15 Lowe's Fernandez ARX-01b
2008 Acura #26 Andretti-Green Racing ARX-01b
2002 Acura #42 Realtime Racing NSX
2008 Acura #66 de Ferran Mortorsports ARX-01b
2009 Acura #66 de Ferran Mortorsports ARX-02a
2005 Acura NSX
2002 Acura RSX Type-S
2007 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione
2009 Alfa Romeo Brera Italia Independent
2008 Alfa Romeo Mito
2006 Aston Martin #007 Aston Martin Racing DBR9
2008 Aston Martin #008 Bell Motorsports DBR9
2008 Aston Martin #009 Aston Martin Racing DBR9
2005 Aston Martin DB9 Coupe
2003 Audi #1 Champion RS 6
2008 Audi #2 Audi Sport North America R10 TDI
2006 Audi #2 FSI Champion Racing R8
2006 Audi #8 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R10 TDI
2008 Audi A4 Touring Car
2009 Audi Q7 V12 TDI
2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro
2006 Audi RS 4
2003 Audi RS 6
2000 Audi S4
2004 Audi S4
2007 Audi S5
1983 Audi Sport Quattro
2004 Audi TT Coupe 3.2 quattro
2007 Audi TT Coupe S-Line
2004 Bentley Continental GT
2009 BMW Motorsport 135i Coupe
1971 BMW Motorsport 3.0 CSL
2001 BMW Motorsport #6 Prototype Technology Group M3-GTR
2009 BMW Motorsport #92 Rahal Letterman Racing M3 GT2
1997 BMW Motorsport M3 E36
2005 BMW Motorsport M3 E46 Coupe
1991 BMW Motorsport M3 E30
2008 BMW Motorsport M3 E92
2002 BMW Motorsport M3-GTR
2009 BMW Motorsport M5 E60
2009 BMW Motorsport X5 xDrive48i
2008 BMW Motorsport Z4 M Coupe
2009 Bugatti Veyron 16.4
2008 Cadillac #8 Remington Shaving CTS-V
2009 Cadillac CTS-V
2004 Chevrolet #3 Corvette Racing C5.R
2005 Chevrolet #31 Whelen Engineering Corvette Z06
2006 Chevrolet #4 Corvette Racing C6.R
2007 Chevrolet #4 Corvette Racing C6.R
2003 Chevrolet #50 Corvette Racing C5.R
2003 Chevrolet #73 3R-Racing Corvette Z06
2005 Chevrolet #99 Tiger Racing Corvette Z06
2009 Chevrolet Aveo5 LT
2002 Chevrolet Camaro 35th Anniversary SS
1990 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z
2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS
1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS Coupe
1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
1979 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS-454
2005 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Coupe
2002 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
2008 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Stock Car
2008 Chrysler 300C SRT-8
2006 Chrysler Crossfire SRT6
2009 Citroen C4 VTS
2002 Dodge #1 Team Zakspeed Viper GTS-R
2008 Dodge #11 Primetime Racing Group Viper Competition Coupe
2008 Dodge #2 Mopar Viper Competition Coupe
2004 Dodge #22 3R-Racing Viper Competition Coupe
2003 Dodge #23 Magellan Financial Viper Competition Coupe
1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Hemi
2009 Dodge Challenger SRT-8
1969 Dodge Charger R/T
2006 Dodge Charger SRT8
2008 Dodge Charger Stock Car
2006 Dodge Ram SRT-10
2003 Dodge Viper Competition Coupe
2003 Dodge Viper SRT10
2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR
2005 Ferrari #11 Larbre Competition 550 Maranello GTS
1964 Ferrari 250 GTO
1998 Ferrari #30 MOMO Doran Racing F333 SP
1967 Ferrari 330 P4
1994 Ferrari F355 Berlinetta
1995 Ferrari F355 Challenge
1999 Ferrari 360 Modena
2003 Ferrari Challenge Stradale
1991 Ferrari 512 TR
2002 Ferrari 575M Maranello
2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
2004 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti
2006 Ferrari #62 Risi Competizione F430GT
2008 Ferrari #71 Tafel Racing F430GT
2003 Ferrari #88 Veloqx / Prodrive Racing 550 Maranello
2008 Ferrari #90 Farnbacher Racing F430GT
2009 Ferrari California
1969 Ferrari Dino 246 GT
2002 Ferrari Enzo Ferrari
1987 Ferrari F40
1989 Ferrari F40 Competizione
2004 Ferrari F430
1995 Ferrari F50
1996 Ferrari F50 GT
2005 Ferrari FXX
1984 Ferrari GTO
2010 Fiat 500 Abarth SS
2009 Ford #1 TeamVodafone FG Falcon
2004 Ford #10 Tiger Racing Mustang
2009 Ford #25 Britek Motorsport FG Falcon
2009 Ford #5 Ford Performance Racing FG Falcon
2009 Ford #9 Stone Brothers Racing FG Falcon
2009 Ford Fiesta Zetec S
2009 Ford Focus RS
2006 Ford Focus ST
2003 Ford Focus SVT
2008 Ford Fusion Stock Car
2005 Ford Ford GT
1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429
2000 Ford Mustang Cobra R
1993 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R
1985 Ford RS200 Evolution
2009 Holden #2 Toll Holden Racing Team Commodore VE
2009 Holden #33 Garry Rogers Team Commodore VE
2009 Holden #39 Supercheap Auto Racing Commodore VE
2009 Holden #51 Sprint Gas Racing Commodore VE
2005 Honda #18 TAKATA DOME NSX
2005 Honda #8 ARTA NSX
2004 Honda Mugen Civic Type-R
2006 Honda Civic Si Coupe
2007 Honda Civic Type-R
1991 Honda CR-X SiR
2009 Honda Fit Sport
2002 Honda Mugen Integra Type-R
2000 Honda Integra Type-R
2002 Honda Integra Type-R
1992 Honda NSX-R
2005 Honda NSX-R GT
2003 Honda S2000
2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
2003 Hyundai Tuscani Elisa
2008 Infiniti G37 Coupe Sport
2009 Jaguar XKR-S
2008 Koenigsegg CCGT
1988 Lamborghini Countach LP5000 QV
1999 Lamborghini Diablo GTR
1997 Lamborghini Diablo SV
2005 Lamborghini Gallardo
2006 Lamborghini Miura Concept
2005 Lamborghini Murcielago
2007 Lamborghini Murcielago LP640
2008 Lamborghini Reventon
2003 Lexus IS300
2006 Lexus IS350
2009 Lexus IS F
2002 Lexus SC430
2005 Lotus Elise 111S
2009 Lotus Evora
2006 Lotus Exige Cup 240
2008 Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged
2005 Maserati #15 JMB Racing MC12
2008 Maserati GranTurismo
2004 Maserati MC12
2009 Mazda #16 Dyson Racing B09/86
2009 Mazda Mazdaspeed 3
1994 Mazda Miata
2007 Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe
2001 Mazda Mazdaspeed Roadster
1997 Mazda RX-7
2002 Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type-A
2004 Mazda RX-8 Mazdaspeed
1997 McLaren #43 Team BMW Motorsport McLaren F1 GTR
1997 McLaren F1 GT
2009 Mercedes A200 Turbo Coupe
2004 Mercedes C32 AMG
2009 Mercedes C-Class Touring Car
2009 Mercedes ML 63 AMG
2009 Mercedes SL 65 AMG Black Series
2005 Mercedes SLR
2003 MINI Cooper S
2009 MINI John Cooper Works
2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT
2006 Mitsubishi HKS Time Attack Evolution
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX MR
1999 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI GSR
2004 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII MR
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR
2008 Nissan #12 CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R
2003 Nissan #12 CALSONIC SKYLINE
2008 Nissan #23 XANAVI NISMO GT-R
2008 Nissan #24 WOODONE ADVAN Clarion GT-R
2008 Nissan #3 YellowHat YMS TOMICA GT-R
2010 Nissan 370Z
1970 Nissan Datsun 510
2003 Nissan Fairlady Z
1994 Nissan Fairlady Z Version S Twin Turbo
2007 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V
1992 Nissan Silvia CLUB K's
1994 Nissan Silvia K's
2000 Nissan Silvia Spec-R
1993 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec
1997 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec
2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II
2002 Nissan MINE'S R34 Skyline GT-R
2000 Nissan Top Secret D1-Spec S15
2009 Nissan Versa SL
2004 Opel Speedster Turbo
2003 Pagani #17 Carsport America Zonda GR
1999 Pagani Zonda C12
2002 Panoz #50 Panoz Motor Sports LMP-01
2005 Panoz #51 Panoz Esperante GTLM
2005 Panoz Esperante GTLM
2004 Peugeot 206 RC
2007 Peugeot 207 RC
2007 Peugeot 207 Super 2000
2007 Peugeot #8 Peugeot Sport 908
2009 Peugeot #9 Peugeot Sport Total 908
1968 Chrysler Plymouth Barracuda Formula-S
2009 Pontiac G8 GXP
2006 Pontiac Solstice
2002 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Ram Air
1973 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am SD-455
1987 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am GTA
2008 Porsche #16 Dyson Racing RS Spyder Evo
1987 Porsche #17 Racing Porsche AG 962c
2008 Porsche #2 Gruppe Orange Racing 911 GT3 Cup
1998 Porsche #26 Porsche AG 911 GT1-98
2005 Porsche #31 Peterson-White Lightning 911 GT3-RSR
2008 Porsche #45 Flying Lizard 911 GT3-RSR
2005 Porsche #5 XBOX 360 911 GT3-RSR
2005 Porsche #55 Applied Materials 911 GT3 Cup
2005 Porsche #66 AXA Racing 911 GT3 Cup
2008 Porsche #7 Penske Racing RS Spyder Evo
2007 Porsche #80 Flying Lizard 911 GT3-RSR
2006 Porsche #82 Red Bull 911 GT3 Cup
1995 Porsche 911 GT2
1982 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3
1970 Porsche 914/6
1989 Porsche 944 Turbo
1987 Porsche 959
1998 Porsche 911 GT1
2004 Porsche 911 GT3 (996)
2008 Porsche 911 GT2 (997)
2007 Porsche 911 GT3 (997)
2007 Porsche 911 Turbo (997)
2003 Porsche Boxster S
2003 Porsche Carrera GT
1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS
2009 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S
2006 Porsche Cayman S
1980 Renault 5 Turbo
2003 Renault Sport Clio V6 RS
2007 Renault Clio Renaultsport 197
2009 Renault Twingo Renault Sport Cup
2008 Saab 9-3 Turbo X
2002 Saleen #11 Graham Nash Motorsport S7R
2003 Saleen #2 Konrad Motorsports S7R
2006 Saleen S281 E
2008 Saleen S331 Supercab
2004 Saleen S7
2006 Saturn ION Red Line
2007 Saturn Sky Red Line
2005 Scion tC
2009 Scion xD
2009 SEAT Ibiza Cupra
2007 SEAT Leon Cupra
2007 SEAT Leon Supercup
2007 Ford Shelby GT500
1968 Shelby Mustang GT-500KR
2003 Subaru #77 CUSCO SUBARU ADVAN IMPREZA
2006 Subaru Impreza S204
2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STi
2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STi
2008 Lexus #25 ECLIPSE ADVAN SC430
2008 Lexus #36 PETRONAS TOM'S SC430
2008 Lexus #6 ENEOS SC430
2004 Toyota Altezza RS200
2003 Toyota Celica SS-I
1994 Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205
1984 Toyota Celica Supra
2002 Toyota MR-S
1985 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT Apex
1998 Toyota Supra RZ
2008 Toyota Yaris S
2005 TVR Sagaris
2006 Vauxhall Astra VXR
2009 Vauxhall Corsa VXR
2004 Vauxhall VX220 Turbo
2009 Volvo C30 R-Design
2004 Volvo S60 R
2003 Volkswagen Bora VR6
1995 Volkswagen Corrado VR6
2006 Volkswagen Golf GTi
2010 Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk6
1992 Volkswagen Golf Gti 16v Mk2
2003 Volkswagen Golf R32
1984 Volkswagen Rabbit GTI
2008 Volkswagen Scirocco GT
2008 Volkswagen Touareg R50
2003 Honda #16 G'ZOX NSX
2004 Honda Civic Type-R
1999 Honda Civic Si Coupe
1994 Honda Civic 1.5 VTi
1995 Honda CR-X Del Sol SiR
2005 Honda NSX-R
2000 Honda Prelude SiR
2005 Mazda Axela Sport 23S
2001 Mazda Mazdaspeed Familia
1990 Mazda Savanna RX-7
1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX
2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse GTS
1998 Mitsubishi FTO GP Version R
1997 Mitsubishi GTO
2003 Nissan #23 XANAVI NISMO GT-R
1997 Nissan #23 Nissan Motorsports R390
2003 Nissan #3 HASEMISPORT ENDLESS Z
1998 Nissan #32 NISSAN R390 GT1
2005 Nissan #46 Dream Cube's ADVAN Z
1969 Nissan Fairlady Z 432
1998 Nissan R390
2003 Nissan Skyline Coupe 350GT
1993 Nissan MINE'S R32 Skyline GT-R
1998 Subaru Impreza 22B STi
2005 Subaru Legacy B4 2.0 GT
1969 Toyota 2000GT
2006 Toyota #25 ECLIPSE ADVAN SUPRA
1999 Toyota #3 Toyota Motorsports GT-ONE TS020
2004 Toyota #35 Yellow Hat YMS Supra
2005 Toyota #36 OPEN INTERFACE TOM'S SUPRA
2005 Toyota #6 EXXON Superflo Supra
1995 Toyota MR2 GT
1995 Toyota Tom's T020 MR2
2002 Toyota Tom's W123 MR-S
2002 Toyota Soarer 430SCV
1992 Toyota Supra 2.0 GT Twin Turbo
1998 Toyota Top Secret 0-300 Supra
2001 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish
2002 Audi #1 Champion S4 Competition
2001 Audi #4 Johansson Motorsport R8
2004 Audi #5 Audi Sport Japan Team Goh R8
2004 Audi #8 Audi ABT TT-R
2008 Audi R8
2003 Bentley #7 Team Bentley Speed 8
1999 BMW Motorsport #15 BMW Motorsport V12 LMR
2005 BMW Motorsport #2 BMW Motorsport M3-GTR
1998 Ferrari #12 Risi Competizione F333 SP
2003 Ferrari #72 Team Alphand Aventures 550 Maranello GTS
1961 Jaguar E-type S1
1993 Jaguar XJ220
2002 Koenigsegg CC8S
1992 Lancia Delta Integrale EVO
1974 Lancia Stratos HF Stradale
1989 Lotus Carlton
1972 Lotus Elan Sprint
2002 Lotus Esprit V8
2005 Maserati #35 Risi Competizione MC12
2005 Maserati #9 Vitaphone Racing Team MC12
2006 Maserati GranSport
1997 McLaren #41 Team McLaren F1 GTR
1998 McLaren #41 Gulf Team Davidoff McLaren F1 GTR
1954 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing Coupe
2003 Mercedes CLK55 AMG Coupe
1998 Mercedes AMG Mercedes CLK GTR
2003 Opel #5 OPC Team Phoenix Astra V8
2007 Peugeot #1 Peugeot 207 Super 2000
1993 Peugeot #3 Peugeot Talbot Sport 905 EVO 1C
2005 Porsche #3 Lechner Racing School Team 1 911 GT3 Cup
1998 Porsche #5 Zakspeed Racing 911 GT1-98
2002 Saab 9-3 Aero
2003 SEAT Leon Cupra R
1998 TVR Cerbera Speed 12
2001 TVR Tuscan S
2005 Vauxhall Monaro VXR
2004 Volvo #24 At-Speed S60 R
2004 Volkswagen Beetle
2001 Acura Integra Type-R
1997 Acura NSX
1987 Buick Regal GNX
2004 Cadillac #16 Team Cadillac CTS-V
2002 Cadillac #6 Team Cadillac Northstar LMP-02
2004 Cadillac CTS-V
1996 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport
1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 427
1970 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1
2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser GT
2003 Dodge #126 Team Zakspeed Viper GTS-R
2000 Dodge #57 Carsport Holland Viper GTS-R
2000 Dodge #91 Viper Team Oreca GTS-R
2003 Dodge SRT4
1996 Dodge Stealth R/T Turbo
1999 Dodge Viper GTS ACR
1998 Chrysler Eagle Talon TSi Turbo
1966 Ford GT40 MkII
2005 Ford Mustang GT
2003 Infiniti G35 Coupe
2003 Panoz #11 JML Team Panoz LMP-01
2006 Panoz #81 Team LNT Panoz Esperante GTLM
2004 Pontiac GTO
1968 Pontiac GTO Hardtop
2001 Saleen #26 Konrad Motorsports S7R
2000 Saleen S281
1965 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C
1999 Shelby Series 1
Exclusive Cars Limited Collector's Edition Cars:

2005 Acura Forza Motorsport NSX
2005 Aston Martin Forza Motorsport DB9 Coupe
2010 Audi Forza Motorsport R8 5.2 FSI quattro
2008 Dodge Xbox 360 Charger Stock Car
2003 Nissan Forza Motorsport Fairlady Z

Forza Motorsport VIP Membership Car pack:

2008 Aston Martin DBS
2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
2007 Ferrari 430 Scuderia
2007 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera
2007 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997)
Exclusive Preorder Cars:

2009 BMW Motorsport Walmart M5 E60
2009 BMW Motorsport GameStop M5 E60
2009 BMW Motorsport GAME M3 E92
2009 BMW Motorsport MicroMania M5 E60
2008 Mitsubishi GameStation Lancer Evolution X GSR
2010 Audi R8 5.2 Community Edition

(Hat Tip to Cory!)

Back in the day you used to be able to roll around in a Dodge Ram 1500 in Gran Turismo 4, but this is taking four-wheelin' to a whole new level. Seriously, how well can a big lug like these luxo-utes handle and why on Earth would you have any interest in racing them in a video game?

Thankfully, this wasn't the only update that Turn 10 provided us today as we now know we'll have the opportunity to drive the Pontiac G8 GXP forever and pretend that GM never killed it. Phew!

Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]

Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]
Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]
Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]
Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]
Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]
Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]
Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]
Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]
Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]
Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]
Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]
Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]
Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]
Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]
Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]
Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]
Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]
Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]
Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]
Check out our continually growing Forza 3 car list HERE. [via Forza Motorsport]

The October release date of Microsoft and Turn 10's XBOX 360 racer looms ever closer, reminding us that we'll be spending some quality seat time on our couch this Fall. Check out our ever growing car list HERE to see what other rides you'll be able to pilot, though we think the Audi R8 5.2L V10 is all we'll ever need. [Forza Motorsport]

The addition of cars like the Toyota Yaris, MazdaSpeed 3 and Honda Fit mash nicely with the all-wheel-drive prowess of the Subaru WRX STI, Mitsubishi EVO IX MR and Nissan GT-R SuperGT, making us crave for the official October release of the newest XBOX 360 racer.

Check out the updated (07.01.09) car list HERE.

[via Forza Motorsport, Kotaku]

The announcement that the famed 8.489 Mile, 21 turn Circuit De La Sarthe will be included in the next generation of the famed Forza series has got to get more than just a few enthusiasts excited. Previously the only way you could act out your French endurance dreams was by going to the Playstation-based series, Gran Turismo. Thankfully Turn 10 developers made the trek across the pond to measure, photograph and accurately re-build the famed circuit in digital form for us to create our own epic 24 Hour of Le Mans battles. In fact, Turn 10 Track Team Lead, Matt Collins, apparently collected over 15,000 images to help with the Stateside team's digital replica including images of the track barriers, road materials, rumble strips, vegetation and trackside buildings. The nearly 60GB of source material has been accurately placed with the help of physical data collected via GPS to create ultra realistic digital versions of both circuit configurations, Bugatti and Sarthe.

Also released this weekend was this partial car list of ten included Le Mans Prototypes along with a few detailed images of the exterior and interior of each of the digital versions of these famed racers which you can see below.

We've also compiled a list of the cars that we know will make the game thus far, but remember this is nowhere near the final list as there will be over 400 cars from 50 different manufacturers, all of which will feature full range of visual and mechanical customization. Also, expect to see more parts-flying carnage thanks in part to a more realistic damage model that will also include the ability for cars to completely roll over during a race, a feature not previously attempted in a racing game.

(Updated: 07.15.09) Forza Motorsport 3 Confirmed (Partial) Car List:

Alfa Romeo

* 8C Competizione

Audi

* 2 Audi Sport North America R8
* 2 Audi Sport North America R10 TDI
* 8 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R10 TDI
* 2009 Audi Q7 V12 TDI
* 2010 R8 V10
* R8 V8 FS I
* 2010 S4
* 2009 TT

Aston Martin:

* 2009 DBS
* DB5 Vantage

Bentley

* 7 Team Bentley Speed 8

BMW

* 15 BMW Motorsport V12 LMR
* 2008 135i Coupe
* 2009 M3
* 2009 BMW X5 xDrive 4.8i
* Mini Cooper
* 2009 BMW M5 E60

Cadillac

* 6 Team Cadillac Northstar LMP-02
* 2009 CTS-V

Chevrolet

* 2006 Corvette Z06
* Corvette ZR1

Chrysler

* 2008 Chrysler 300C SRT-8

Dodge

* Challenger SRT-8
* Viper SRT-10 Coupe ACR

Ferrari

* 30 MOMO Doran Racing F333 SP
* California
* Dino
* 2007 430 Scuderia
* 599 GTB Fiorano

Fiat

* 500

Ford

* 2005 GT
* RS200
* 1968 Shelby Mustang GT-500KR

Holden

Honda

* Civic
* 2009 Jazz
* NSX

Infiniti

* 2009 G37

Jaguar

* XKR-S

Land Rover

* 2008 Land Rover Range Rover Sport

Lamborghini

* Murciélago LP640

Lexus

* 2009 IS-F

Lotus

* Elise
* Evora

Maserati

* GranTurismo

Mazda

* 2008 Mazdaspeed 3

Mercedes-Benz

* CLS 63 AMG
* McLaren SLR
* ML 63 AMG
* SL 65 AMG Black Series

Mitsubishi

* Lancer Evolution VIII MR
* Lancer Evolution X GSR

Nissan

* 3 YellowHat YMS TOMICA GT-R (2008)
* 12 Calsonic IMPUL GT-R (2008)
* 21 Nissan R390 GT1 (1997)
* 23 XANAVI NISMO GT-R(2008)
* 2009 370Z
* Sentra
* Skyline GT-R R33
* 2008 Tiida

Pagani

* Zonda C12-S

Peugeot

* 3 Peugeot Talbot Sport 905 Evo 1C
* 8 Peugeot Sport 908

Pontiac

* 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP

Porsche

* Porsche AG 906c
* Porsche 956
* 997 GT2
* 2009 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S

Seat

* Ibiza

Subaru

* Impreza WRX STI

Toyota

* 3 Toyota Motorsports GT-ONE TS020
* 6 ENEOS SC430(2008)
* 25 Eclipse Advan Supra (2006)
* 2009 Yaris

TVR

* Sagaris

Volkswagen

* 2008 Volkswagen Touareg R50

As we mentioned above, the Circuit De La Sarthe will see its Forza debut along with 100 other real life global circuits which will include drift circuits, road courses, oval tracks and the long-rumored drag strip. You'll be able to pick up your very own copy of Forza Motorsport 3 this October. [via ForzaMotorsport]

The most obvious comparison to make is to Sony's Gran Turismo 5 due out on PS3 sometime before the next millennium, most notably the precise and cleanly rendered real-time visuals that Turn 10 Studios have created for their newest console-racer king of the hill.

Looking closely at some of the cars represented in this preview and you'll notice a 2009 Corvette ZR1, Aston Martin DBS, BMW 135i, BMW E92 M3, Audi R8 5.2L V10 among several other new comers and the inclusion of fully rendered and modeled interiors for the first time in the Forza series. The final list of cars will exceed 400 from 50 various manufacturers with each and every one having the ability to be fully customized as we've all come to know and love in the Forza series.

Also included are over 100 true-to-life global racetracks ranging from locations in Spain, Italy and the American Southwest which will feature both standard circuit and oval events as well as the long-awaited and heavily rumored drag racing and drift events. A new feature to the game will be the inclusion of a race calendar in which the player will be able to participate in a personalized 200+ event racing calendar. Cool stuff indeed.

A firm release date is not yet set, but we're guessing Microsoft will release Forza Motorsport 3 just before this year's Christmas season to solidify their crown in the console racing wars. [via Kotaku, YouTube]

Christian Pearce isn't just some random illustrator with a knack for unusual media. The New Zealand-based man has amazing talent as proven by his employment at Peter Jackson's Weta Workshop, creating the dinosaurs for the most recent King Kong movie. Weta might sounds familiar to some of you as this is the same production studio that brought us the real-life Warthog, the gun-turret-wielding off-road beast from the popular XBOX franchise, Halo.

Pearce's work has become so popular in his kiwi hometown that he was featured in an exhibition titled 99DS this past February in Wellington alongside fellow Nintendo DS Colors artist, Greg Broadmore. [Drawn! via ChristianPearce.blogspot, 99DS]

Microsoft and Turn 10 Studios recently held a secret developer meeting in Sao Paulo, Brazil and a very covered Forza Motorsport 3 logo popped up on the screen during a Powerpoint presentation. CVG managed to capture some video of the event, which has now been removed from YouTube. Regardless, OXCGN was able to get the released artwork, which you can see on the left, depicting Forza Motorsport 3's official logo.

As we reported back in January, Forza Motorsport 3 will feature a total of 400+ cars and over 100 tracks necessitating the game to ship with two seperate discs. It's likely that Microsoft and Turn 10 Studios will show a preview of the game later this year. We can't wait.

[Kotaku via CVG / oxcgn]

Sega has polished up an old arcade favorite and is re-releasing it for the XBOX Live Arcade and the Euro-only Playstation Network in June.

The updated Outrun will feature 15 new U.S.-based tracks to race on; 10 new Ferraris, including the Enzo, F50 and Dino; 5 different play modes, including 'Outrun Mode', 'Heart Attack Mode', 'Time Attack Mode' and 'Outrun Mode 15 Continuous Course' and 'Multiplayer Mode', all while playing in gorgeous HD. According to the game, if you impress your girlfriend enough in 'Heart Attack Mode' you will receive special requests. We're not quite sure that means, but knowing our girlfriend, it don't mean squat. [via Sega]

Although no official release date has been revealed, the company behind all the pretty in-game artwork has let loose a couple of teaser images of the new Forza Motorsport 3. Microsoft Game Studios has sub-contracted Kaarbo Designs to create menu graphics for all previous Forza Motorsport games and they’ve let loose some early pre-production proofs of Forza 3 in-game race posters. The images were found on Kaarbo Design’s website and then promptly removed adding to the legitimacy of the images. In response to the leak, Kaarbo has said that the posters “are only samples and are not to be used.” Something that may be finalized is the Forza 3 logo in the upper left-hand corner of each poster.

While Forza 2 was big, it’s said that FM3 is so large that the DVD format has become an issue. With a total of 400+ cars and over 100 tracks it will likely ship on two separate discs. A preview of Forza Motorsport 3 will likely be shown later this year at the E3 show. We can’t wait to get our hands on a copy since our thumbs are just now healing from the first game.

[via xbox360 fanboy]

"Like most television, radio and print outlets, we accept advertising from credible political candidates. Like political spots on the television networks, these ads do not reflect the political policies of EA or the opinions of its development teams.”

John McCain, as far as we can tell, doesn't know what a video game is.[Gigaom via Politco, Photo: RVB]

The tech junkies later went on to say that "Long story short, this is the best thing to happen to Xbox 360 racing games. Ever. If you're a racing fan &mdash or just want to become a racing fan &mdash get this controller. Seriously." So yeah, seriously get this for the Xboxer in your life.

As somebody who rarely sits down with a controller (my newest game system is an O.G. NES) but loves cars and has spent his life obsessing over cars and his adult life futzing professionally with graphics on computers, I was interested in what drove Greenawalt and his team at Turn 10 to come up with the things they do. Forza 2 focuses on two things: realism in the reproduction of the tracks and the car and fostering creativity among the player community, something Greenawalt is adamant about. Hell, some players have even come up with versions of Michael Ross' Polizei Bentley Continental GT.

I asked Greenawalt why while there was such an effort placed on car-customization in the game, while the tracks tended to lag. He replied that it takes about three months to build a track; that they've tried outsourcing and adding people to the teams assigned and that no matter what they do, they can't seem to cut the time down. While they've got head-starts on tracks all over the world, actually putting the touches on the facilities to make them seem real means renting the facility for about half a week and hiring a helicopter. Plus, working in HD presents its own series of challenges; the pixel and poly counts require heavy-duty rendering; one of the reason that Turn Ten has shied away from adding in an in-game track-building application.

Another is that by adding in such an app, it would restrict the developers to using that same application as well, and as Greenawalt noted, Turn Ten isn't necessarily in the business of building an engine to sell. Instead, he wants to offer up the fanboy experience. Outside of well-heeled folks and broke-dick journos with connections, who gets to drive the world's premier tracks? That's an ethos that seems to inform everything that Greenawalt does when considering the game. As a fanboy himself, he wants to offer up a mass-market product that fanboys can adjust to their taste. The ins and out of producing something like this are frankly insane, with all of the vehicle licensing involved, not to mention the time taken to map the track as accurately as possible.

At Laguna Seca last weekend, Forza 2-sponsored driver Jaime Melo popped off a 1:25 lap on the Xbox 360. And in an inverse-Clarkson, he went out onto the track and pulled down a 1:22, setting a record in the process. That's the kind of accuracy Greenawalt strives for. Meanwhile, we're still waiting for them to add a Citroën SM to the mix. C'mon gents, chop-chop!

Cadillac announced today it would offer a free, promotional content pack for Project Gotham Racing 3 on Xbox 360. The package includes all the accoutrements needed to race Caddy's three high-performance V-Series models: the 400hp CTS-V, 469hp STS-V and 443hp XLR-V. What's more, gamers who can finish in the top 100 in any of the models on the virtual N rburgring Full F1 Circuit can gain "Cadillac Elite" status, which will probably entitle them to certain privelages (prizes, downloads and some such) at some undetermined point in the future. No word on the existance of any hidden vid-game easter eggs or, say, cheat codes for a 1964 Coupe deVille or 1979 8/6/4-powered Seville. Well?

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Project Gotham Racing 3 Criticisms [internal]

It's either a groundbreaking advertising feat or the setup for the most boring driving simulator in history. Volvo is becoming the first carmaker to create a driving game around its products, with its "Volvo Drive for Life" game, released this past Friday for Microsoft's Xbox. The company's description, though, is like a big, fat Percodan: "Players will experience firsthand the benefits of Volvo's world-class safety features such as Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC), Four-C Chassis, and Roll Stability Control (RSC), while testing their skills in the challenging game environment." Yikes. Extra points for picking the kids up on time and getting the dog groomed before soccer practice. (Image from Grand Tourismo 4.)

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Grand Theft Auto to Influence Car Design, Designer Says [internal]