Jalopnik: Video Games

Red Bull’s Gaming Rig Costs As Much As A Used Car

Raphael Orlove — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:30:00 EST

Red Bull teamed up with gaming rig maker Playseat to make their own Red Bull Racing F1 rig. You can buy it now — as long as you're willing to drop $1,500. You do know that you can buy a real, functional car for that kind of money, don't you? More »

Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Racer Muscles Onto iRacing Roster

Patrick Frawley — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST

Racing-game mavens who hanker for a bit of upscale American style now have one fewer reason to leave the basement: Cadillac's big-assed badass CTS-V Coupe race car will soon be available for the immersive iRacing MMO racing simulator. More »

Five-screen racing simulator includes an iPhone for performance stats

Andrew Liszewski — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 09:30:00 EST

Powered by an AMD Radeon HD 6870 graphics card, Chad Smith's five screen racing simulator looks like it provides almost the same thrills as the military's simulators, without requiring the military's budget. More »

Racing simulators are getting scary realistic

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:30:00 EST

PC racing simulator iRacing is for people who find the Forza and GranTurismo games too arcade-like. This dude's five-screen setup for a digital race at Mid-Ohio is so realistic he's wearing gloves to drive it. More »

This Super Mario Kart 7 commercial is an LSD-fueled delight

Patrick Frawley — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:30:00 EST

We loved the original "Mario Kart." How could we not love a mash-up of our greatest 80s addiction with vehicular mayhem, all set in a multi-player environment. Now, 19 years after that original hyperactive treat, "Mario Kart 7" is set to drop like a turtle shell. More »

Nintendo's LA Auto Show Car is by West Coast Customs

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:30:00 EST

Nintendo's debuting a gamer-themed car at this year's LA Auto Show assembled by the crew at West Coast Customs. There's a 10% chance it'll be awesome and a 90% chance it'll be the typical Pimp-my-Ride nonsense. More »

Watch the epic Jeep Wrangler 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3' commercial

Ray Wert — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 09:30:00 EST

We saw the 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3' Jeep Wrangler when it was quietly unveiled at the Woodward Dream Cruise in August. Now we're seeing the ad that'll accompany the special edition four-wheeler — and I think both gaming and Jeep fans alike will think it's simply epic. More »

Forza 4 November "Speed Pack" DLC: Typhoon warning

Patrick Frawley — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:30:00 EDT

Turn 10 has released this trailer for the November update to Forza 4's menu of stunningly-rendered cars, featuring in-game footage of gorgeous — if predictable — selections: the Aventador, a 458 Competizione, Audi's R15, an Aston Virage, a...GMC Typhoon? More »

First Gran Turismo 5 DLC pack delayed

Mike Spinelli — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:30:00 EDT

The first downloadable content pack for Gran Turismo 5 has been delayed in North America until October 25, 2011, but will include a special bonus, the company announced via Twitter earlier today. More »

Were Christina Hendricks' breasts made smaller in this video game?

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EDT

There's a lot to look forward to in Need For Speed: The Run. They've got Porsches, an interesting plot, and, oh, did we forget to mention a completely digital Christina Hendricks? That's a lot of polygons. But doesn't it feel like something's missing? More »

How much are those Forza 4 reward cars really worth?

Raphael Orlove — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EDT

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We understand the grueling agony of not knowing how much free moolah you're getting from the reward cars you get for leveling up in Forza 4. Well suffer no more – here's a full pricing guide to all of the game's free cars. More »

Thrustmaster's Ferrari F1 wheel makes us drool

Raphael Orlove — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:30:00 EDT

Because racing games aren't already taking over our every waking hour, here's Thrustmaster's Ferrari F1 Wheel Integral T500. So many buttons. Do want. More »

Behold a fleet of cars owned by video game nerds

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:30:00 EDT

This past weekend, a parking lot in Tokyo's Odaiba glimmered with geek pride. This weekend saw the Ita G Festa expo. Gear-heads gathered and showed off more than their appreciation for automobiles. They showed off their appreciation of covering their cars in otaku decals. More »

A drivable OutRun videogame cabinet "de-simulates" driving

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EDT

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A few years ago, a professor at Pasadena Art Center College of Design was planning to build a drivable Sega OutRun cabinet. He did it, and it works. More »

Audi creates world's first interactive YouTube driving experience

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EDT

Back in the 1980s, the videogame Dragon's Lair used animated cutscenes instead of programmed sequences to portray the action. It was novel, but cumbersome to play. Audi's used the same principle to create the world's first interactive driving game on YouTube. More »

How a racing sim rig helped a driver win at LeMans

Justin Hyde — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EDT

This is just your everday home-built rig for running race simulations. It's one anyone could build for a few thousand dollars and a basic understanding of PVC cement. Except the rig you see below helped Tommy Milner win the 24 Hours of LeMans. More »

Your dad will dig the Forza Motorsport 4 free muscle car downloads

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:30:00 EDT

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A 1965 Pontiac GTO, '69 Shelby GT500 428CJ, '71 Plymouth GTX 426 Hemi, '70 Buick GSX. They're all in your dad's fantasy garage, and they're among the cars included in a free DLC pack Forza 4 Season Pass holders will get if they pad Microsoft's cash-flow up front. More »

Electronic Arts rubs our noses in Porsche-Forza 4 controversy

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:30:00 EDT

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We get it EA. You've got all the Porsches — nobody else does. No other video game gets Caymans or Boxsters or even the brand new 2012 Porsche 911. But do you have to remind us so vividly — do you think having Porsches will keep you from continuing to be the also-also-ran of racing video games? More »

Porsche doesn't care about video game people

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:30:00 EDT

Porsche loves to claim it's the winningest carmaker in history. But that's a lie. Most people now race in video games. And now, thanks to Porsche's absence from Forza 4, most video gamers won't be racing Porsches to victory. It also confirms what we've long known: Porsche doesn't care about video game people. More »

Ferrari 458 Italia steering wheel for XBox is a knob-fest

Mike Spinelli — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:30:00 EDT

What's the next best thing to owning a Ferrari 458 Italia? Forget it, you can't afford her. But a few things down from that is this: a replica 458 Italia steering wheel for XBox. More »

Watch a virtual canyon run in a Porsche GT3 RS 4.0 for NFS: The Run

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 12:30:00 EDT

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Electronic Arts's Need for Speed franchise will soon increase by one: Need For Speed: The Run. A new game trailer confirms the presence of a Porsche GT3 RS 4.0, and perhaps a few meth labs, in the game's virtual world. More »

iRacing nerds will never leave their basements again

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 09:30:00 EDT

iRacing may be the World of Warcraft for obsessive racing geeks, but that doesn't mean it's not a fine game. The Boston-area company will release version 2.0 this August, having upgraded the graphics, aero and tire modeling. Red mist, meet basement. More »

How Forza Motorsport 4 will change car culture forever

Ray Wert — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:15:00 EDT

With Forza Motorsport 3, Microsoft's Turn 10 Studios tried creating the greatest racing game of its generation. Arguably, it was. On October 11th, when Forza Motorsport 4 is released for Xbox 360 they're setting their sights higher — creating the next generation of car enthusiasts. More »

Watch how Xbox Kinect lets Forza 4 players look into corners

Mike Spinelli — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EDT

Whether or not you think Xbox Kinect is just a party trick, there's no doubt combining infrared scanning with a traditional wheel controller opens new interface possibilities via head tracking, like letting Forza 4 drivers look deeper into corners. Rad. More »

Forza Motorsport 4: Five pre-order cars show off showroom shine

Ray Wert — Thu, 26 May 2011 12:45:00 EDT

Three hits of news on the Forza 4 front today. First, Turn 10 Studios has revealed the official shot of the game box art. Second, they've announced that the "Hero car" for the game is the Ferrari 458 Italia. Third, they've announced the five pre-order cars — along with "showroom" shots of each. I can't tell you more about this "showroom" function — or even if it'll be called that in the game — but I can say these are absolutely in-game renderings. More »

The Cars of L.A. Noire

Martin Grossinger — Fri, 20 May 2011 13:30:00 EDT

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The hyperrealism in the groundbreaking 1940's police detective game L.A. Noire extends to the 95 era appropriate production and concept cars that populate the gritty game environment. Here are over 60 of the real vehicles from the game. More »

The Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid's wheel is the world's most insane video game controller

Justin Hyde — Fri, 06 May 2011 10:30:00 EDT

Leave it to Porsche to see the steering wheels of Formula One as just a starting point for the controls of its 911 GT3 R Hybrid racer — a Porsche with a flywheel system so awesome it's designed to kill you by stopping your heart. Somewhere in Stuttgart, there's a Porsche engineer building Joerg Bergmeister an extra set of thumbs. More »

Why a 40-year-old Datsun is the second most popular car in Forza 3

Justin Hyde — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EDT

It's really no surprise that on this list of the 99 most-raced vehicles in Forza 3, the pole position goes to the Bugatti Veyron and its 1,001 virtual horsepower. Right behind it? The Datsun 510, a 40-year-old compact Japanese car. Why? More »

How Trevor Bayne used a video simulator to win the Daytona 500

Justin Hyde — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:00:00 EST

Last Sunday, 20-year-old rookie Trevor Bayne became the youngest winner of the Daytona 500 in Nascar history. His first experience with the track? Driving the iRacing video simulator at Daytona a year earlier, with Michael Waltrip giving him pointers. More »

Driving a video game Porsche on the Nürburgring versus the real thing

Brian Makse — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 11:00:00 EST

Every gamer who's ever lapped a track in Forza or Gran Turismo has wondered how the real track would compare. Canada's Sympatico.ca Autos gave driver Brian Makse the chance to compare the games to the world's toughest racetrack. — Ed. More »

Video Gamers More Dangerous Drivers Than Non-Gamers

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST

A new study's discovered players of racing video games like Need For Speed take bigger risks, are ticketed, and crash into stationary objects more often then their non-gamer counterparts. But frequent gamers do pass driving tests in fewer attempts. More »

The Cars Of Test Drive Unlimited 2

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 13:00:00 EST

Here's the full car list for Test Drive Unlimited 2 — Atari's cross-platform arcade-style car game. We've got the full list of over 75 cars, including eight Astons, five Bugattis, 13 Ferraris and one crazy Volkswagen SUV, below. More »

Is Pikes Peak Coming to GT5, or is Rhys Millen High?

Mike Spinelli — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:15:00 EST

In a post on the Red Bull blog, Rhys Millen advises gamers on how to handle the Pikes Peak rally course in Gran Turismo 5. Only trouble is, Pikes Peak hasn't been in a GT game since Gran Turismo 2. More »

Forza Motorsport 4 First Trailer, Screens

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 09:00:00 EST

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Forza Motorsport 4 will debut fall 2011, bringing the power of Kinect to the increasingly popular racing franchise. The first trailer's mostly Top Gear USA footage, but the screens give a hint of the new look for the sequel. More »

Video Games Are Not Art, They Are... Cars

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 15:30:00 EST

Sounds nutty. But let me explain! More »

Caterham Drives GT5's Tokyo Road Course In Real Life

Ray Wert — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 08:30:00 EST

The folks at Caterham Japan felt that, no matter how good Gran Turismo 5 is, it still can't beat the real thing. So they took a Seven around GT5's Route 246 road course in Tokyo... in real life. Here's video. More »

Gran Turismo 5: First Drive

Ray Wert — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 22:30:00 EST

After five years of development, Gran Turismo 5 is finally here. For three days we've ignored family, friends and hygiene test driving it to see if it's the most realistic racing game ever. It is. But should you buy it? More »

How Need For Speed Got Pagani And Lamborghini Playing Cops And Speeders

Justin Hyde — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 17:30:00 EST

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There are games out there other than Gran Turismo 5 and Forza, and more importantly, other corporations willing to talk Lamborghini into putting a Murcielago in uniform and toss it around the Dolomites. More »

Gran Turismo 5: Open Thread

Ray Wert — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 17:45:00 EST

Like many, we got our hands on GT5 today. While we're putting together our "first drive" review (we need at least 24 hours of playing time first), give us your thoughts below. Oh yeah, and here's the car list again. More »

First GT5 Commercial Adds "More Awesome"

Ray Wert — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:15:00 EST

Sony "VP" Kevin Butler explains why "Gran Turismo 5" needed to "have more awesome" in this first commercial for the new racing sim. Kevin, we know exactly what it's like to try to "have more awesome." Power, brah. Power. More »