The next update to Gran Turismo 6 on Monday April 7th will contain a new feature showing off some pretty neat technology. The “GPS Visualizer” feature will allow you to record a real life car driving around one of GT6’s tracks and recreate the lap in the game. The real car will need Toyota’s “Sports Drive Logger” which goes on sale June 2nd. The Sports Drive Logger is a real time communication system called CAN (Controller Area Network) and is used to record GPS position, vehicle speed, engine revolutions, accelerator pedal stroke, steering angle, brake operation signals, etc. This data is saved on a memory stick and can be inserted into your PS3 and read in GT6 to recreate your lap in the game. GT6 also promises you’ll be able to compare laps against your friends. Could lead to some lively post track day debrief sessions with your buddies.
In the grand scheme of things I’m not sure how useful or how much this technology will be used but it’s still pretty neat. As more and more sensors are used to track everything, especially us, it’s neat to see this technology being implemented into sim racing. I do wonder if the Sports Drive Logger will work on older model cars that do not have computers to keep track of every single piece of information? Guess we will have to wait and see.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/hJ-AcBpniYY[/youtube]
Whoop-dee-friggin’-Doo~ =(
Only works for GT86:
“Designed specifically for the Toyota “86” sports car, the Sports Drive Logger will be released throughout Japan on June 2″
Sure for now, but I can’t see it only being offered on one car forever. I read it as a stand alone unit that should be compatible with other cars. Besides the 86 (and it’s variantes) and a few Lexus’s idk what else Toyota would put it in? Of course they are big enough to absorb the R&D costs so maybe I’m just dreaming.