Autoblog

The iPhone has been a hit since its release and Apple has ratcheted up the excitement the last couple of months, as the recently-released software development kit for the phone is already bearing fruit. In a short period of time and on what we'd guess is a very limited budget, one group of developers has designed a cool racing game called Raging Thunder that features quality graphics, a number of cars, and steering that utilizes the iPhone's revolutionary accelerometer. While the game isn't exactly groundbreaking, it demonstrates that we should see some very cool racing games when big-time developers really start to focus on the iPhone. Follow the jump to see the sweet-looking Raging Thunder in action.

[Source: Kotaku]

There are racing simulators, and then there's VRX Industries simulators. Their VRX Mach 4 is the Bugatti Veyron of sims. It takes four Xbox 360s to run the Mach 4's three 37" high-def LCD screens and 7" LCD rear view mirror. Realistic sound is provided by a Bose Acoustimass system with a Harmon Kardon surround sound receiver. A Sparco Monza racing seat holds you tight as the 1500 watt tactile feedback system and 1900 watt tactile power amp simulate ever bump and crash. And if all that isn't enough to make you feel like a racecar driver, there's even a virtual wind system, people. With all that realism, you're gonna work up a thirst, and you're taken care of there, too, with, a "beverage containment system." Not even Mr. Räikkönen gets one of those. VRX Mach 4 Racing Simulator - $24,995

Next up: Custom-built and only 100 made!

BMW is serious about its M3 coupe, so much so that the German automaker is willing to invest big bucks to show potential buyers just how great the M driving experience is. To give you control of the M3, BMW created a video game where you get to dance around the Nürburgring. The file is a mega-load at 345 MB, and BMW suggests having a steering controller for the PC to get the best possible experience. We didn't have the wheel, so we stuck with the keyboard controls. The interface seems like it was designed by the architects of iDrive, and trying to exit the game almost crashed our fortified quad-core gamer machine, but the graphics were pretty sweet. That said, if the M3 handles as poorly as it did for us in this video game, most of us would rather have a Crown Victoria rolling on DUBs (Readers, be advised: "Most of us" refers to Chris and the other voices in his head. Just a clarification. - Ed). It took us 20 minutes to get to the point where we could keep the virtual 414 HP on the track, and steering was too sensitive on pavement and flat-lined on anything else. Let us know how you do if you take the time to try it. Heck, it's a time waster, but it's free.

[Source: BMW]

Home racing games have come a long way since Pole Position, with controllers providing feedback to virtual drivers, while true to life graphics and vehicle driving dynamics making the action feel much more real. Microsoft has even engineered some real-life smoke from their official steering wheel, even though the software giant from Redmond, Washington really wishes the problem didn't exist.

The pneumatic experts at Festo have taken a big step towards making the most real-life racing game experience, and the extent of on-road feel of their new contraption looks very impressive. Festo uses Fluidic Muscles and mechatronic systems to give users a true sensation of either driving or flying, depending on the software being used. It's really more of an industrial simulator than a game, and we're pretty sure it costs a bit more than a Playstation 3. Either way, we'll need to come up with a business case to AOL for buying one for the Autoblog team. You can check out a video of the Festo system after the jump.

Thanks for the tip, thesawzall!

Does a three-hour marathon session of Burnout Revenge on the Xbox 360 give you the urge to go wreak automotive havoc on an unsuspecting public? Perhaps not, but you might be more inclined to run a red light or wantonly speed according to a new study that confirms the correlation between racing games and risky behavior behind the wheels. While surveys have been done to establish this correlation in the past, this is one of the first hardcore studies conducted to back up this theory.

Conducted by Peter Fischer at Ludwig-Maximilians University and the Allianz Center for Technology in Germany (Allianz is one of the largest insurance companies in the world), the study took a very scientific approach. Published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, it began with interviewing a number of subjects on their driving habits and how often they played video games that featured driving in a real-world setting. Next, researchers actually compared the effect of playing games like Burnout, Midnight Racer and Need for Speed on the brain. It was found that such games did increase cognitions that relate to risk taking and arousal/excitement. Finally, the study gauged whether these types of driving games actually translated into risk-taking behavior by using the widely accepted Vienna Test System. Sure enough, it was found that men (though not women) were more likely to take risks in traffic after playing these games.

The linked article from Arstechnica makes the good point that the study steered clear of driving games like Project Gotham Racing, Forza and Gran Turismo that take place on virtual tracks in controlled environments. Such games, if studied, might be found to promote increased motor skills and concentration since the goal is to get the best lap time and not run over granny in your Gremlin.

What's worrisome, however, is if the correlation between these types of driving games might eventually give the insurance industry cause to increase rates for gamers that like to indulge in a little Grand Theft Auto.

[Source: Arstechnica]

Cadillac announced Monday that it is offering the first free downloadable content pack for the Xbox 360 version of Project Gotham Racing 3. The free Caddys cover the high-performance V-Series: the CTS-V, STS-V and XLR-V models.

Gamers who are quick enough to put a Caddy in the top 100 on the Full F1 Ciruit version of the Nurburgring via Xbox Live will gain "Cadillac Elite" status, part of a Cadillac game-player's ranking system that will eventually encompass multiple console gaming titles. Elite-class Xbox Live gamers gain access to exclusive events, customized downloadable content and are eligible to win prizes. No word on whether or not the prizes include a real-world V-car...

[Source: GM]