Microsoft, Nissan Put Xbox In A Car

Microsoft Corp. and Nissan North America Inc. have jointly developed a concept car that's equipped with an Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system.

The URGE car enables people, while parked, to play the game "Project Gotham Racing 3" using the vehicle's steering wheel, gas pedal and brake pedal. The game, developed by Bizarre Creations Ltd., is shown on a flip-down 7-inch LCD screen.

The URGE is scheduled to make its debut Jan. 9 at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

A survey of 2,000 teens and young adults found that a majority listed technology and gaming as among the "most important attributes in their first car," Bruce Campbell, vice president of design for Nissan, said in a joint statement.

Project Gotham Racing lets people pretend to drive the streets of New York, London, Las Vegas or Tokyo, or the Nurburgring test track in Germany. By embedding the game in the car, the Xbox "delivers an immersive driving experience not available in any living room," the companies said.

A driver in New York, for example, can park the car and then pretend to race through the same streets. The flip-down LCD screen doubles as a rear-view mirror when not in use.