Real racing from the comfort of your home
For any Formula One fan, to get the chance to race against the professional drivers would be a dream come true. You might not have to wait long for this to become reality, as a Dutch company called iOpener Media has patented such a system.
The Real-time Games system takes in real-time GPS data from live racing events and sends it to compatible games consoles and PC’s. The idea behind the system is that you can race against the top drivers, as the race happens, all from the comfort of your own home.
Using a complex system of DGPS, information from the European EGNOS network and measuring units fitted to the cars, the exact position of the car can be accurate to within 30 centimetres. This information is sent via the internet to a server farm, where it is saved and relayed to the gamers.
The software is able to collect the data and send it to the gamers in less than five seconds, which is similar to the delay on TV broadcasts. As the data is saved, the gamers can race in real-time or can replay the races at a later date.
The company will not develop its own games; rather it will provide a platform for game developers to build on. It will also provide an artificial intelligence system to blend the real and virtual worlds together seamlessly.
The Real-time Game system has already been tested with F1 cars and the first games are expected as early as September this year. If this concept takes off it could change the way we play racing games forever.