Video gamers rejoice - well at least if you live in Japan, speak Japanese, or plan to learn and order an overseas copy of an upcoming Nintendo 3DS game that will work in conjunction with Toyota's high end navigation systems.
For those that aren't into the video game scene, Nintendo - a name that surely rings a bell to anyone who watches even a little television - has released a new handheld or portable gaming device called the 3DS which, as the name indicates, displays three dimensional graphics. The reason the Nintendo handheld is so popular and, in my opinion, a technical marvel, is that there is no need for 3D glasses as used in movies, televisions, and the like. Better yet with a simple slider on the side of the device you can alter the degree to which the machine performs in 3D; using the analog slider you can play in full 3D, 2D, or anywhere in between.
So how does this pertain to the Toyota vehicles you came here to read about? Since both are based in Japan and dominant there, Toyota and Nintendo have begun a venture wherein a $90 "video game" will be on sale that uses Bluetooth technology to pair with Toyota vehicle navigation systems. Not only will the "game" attempt to alleviate language and speech barriers through a well-known means input, e.g. the Nintendo controller, largely unchanged since the 1980s (barring the new motion based Wii remote). The idea also houses driving and travel statistics, quizzes, and more to make it more game-like.
Though no word has hit the streets as to whether a U.S. release would ever get here, time will tell. Stay tuned for more techno-news as we hear more.
Chris Dugan
Handy Toyota
St. Albans, VT 05478
Comments
This is pretty cool, I've always figured Nintendo or Sony would make their way into influencing Honda and Toyota parts somehow. With all these new ways to reach a consumer, why not put real life products into video games?
willgagnon11@gmail.com,
Thank you for reading the Handy Toyota blog. You make an interesting point with your comment about the available branding power that gaming could and would have in today's world (where gaming has been accepted as a non-nerd-only pastime), and while your points remain valid I thought you'd like to know that there have actually been several attempts to get these in-game promotions going.
For instance, the Sony Playstation 3's Gran Turismo 5: Prologue featured an unlockable Toyota GT-86 sports car (branded as the Scion FR-S post-release) back when the car was but a whisper in the ears of even us Toyota dealers in VT, and fan favorites like the old school Corolla AE86 have been featured in past Gran Turismo games. In case you're a gamer as your post indicates you might be, check out this list of unlockable Toyota vehicles from the Gran Turismo series alone:
Gran Turismo (1)
Gran Turismo 2
Gran Turismo 3
Gran Turismo 4
Gran Turismo 5: Prologue and Gran Turismo 5
Please forgive the length of this list, but I like to be thorough! Contact me by email at cdugan@handycars.com for any further questions or for tips on how to unlock these great cars or play some other great, Toyota-branded games!
Regards,
Chris Dugan
Handy Toyota
cdugan@handycars.com