SPONSORED BY:

"Electra" by Sophocles The Hilberry Theatre January 6-March 23, 2006 Call (313) 577-2972

2006 NAIAS :: Reviews and Interviews

Nissan unveils the URGE with an XBox 360

PHOTO BY JASON RZUCIDLO / AMERICAJR.com

A front view of the new Nissan URGE.

by Jason Rzucidlo

AmericaJR@AmericaJR.com

 

How many cars come with a video game installed? I've seen DVD players and TV's in cars before. Never a video game system. I had the opportunity to interview Rebekah Decker, a product specialist from Nissan.

Mrs. Decker said, "It does. It's a really cool feature. They've designed a flip screen that comes down from where you're rear view miiror would be. Once you get home, you can pull your car into a parking spot. You're driving with your steering wheel. You're shifting with the pedals. It's really like driving the vehicle. It's really cool."

Let me remind you that the Nissan URGE is a concept car. However, if they get positive feedback from the media and from consumers, this dream could one day turn into reality. "It's an idea for the future. Something we're possibly thinking of producing or atleast taking some of the ideas from this into future production vehicles. You never know."

What other features do you get with this car? Decker answers, "There's a lot of cool things. It's designed to be kind of motorcycle inspired. The little windows down at the bottom of the car so you can see the road while you're driving. It also is a little coupe. It does have a third seat in the back that flips up. If you want to take your buddy with you on the road, you can flip up that seat and have a third passenger."

How much will the Nissan URGE cost? She replies, "This target car is really designed for the young gamers. Any Guys from 16 to young 20's and they really wanna make it a marketable price. Something that starts under $20,000."

How many screens are there to play your XBox 360? Our product specialist has an answer, "We just have the one screen that flips down. You have to have your car off. I believe it's a 7-inch monitor."

Whose idea was it to include an XBox in the URGE? Mrs. Decker said, "A lot of the guys out at Nissan Design America in California. They are young guys. That's stuff that they're into. They know what the gaming industry is like. They did a lot of research on that. They went out and talked to a lot of young kids and [asked] 'what kind of cool features do you want to see in your car?' That was the idea behind it."

Is the steering wheel used for actual driving and the video games? Decker answers, "Absolutely. Once you're parked in your parking spot, that is your steering wheel for when you're driving your games."

Can you play the game while someone is driving? She replies, "Definitely not. You have to have your parking brake on. You definitely have to be parked to be able to play the game."

How is the XBox 360 being powered? Our product specalist has an answer, "Through your battery. You just have to make sure that you're powering it up every once in a while so you're not draining your battery. It's all designed to do that."

LISTEN TO OUR LIVE INTERVIEW "Nissan unveils the URGE with an Xbox 360" Select a media format: Quicktime -- WAV -- MP3

PHOTO BY JASON RZUCIDLO / AMERICAJR.com

What's that in the trunk? It's an XBox 360.

 

PHOTO BY MIKE ISMAIR / AMERICAJR.com

AmericaJR.com's Jason Rzucidlo interviews Rebekah Decker.

BACK TO THE AMERICAJR ONLINE HOMEPAGE