Nissan's Xbox Car

Posted on December 14, 2005

Wired has an interesting post about a new vehicle from Nissan called Urge that has a built-in Xbox unit.

Nissan is looking to capitalize on the Xbox craze by showcasing a prototype vehicle with an integrated Xbox. The Urge has two seats that are modeled to like a cockpit, so the passenger will get to pretend he's driving while the driver hopefully isn't too distracted to do the real thing.
Yes, this is a concept car, so it remains doubtful that a car would ever sell with an Xbox integrated into the dashboard. However, since DVD players and entertainment systems are already standard fare for the rear passengers on some SUVs and minivans, adding a game console would be a logical progression.

Wired is correct that in-dash dvd players are becoming popular so it seems likely that game systems installed in vehicles could become popular as well. The in-dash dvd players can also be quiet dangerous and many are programmed to only play when the emergency brake is on. In-dash game systems would be an obvious distraction even if the driver wasn't playing.