Gamers will drive real tracks -- from home

October 31, 2009 - 0 comments

London -- Computer gamers will soon race their on-screen cars against real drivers during actual televised auto races, a British computer game company says.

Real Time Race will complete a virtual gaming system in 2010 that will pit at-home players side-by-side with drivers competing in real races, the BBC reported Friday.

The race circuit would be mapped by the firm's technology just before the race, using a car with a five-headed camera to record a 360-degree picture of every part of the track. This data would be streamed to the player's computer so his virtual track would match the real one, the BBC reported.

"We can put you in your own car, within real TV coverage of a real race, and in real time against the professionals," said Chris Leigh, head of Real Time Racing.

After four years of research, Leigh expects the technology will be ready to take on a real motor sport series next year. The company is also looking at adapting the system to other sports like skiing, cycling, and sailing, the BBC says.