I recently had an opportunity to visit Oidaiba (more info), which is a recently developed, futuristic business district in Tokyo. They have all kinds of neat stuff there, including the largest car showroom in the world (Mega Web). No suprise, but it's a Toyota Showroom that not only allows visitors to take test drives in most of the Toyota product line, it also features a special Gran Turismo ride.
The ride uses the Gran Turismo 4 graphics engine projected on a large movie screen. The audience sits in bucket racing seats, complete with seat belts which were actually really necessary!
I look like I'm missing a few chromosomes in this picture
When the ride started, the platform we were sitting on raised up a few feet and the screen was showing a driveby of Fuji International Speedway, using the GT4 engine, of course. Eventually, the race started and we were looking through a first person perspective of our race car. The seats violently moved about with every turn and gear shift. I am not one to get motion sick, but the movements were very convincing (and quite jarring). Our friend that accompanied us said he felt nauseous for the rest of the afternoon. I've been on a few rides like this before and this was definitely one of the most intense of it's kind. Best of all, the ride was free!
Other photos from Mega Web/Odaiba:
The Mega Web Toyota Showroom
This is as close as I could get to getting inside this racecar
The car of the future. You definitely don't want to hit an SUV in this thing.
Outside of the showroom, with giant ferris wheel in the background
Monorail!
They had this poor monkey performing (and even bowing) for the man
A nice shot of the Rainbow bridge from the Fuji TV building
The ride uses the Gran Turismo 4 graphics engine projected on a large movie screen. The audience sits in bucket racing seats, complete with seat belts which were actually really necessary!
I look like I'm missing a few chromosomes in this picture
When the ride started, the platform we were sitting on raised up a few feet and the screen was showing a driveby of Fuji International Speedway, using the GT4 engine, of course. Eventually, the race started and we were looking through a first person perspective of our race car. The seats violently moved about with every turn and gear shift. I am not one to get motion sick, but the movements were very convincing (and quite jarring). Our friend that accompanied us said he felt nauseous for the rest of the afternoon. I've been on a few rides like this before and this was definitely one of the most intense of it's kind. Best of all, the ride was free!
Other photos from Mega Web/Odaiba:
The Mega Web Toyota Showroom
This is as close as I could get to getting inside this racecar
The car of the future. You definitely don't want to hit an SUV in this thing.
Outside of the showroom, with giant ferris wheel in the background
Monorail!
They had this poor monkey performing (and even bowing) for the man
A nice shot of the Rainbow bridge from the Fuji TV building