They Put a Racing Game in a Race Car So They Could Race While They Race

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa5Q73Fmup8

This is so stupid it’s awesome. Viagame pit one of the world’s top racing video game drivers against a real-life professional to see who was better. But the best part is Frederik Brolin, the video gamer, is driving the course, virtually, inside a car that is driving the course in real life.

The real-life driver is Peter Ternstrom. Both are racing a Renault Megane RS 265 at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya—Brolin is doing so in Need for Speed: Shift 2. The difference is Brolin is doing so inside Ternstrom’s car, which means his reaction and control is thrown off as Ternstrom plunges through the turns.

Brolin busts out to a huge lead until the G-forces IRL take over. Still, he’s neck-and-neck with his unencumbered rival until he locks up the front wheels somewhere around turn 11 and goes off the course. Even after all that, the conclusion may surprise you.

Gaming vs. Reality on a Race Track: The Shotgun Driver [Viagame on YouTube, via Polygon]

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