Nissan Creates Celebrates Gran Turismo Sport with Remote Control GT-R

Whenever a major corporation does something related to video games, I prepare for the worst. McDonald's toys and Doritos-advertised games left me believing that a happy medium was more-often-than-not unachievable. Nissan proved me wrong.

In commemoration for the upcoming Gran Turismo Sport for the PlayStation 4, Nissan commissioned JLD Design to convert a fan favorite Nissan GT-R into a 1:1 scale, 196mph, 542 horsepower remote-controlled car. You don't steer this car with your standard controller but instead with a DualShock 4, the standard PS4 controller.

A professional driver would have had a hard time adjusting to the "new" control scheme, so instead, they brought in Japanese gamer Jann Mardenborough. To top it all off, Nissan gave him a small personal helicopter to fly above the racetrack, so that he can see the course properly.

Jann drove his real-life video game car around the Silverstone National Circuit, with his skycam copter trailing behind. Jann finished the track in 1 minute and 17 seconds, managed to get speeds as high as 131mph while maintaining an average of 76mph. These numbers are about on par with a skilled driver in a normal car. 

There was no bumper camera or other alternative views for Jann to use during his time; he relied entirely on his above-ground view to guide him. While he remained in control for the entire duration, there were safety systems in place to halt the car if needed.

We reported on a demo for Gran Turismo Sport stating that it is currently available for a limited time. Gran Turismo Sport releases on PS4 on October 17th, so buckle up racers.