Car games galore at the Electronic Entertainment Expo

“Nearly every American plays video games,” said Mike Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association. Lucky for you, the car enthusiast, nearly every video-game maker also makes a car-related video game. And just about all video-game makers gather once a year at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, held again in the very same Los Angeles Convention Center that houses the LA auto show.

We wandered the halls of E3 on its opening day, Tuesday, June 11, to see what was new.

You have already read here about the much-anticipated "Gran Turismo 6," coming to a PS3 console near you by the end of this year with 1,200 cars to choose from racing on 33 tracks and offering up to 71 different “experiences.” Yes, even though Autoweek's Jake Lingeman already wrote about GT6, we hopped into a racing simulator anyway and had a go for ourselves. We chose a Delta Wing for the car and our home track of Willow Springs for the circuit. When else will you ever be able to drive a Delta Wing?

The console was set up like a racing cockpit, with a gas pedal, brake and steering wheel. The controls weren't too touchy, so we were able to keep the Delta Wing on the track almost the whole 10-minute session. Other drivers in our group of a dozen simulator pilotes chose: Silverstone in an SLS AMG GT3, a “Matterhorn” circuit in a GT-R NISMO GT3 and a C7 on the N

By Mark Vaughn