http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-10439051-48.html

Take a look at the picture above and be honest, if they weren't labeled "Real" and "GT" would you know which one was the video game and which the real world?

Well... maybe if the real shot had been taken with a better camera it would be a bit more difficult to tell, but the above picture and article are showing one of the next levels of gaming. If you love playing Forza or Gran Turismo but also love to drive your car at the track, soon you'll be able to relate them in a better way.

With the help of GPS data loggers, Gran Turismo is making it possible for you to record your real time track data and then bring it into your Playstation system to load into Gran Turismo 5. You'll be able to compete against your own driving skills and see just how different it is between your car and couch.

But this isn't the only way that GIS technology is helping the gaming world evolve...

http://www.real-timeracing.com/frontpage.aspx

http://www.iopenermedia.com/company/about-us.aspx

With IOpenerMedia and Real-Time Racing, GPS data loggers are also helping spawn a new level of gaming with the opportunity to compete virtually in an ongoing real world race in real-time. Imagine taking your custom tuned Mitsubishi Evolution onto the rally stages of Finland, comparing your splits to those of Sebastian Loeb and Jari-Mattie Latvala. 

But how accurate will all of this be? Yes there are videos showing great shots that seem to be pretty spot on, but how many days of lapping did it take to get that? If you have used a GPS device before, you know they can be wildly accurate and inaccurate within the span of 5 minutes. I for one would love to see some hardware specs regarding the GPS units in use. Another big issue will be multipath effects. GPS signals can be distorted by buildings and terrain, like a hill. Obviously race tracks aren't positioned in the depths of a canyon, but crossing under a bridge or driving along-side a large hill or building could cause moments of GPS signal distortion, throwing your position off. If a race is being held between online and real world competitors, the GPS unit in the real world car could screw with the outcome being shown on the virtual side.

Imagine racing down the final stretch of Sepang Circuit with the large canopy overhead. One of the satellites keeping your GPS position is at an angle which is cut by said canopy. The distortion of the signal sends your GPS location 15 feet behind you through the finish, giving first place to a virtual car that was directly behind you. The kid at home thinks he has won the event.

This is an overhyped scenario between the real world and virtual, but it is a possible outcome based on GPS accuracy. And if there will be competition based on this technology, it will be interesting to see how this possible problem would be handled.

Either way, I get excited thinking about the possibilities of where this all could go. I am in the que for the Real-Time Racing Beta and hoping I get the chance to test it soon. And you can be sure I'll be competing in the WRC version the moment its possible!