Driven A Ford Lately?
by MJG74, HSM Art Director
Growing up, “Have you driven a Ford lately?” was one of those advertisement jingles that was burned into your ear.
Back when I was too young to drive, the ’88 Mustang 5.0 was my dream car. Both my parents purchased many Fords. My father’s 1988 F-150 pickup still runs strong to this day, and I currently drive a Ford Fusion. By no means am I or my family be considered as traditional “brand customers” — we look for quality, comfort and reliability when choosing an automobile. It just happens that Ford tops our list more times then others.
When it was time for me to purchase my Ford Fusion, I did a lot of internet research before visiting the dealership. Let’s face it; any visit to a car dealership is not the most pleasant of experiences. What I enjoyed the most from my internet search were the websites that gave you the total 360˚ view of the car, inside and out, without that pesky salesperson breathing down my neck. So, it really excited me to learn that Ford has opened its first virtual showroom in Home. Well, honk my horn! I can now check out cars in Home.
(Editor’s note: to Home’s younger user base, this may not have as much appeal. To an older consumer, however, this is a brilliant usage of virtual reality.)
As cool as it is, this is not the first spin for Ford in the gaming world.
Automobiles and video gaming have a long history; some of gaming’s first multi-player games were racing games. Gaming’s love affair with the car started in 1974 when gaming developer Taito released Speed Race, an early black-and-white car racing game, said to be the first racing arcade game. Throughout the years, racing games have been a popular genre and many racing titles have included at least one or more Ford automobiles. And really, you can’t call yourself a proper racing game without having Ford’s iconic Le Mans-winning, Ferarri-spanking GT40, or their rally monsters, the RS Cosworth and RS200.
Titles such as the Gran Turismo series, NASCAR, Need for Speed, plus many others featured Ford vehicles. Ford even had a series of its own racing titles. Lets face it, we all love our cars, and we love our games, and now the love affair broadens with the addition of the Ford Showroom in Home.
The Ford virtual showroom is a site to see. When I first laid eyes upon it, I could only imagine how much money it would cost to recreate this showroom outside of the virtual realm. It is a modern industrial design, set in a urban environment. There is a stylish sunken lounge area on the second level, and the wall water feature helps create that hip, club-like atmosphere. Empirically, it’s an amazing Home space; a cool, sophisticated hang out, but also packing a bonus or two.
Once you enter the space, you are rewarded with cool, free Ford virtual swag (I wish my local ford dealer gave away the same). Currently featured in the showroom are two of Ford’s hottest models: the Ford Fiesta and Edge are both rendered in real-to-life detail not only on the outside, but on the inside too!
The Ford Fiesta is a perfect fit for Home. Just like your avatar, the Ford Fiesta is customizable to fit your personality. Ford is offering the Ford Fiesta with a new level of personalization, including exterior and interior options that give each car a custom look straight from the factory. Of the new options, the most unique is easily the vinyl body graphics. These graphics are available in a number of shapes and designs, as well as a body-side “tattoo” that spells out Fiesta along the side of the car.
Besides the unique body graphics, owners can also spice up the look of their Fiesta with options like a four-piece body kit, rear roof spoiler, and a handful of roof rack options to carry anything from bicycles to kayaks.
Inside, the Fiesta offers numerous options for owners to choose from, such as the ambient LED cabin lighting and the LED-illuminated accents on the front door sill plates and the gear shifter. The ambient lighting provides for color-changing lights in the cup holders and front foot wells with seven different colors to choose from. A stowable front center armrest is also an option, and it provides a convenient storage area that easily folds up between the front seats.
In case you’re curious, we’ve actually caught some footage of a Ford Fiesta in action in Home’s Mall space. We think this will provide a very good idea of just how good the car actually is.
Yeah…now that’s the sort of exclusive news coverage you can only find at HomeStation.
Lets not forget about the 2011 Ford Edge, also on display at the Home Ford Showroom. Just like Home, you will never get bored, as the Ford Edge promises 10,000 commands at your fingertips! The 2011 Ford Edge’s cutting-edge instrument cluster will appeal to technologists (without being so overly complicated that you feel you need an IT qualification to drive one), and the vehicle provides very practical form factor in an attractive package.
The 2011 Ford Edge serves as a showcase for an innovative interior user interface. Not only is the instrument cluster configurable, the center stack uses a touch panel for audio and climate controls. Unique in the Edge is the center panel that comes with the Sony premium audio system. This panel uses backlit touch buttons with haptic feedback for its audio and climate controls, with a large volume dial in the middle.
Ford in my Sony Home, Sony in my Ford? This might be the best combo since chocolate and peanut butter.
It’s not just a great match — it also looks very cool! The Sony audio system delivers excellent audio quality. It produces very well-balanced sound through its twelve speakers. The highs come out clearly and the bass has some power to it, thanks to the system’s 390 watts of amplification.
Both vehicles are available with Ford SYNC, and the Edge comes with SYNC with Ford Touch. Something you have to go see to believe. Trust me: you will feel like Captain Kirk at the helm of your Ford. This tech is so amazing it may even make Cubehouse raise an eyebrow (maybe?).
What is SYNC? SYNC is a factory-installed, fully integrated in-vehicle communications and entertainment system that allows users to make hands-free telephone calls and control music and other functions using voice commands. The system consists of applications and user interfaces developed by Ford and third-party developers that run on the Microsoft Windows Embedded Automotive operating system. Yes, I know I said the “M” word – please forgive me. Nonetheless, it’s pretty darn cool.
One of the features I personally thought were cool with SYNC was audible text messages. With the touch of a button, SYNC will read incoming texts to you in an easy-to-understand voice. SYNC is even smart enough to translate commonly used phrases and emoticons such as “LOL” and :). Also, there’s podcast support, so SYNC does more than just music. With its support for podcasts and audio-books, you can listen to your favorite podcasts. That’s right: you can also tune into the HomeStation with SYNC and listen to Playstation Home’s wittiest podcast, The Upload. How awesome is that!
What’s equally as awesome as having SYNC in your car? Having it in your Home personal space. Ford delivers one more goodie to this experience, and that is the award of a SYNC MP3 player for your virtual apartment. How do you get that most awesome prize? Go talk to the virtual Home Ford rep (he’s on duty 24/7) and then check out the Ford Edge and Fiesta in the virtual showroom. Click on SYNC and complete all the quests in the Ford Showroom, and the SYNC prize is yours!
Ford has found a new Home, and I for one welcome their addition to the community. I look forward to seeing what new models and updates the space will bring over the next few months and years. Hopefully the Ford Mondeo, perhaps? The quest game is fun and the SYNC prize is, quite frankly, awesome.
Maybe, one day, I can add my own Fiesta and Edge to my Mansion Garage in Home. If only NorseGamer would add me to the payroll. Okay, maybe some things are too much to hope for.
Seriously, though, check out the Ford Showroom. It’s a fantastic new public space in Home.
June 21st, 2011 by MJG74 | 2 comments
Michael Goss is the Art Director (emeritus) for HomeStation Magazine. In real life, is a normal member of the human species with some imperfections, but with a strength of ten as well, I kid ye not! He also has been know to exaggerate the details from time to time. His goal is to live fearlessly but finds that kinda difficult with current crop of republicans running for office.
Aloha, well..we test drove this car in real life..and we ended up with a Prius….what more needs to be said..as for the space..as can the Peas attest to…it has a great soundtrack loop once u get away from the Halle Berry look-a-like…I grew up with Ford trucks and Chevy cars..This space also is a testament to Cheekys ponderance about advertising on Home. all in all..I’m sticking to my Sodium racer..
I loved this showroom.. AND I bought a Ford Fiesta in the real world and love it! It works!! You owe me!! LOL