When you think of endurance driving, what springs to mind? The Dakar Rally? Le Mans? The M25 at rush-hour?
Five gamers thought that racing cars around a French track for an entire day wasn’t much of a challenge, so they decided to break a world record by driving (virtually) for more than 48 hours.
The group used Forza Motorsport 6 on an Xbox One to race around the Le Sarthe circuit in a Ford GT and set a new Guinness World Record for “longest video marathon on a racing game”.
The challenge was completed by Cara Scott, from the UK; Johnnes Knapp, from Germany; Jesus Sicilia, from Spain; Helene Cressot, from France; and Andrea Lorenzo Sacchinetti, from Italy. They started at 1pm (UK time) on Tuesday at Ford’s headquarters in Cologne, Germany, and finished at 1.29pm on Thursday, after completing about 3,015 laps – or 41,004km – of the track.
The gamers, who used a special Forza steering wheel by Fanatec and gaming pedals, were allowed a 10-minute break for every hour they played. To ensure they could get some sleep during the night, these breaks could be saved up for later, so they could have a 40-minute break if they played continuously for four hours. They could also drive at whatever speed they wanted.
During the event, the competitors consumed:
- 32 cans of energy drinks
- 47 Coca-Colas
- 16 fruit juices
- 146 bottles of water
- 3kg of Haribo sweets
- 500g of crisps
- A few packets of energy sweets
Cara Scott, from the UK
Scott, 25, from Dundee, said the hardest part was the first night.
“I didn’t think I was going to be able to go back after taking a break. That first night was tough. We played for four hours and then had a 40-minute break, then played six hours and had another break around midnight. I just tried to get through that night. Then the sun started to come up and everyone’s spirits lifted.
“We played Forza so much that during breaks it felt weird not to be playing it.”
Although she has played Forza before, “you can’t really prepare for something like that”. “I’m an Xbox fan, so I played the track the weekend before the event, but that was on Forza 5. I don’t have Forza 6, so I was just hoping it would be the same,” said Scott, who used an Xbox controller during the record attempt.”
Now she’s in the Guinness Book of World Records. But despite the fact she is sharing pages with Usain Bolt and world-famous explorers, Scott hasn’t let it go to her head.
“It’s really cool but I feel like I’ve cheated because all I’ve done is sat down for a few hours. I’ve just played Xbox, which is what I would have done anyway.”
So is she going to keep playing Forza on Xbox?
“I was walking around Gamescom thinking I should be feeling like I never want to play another racing game ever again. But then I saw Forza Horizon 3. I really want that.”
Xbox’s Le Mans controllers
“Two days of race gaming is a superlative effort,” said Lena Kuhlman, an official adjudicator at Guinness World Records. “The endurance of the gamers is remarkable. They were engaged, concentrating and having fun even after the record was broken.”
The record-breaking event is the latest partnership between Microsoft, which publishes Forza, and Ford. Last year, Xbox unveiled three special edition Xbox One controllers to commemorate Ford’s Le Mans victories in the 1960s.
The challenge was held alongside Gamescom, which is also being held in Cologne this week. Xbox kicked off its presence at the world’s largest video game show by announcing a new FIFA bundle.
A history of Xbox
Xbox launches
November 15, 2001
733 MHz x86 Intel Celeron/Pentium III Custom Hybrid CPU 233 MHz nVidia custom GeForce 3 NV2A DirectX 8.0 based GPU 64 MB DDR SDRAM at 200 MHz dual-channel 128-bit configuration giving 6400 MB/s
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Xbox 360 is launched
November 22, 2005
New controller 3.2 GHz IBM PowerPC tri-core CPU codenamed “Xenon” 500 MHz ATi custom Radeon X1800 DirectX 9.0c based GPU codenamed “Xenos” 512 MB of GDDR3 RAM @ 700 MHz 22.4 GB/s, 10 MB EDRAM GPU frame buffer memory
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Xbox 360 Kinect is launched
November 4, 2010
Xbox 360 Kinect claims a Guinness World Record for the fastest-selling consumer electronics device ever, after selling eight million units in its first 60 days.
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Surface Pro is launched
February 9, 2013
The Surface Pro featured a higher-resolution screen, a Surface Pen stylus for touch input and a full version of Windows 8.
Read moreSurface 2 available to buy
October 22, 2013
Features an NVIDIA Tegra 4 Processor, 10.6-Inch ClearType Full HD Touchscreen Display, 2 GB RAM; 64 GB Storage Capacity (47 GB Available), Windows RT 8.1 and 24W Power Supply.
Read moreSurface Pro 2 is released
October 22, 2013
Compared with the original Surface Pro, the Surface Pro 2 has improved hardware specifications, such as a next generation Haswell Intel Core processor and an increased number of storage options, improved versions of the kickstand and cover accessories.
Read moreXbox One is launched with new controller and new Kinect
November 22, 2013
1.75 GHz AMD x86-64 eight-core CPU codenamed “Jaguar” 853 MHz AMD Radeon HD 7000 series DirectX 11.1 based GPU codenamed “Durango” eight GB of DDR3 RAM @ 2133 MHz 68.3 GB/s, 32 MB ESRAM GPU frame buffer memory.
Read moreSurface Pro 3 is released
June 20, 2014
The Surface Pro 3 was announced on May 20, 2014, at a New York City event, pre-orders were opened on May 21, 2014, and the first models were released on June 20, 2014 in the US and Canada, with the Intel Core i3 and Intel Core i7 models released on August 1, 2014. The Surface Pro 3 was launched in 25 additional markets on August 28.
Read moreSurface 3 available to buy
May 5, 2015
Microsoft Surface is built around a durable magnesium body that’s incredibly light and thin, so you’ll feel confident taking it anywhere. With up to 10 hours of video playback, a beautiful 10.8″ display and integrated Kickstand, Surface 3 is perfect for hands-free entertainment wherever you go.
Read moreSurface Hub released
July 1, 2015
The Surface Hub is a wall or roller-stand mounted device with either an 84 inches, 120 Hz 4K or a 55 inches 1080p touchscreen with multi-touch and multi-pen capabilities and runs Windows 10.
Read moreSurface Pro 4 is launched
October 26, 2015
Surface Pro 4 is ultra-thin, fast and versatile, the perfect balance of portability and power. With 6th generation Intel Core processors and up to 1TB of storage, it’s built to run professional-grade software. And the PixelSense Display has stunning colour and contrast that comes to life with Surface Pen and touch. Simply connect your Surface Pro 4 to Surface Dock and use up to two high-resolution monitors, a full keyboard, mouse and any other accessories. The built-in Kickstand lets your screen rest at almost any angle – even while docked – so your Surface Pro 4 works great at your desk, on your lap or when you’re on-the-go.
Read moreSurface Book available to buy
October 26, 2015
Surface Book is a powerful, thin laptop computer with a full-sized, backlit keyboard for fast and natural typing. The 13.5” PixelSense display detaches easily from the keyboard to become a thin, light tablet that works perfectly with OneNote and Surface Pen. Turn the screen around and reattach it to use Surface Book like a creative canvas. By reconnecting it to the keyboard, you unlock its full creative power in a pen first mode. With an optional discrete graphics chip, Surface Book can handle even the most intensive creative tasks. Use the multi-touch PixelSense Display and Surface Pen to create with all the desktop software you already use, like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Surface Book is the creative professional’s laptop, designed to be used with professional-grade software anywhere you go – in a café or…
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Xbox One S is launched
August 2, 2016
Blu Ray / DVD RAM: 8GB DDR3 Clock: 2133MHz Bandwidth: 68.26 GB/s + 32MB eSRAM / Bandwidth: 204 GB/s(102 In/102 Out) 8GB flash memory CPU: 8 Core AMD custom CPU / Frequency: 1.75 GHz GPU: Clock Speed: 853 MHz / Shader Cores: 768 / Peak Throughput: 1.31 TFLOPS Storage: 500 GB (5400 rpm) hard drive non-replaceable, external hard drive support available Backwards compatibility HDMI input and output (4K support) API: DirectX 11.2
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Surface Studio launched
October 26, 2016
Surface Studio is an new device designed for the creative process. Its roomy and adjustable 28-inch PixelSense Display provides a huge canvas for all kinds of work. Position it upright to sketch, paint and edit photos, or lay it flat to draw on it like a drafting table.
Read moreSurface Book i7 released
October 26, 2016
Surface Book is a powerful, thin laptop computer with a full-sized, backlit keyboard for fast and natural typing. The 13.5” PixelSense display detaches easily from the keyboard to become a thin, light tablet that works perfectly with OneNote and Surface Pen. Turn the screen around and reattach it to use Surface Book like a creative canvas. By reconnecting it to the keyboard, you unlock its full…
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