TOCA goes cross-eyed

TOCA Race Driver appeared on PS2 to critical acclaim earlier this year, and Codemasters is currently upping the number of simultaneous racers and improving the game's visuals ahead of its launch of PC and Xbox versions in March 2003.

However, one previously undisclosed feature which will add something to the PC package (albeit for a very select few gamers) is support for Matrox Surround Gaming - a much-vaunted facet of the new Matrox Parhelia family of graphics accelerators.

Surround Gaming will mean that along with the game's built-in 5.1 surround sound, players with three monitors and Parhelia will be able to play the game using the unique three-screen effect showcased at this year's ECTS. The monitor in the centre gives the usual camera view of the track ahead, while cameras on the left and right how views from either side of the car, allowing players a much better view of the track ahead and improving action replays no end to boot.

Sadly, Parhelia hasn't quite taken off to the extent to make this a serious plus point for TOCA's score sheet, and we're still at the stage where Parhelia owners have to search for Surround Gaming-enabled software, as opposed to eager gamers ferreting out a Parhelia and unlocking it in everything - as was once the way with the early 3dfx cards. Ahh. Ahem, sorry, got a bit teary-eyed there.

Anyway, we're sure that despite virtually none of you having the technology at your disposal, you'll still be very keen to see it in action, so to speak, so Codemasters has been good enough to furnish us with four shots of the technique in action (very wide ones) and a couple of external photos of their own Parhelia setup. Have a gander.