EA Revs Up NASCAR…Kart Racing?

By Geoff Duncan Published December 4, 2008

Electronic Arts‘ EA Sports label has announced the only official NASCAR title to be launched in the Nintendo Wii—NASCAR Kart Racing. Players can take on one of 10 animated characters—or one of more than a dozen real-life NASCAR drivers—and compete in 24 challenging courses that span deserts, freeways, back roads, canyons, junkyards, and more, including areas surrounding the well-known NASCAR tracks at Talladega and Daytona, as well as the Dover International Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway. Courses can be raced forward or backward, and as many as four players can compete against each other simultaneously in split-screen mode.

Each of the featured NASCAR drivers has a different set of skills and strengths, adding an element of strategy when choosing a player and teammate for a particular course. Players who win all the events at a track can earn a sponsorship that puts their character’s face up on billboards around the track: more fun than in-game advertising, and a fun way to show off madd racing skillz to friends and family.

Recommended Videos

EA will ship NASCAR Kart racing on February 10, 2009, and will be available exclusively for the Nintendo Wii. No pricing information has been announced. The game has been rated E for “Everyone” by the ESRB.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Gaming

PS5 vs. Xbox Series S

ps5 vs xbox series s release date 710x400

Between the regular PlayStation 5, PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S, buying a current-gen console is not as simple as it once was. However, you do need to make the right choice if you want to play the best PS5 games or best Xbox Series games, which is the most important factor in a gaming machine. Sure, many games are now cross-platform, but not all of them. We compared the PS5 to the Xbox Series X already, but what about the S? Let's pit Sony's console against the smaller Xbox and see which one is worth it for you.
PlayStation 5 vs. Xbox Series S: specs
Right off the bat, we need to point out that the PS5 and Xbox Series S are aimed toward slightly different audiences, and their specs do differ a considerable amount. The PS5 is aimed toward a "premium" audience looking for high-end visuals and performance, while the Series S is presented as more of an affordable option to get as many players on board as possible. You'll notice the PS5 is a more powerful system in many ways than the Series S, but that doesn't necessarily mean deciding between the two is easy. When it comes to specs, both offer custom SSDs (solid-state drives), meaning games and apps will load incredibly fast. This is a huge upgrade from the current generation's HDDs (hard disk drives), which are starting to show their age as games become much larger in scope.

The main difference between the two on the surface is that the Series S lacks a disc drive, while the standard PS5 will accept 4K UHD Blu-Ray discs. This could be a major factor for some, especially those with less reliable internet connections. The standard PS5 will cost more than the Xbox Series S, and a lower price point could prove to be the most enticing factor when choosing one over the other.

Gaming

Is Apple Arcade still kicking? We demoed 4 upcoming games to find out

apple arcade hands on november 2024 skate city new york street skating

Five years after its launch, Apple Arcade continues to defy expectations. Rather than flopping in a blaze of glory as some may had predicted, Apple has stayed committed to its ad-free mobile gaming service over the years. It continues to put out new games every month and even occasionally nets some surprising releases, like Final Fantasy IV's 3D remake. The service will continue to expand in 2025, as Apple has already announced a few games coming this January (including the Apple Vision Pro-exclusive Gears & Goo).

After announcing its upcoming game slate earlier this week, Digital Trends attended an Apple gaming event filled with demoes. We went hands-on with upcoming mobile games like Sonic Rumble, played Infinity Nikki on an iPhone, and saw new releases like Neva running on Mac. As part of our demo day, we tried out four upcoming Apple Arcade titles. Each one was completely different, modeling how the service caters to seasoned gamers, casual players, and kids. If you're curious about what Apple's been up to on its service these days, here are our takeaways on the four new games we tried.
Skate City: New York

Gaming

I own a PlayStation 5 Pro. It still hasn’t replaced my regular old PS5

A PS5 slim, PS5 Pro, and base PS5 all stand next to each other.

When I first got my PlayStation 5 Pro, I had a whirlwind first week with it. I spent days on end testing as many games as I could to determine how much of an upgrade it really was over my base PS5. I looked at five-minute chunks of games like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart for hours, comparing every graphics mode on both systems. At the end of my PS5 vs. PS5 Pro testing, the result was clear: The PS5 Pro was indeed the more powerful console and, frankly, the most capable gaming device I had in my entire home.

So why, just two weeks later, am I still using my regular old PS5 so much?