More and more automakers are working to harness the power of new social media and streaming platforms. Ford recently designed an esports vehicle via Twitter and General Motors has worked with TikTok stars to get the work out about their products. Now, the first vehicle designed by and for the Twitch community has been unveiled.
During a livestream last month, more than 554,000 viewers watched Fuslie’s channel and weighed in on their favorite features of the 2021 Lexus IS 350 F Sport. They voted on modifications ranging from the gaming-themed exterior wrap to the custom controller to their “game fuel” beverage of choice. Lexus then worked with the fabrication experts at SCPS to bring the custom, crowdsourced car to life as a totally immersive gaming vehicle.
“The Twitch community dives headfirst into their passion of gaming, just as we did in designing the new 2021 Lexus IS as a pure expression of a sports sedan,” said Vinay Shahani, vice president of marketing at Lexus. “We asked for their help designing their dream gaming space, and they answered in spades. Together, we created the ultimate fusion of design and performance in automotive and gaming.”
The result is the Gamer’s IS, a car wrapped in “infiltrate” design custom vinyl, which was chosen by 48 percent of the voters using a Twitch poll.
More than half of the users selected the “Neon Tokyo” style of the car’s interior versus the competitor designs. It features an electrified, neuron-exploding Japanese pop art aesthetic. The ceiling sports a clear layer of acrylic embedded with resin “raindrops” all backlit with programmable RGB LED lights, meant to give off the effect of driving under the lights of downtown Tokyo at night in a light rain. Behind the rear seats, LED panels project programmable content onto the rear window, creating an animated backdrop. SCPS included many custom upholstery elements into the design of the Gamers’ IS interior. Smart Tint on the windows dims the cabin for gameplay.
A custom-built gaming PC with an MSI Gaming GeForce GPU + AMD CPU is installed in the vehicle’s trunk. It has sleek custom housing, all highlighted by programmable RGB LED’s. A fog machine and automated RGB lasers were also installed.
Taking up the passenger space in the Lexus IS’s front row is a fully integrated gaming system complete with haptic feedback in the seat and a high-def, fully positional curved monitor. The curved monitor was chosen over a flat one by nearly two-thirds of Twitch voters. The system features a retractable keyboard and mouse platform, and a one-of-a-kind 3D printed game controller. Forty-two percent of voters chose the “Cyber” design for the controller, which features a metallic space gray and dark teal finish with neon accents.
Filling the six-drink center console cooler is the community’s “game fuel” of choice—coffee drinks—as selected by 61 percent of voters. The entire vehicle is custom wired, including all the electronics and programmable lighting.
The car will not go on sale, but may end up at an auto show near you.