Real-Time Weather, Injuries Coming to Sports Sims

The latest football, basketball and baseball games do an impressive job of simulating everything from the faces of your favorite players (although those doll eyes are pretty creepy) right down to the hot dog stand at Shea Stadium. But what if they also downloaded, say, the current weather at Soldier Field, or reports on the latest injuries? Apparently, the makers of Madden NFL '08 are poised to do just that.

According to the Denver Post, game developer EA is planning to work with ESPN and The Weather Channel to incorporate such real-time factors as weather, roster changes, and even intangibles like winning or losing streaks. So, for example, if it's snowing in East Rutherford, it'll be snowing in your simulated clash of the Eagles and the Giants. By the same token, if the Yankees are on a bad losing streak (which they were until last night), their spirits (and performance) might slump when you play on your console. The Post reports that the next version of Madden (due this August) will be among the first games to boast such real-time content.

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Sports video games go real-time [The Denver Post, via Kotaku]