Remote control cars, while amusing, tend to get in more car accidents than life-size vehicles. If it isn’t rolling off a curb, drifting into a pool, or crunching under the tire of a pick-up truck, it’s just plain out of battery. For that reason, and possibly for success and profit, the folks at Pop Culture Software have launched the RC vCar application, for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad 2.
Basically, RC vCar is a virtual radio controlled car that you can drive around using augmented reality with no fear of totaling your toy. To be honest, the features of the app aren’t super robust. You have five pretty standard cars to choose from, including a basic red soft-top coupe, a pick-up truck, a pink convertible, a police car with a working light, and a school bus. After selecting a car, you’re taken straight to that augmented reality interface, ready to ride.
I tested the app on the iPad 2, and found that the controls were a bit hard to handle on such a large device. On an iPhone or iPod touch, I estimate the app controls would feel almost identical to a real remote for an RC car. The app was pretty enjoyable for the first five minutes, at which point I realized this is definitely more of a “for-your-kids” kind of app. If that’s not convincing enough, remember… you won’t find another remote control car for $.99.