The saddest thing about this update is, are there really no futuristic racing games whatsoever upcoming? Those two in the "upcoming" section obviously aren't going to happen, by this point, I'd say... and there's absolutely nothing announced in the genre? So, so sad...
Changes since my last post in this thread in January:
-3/28/10 - fixed Street Racer/Speed Racer confusion. Street Racer is the one I was thinking of for PSX and Saturn and it is a kart racer, not a futuristic racer. However there was a Speed Racer game for PSX, so that was not changed (it just refers to a different game now); there were not Saturn or Game Boy versions of Speed Racer, so those two were removed. Added Speed Racer in The Challenge of Racer X for PC (DOS) which I had previously missed. Added Speed Racer in My Most Dangerous Adventures for SNES as well (it's half racing, half platformer).
-7/27/10 - added Space Slalom for the Sega SG-1000, a very simple space-based go-through-the-gates game, Cosmic Causeway: Trailblazer II for the Commodore 64, Power Rangers Zeo: Battle Racers for SNES, if it counts (the bikes look futuristic, but the series is sort of set in the present day, right? Any thoughts?), Black Viper (Amiga, Amiga CD32). Added other versions of Trailblazer; it wasn't just for C64, but for five other computers on the list as well. Added the Mac versions of Locus, which means it's not PC only on computers, and Zone Raiders, which removes its PC exclusivity mark. Added C64 Classix (Overlander, Elektraglide) for PC and Mac. Added Laser Dolphin (main game is a platformer, racing side mode) for PC and Mac. Added Tasty Static (freeware Skyroads clone from last year) for PC, Mac, and Linux. Added Badlands' older home computer ports, it was only listed for arcades and Midway Arcade Treasures 3 but was released on various home computers when it came out. Added Amiga, Atari ST, and PC versions of Psyborg; it wasn't just for Amstrad CPC. I wasn't sure about Nitro (Amiga, Atari ST), but it appears to be a 'apocalypse modern day' setting, so I put the game in the "Alternate World Modern Day" section. I'd love if someone could find the manual for this game, so I could know whether it should be where I put it, or in the main list... Finally, added Mars Explorer (freeware browser/iPhone/Mac/Windows game); it's mostly not racing I think, just driving and stuff, but I believe there is some in it.
Space Slalom (1983, Sega, Sega SG-1000) is a very simple game that gets boring quickly, I would say, but it is the oldest console futuristic racing game I know of so far. Taito's 1973 arcade game Astro Race is probably the first futuristic racing game, and Williams had an 1983 arcade racing game too in Star Rider, but Space Slalom is the first console one I know of. It's before all of the computer futuristic racing games as well, I'm pretty sure, even with these additions.
Of course, this assumes that games where you are flying spaceships through space are set in the future, even if the spaceships look fairly modern day, as they do in both Astro Race and Space Slalom... I'm not certain about that. Spaceships today couldn't do this kind of thing, though, so I think of them as futuristic. So, is Space Slalom the first ever home console futuristic racing game?