If you've not been following along, Magma is the performance division of Genesis, which itself is a division of Hyundai, and the Genesis GV60 Magma is, essentially, a more upmarket version of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N – N being the performance division of Hyundai. Genesis has done a great job of making enough differences to the Ioniq 5 N to call it a different car, but it also shows how we just can't let go of the past in a recent deep dive press release.An example of this that we've focused on is what Genesis calls a specialized Virtual Gear Shift (VGS) mode. It's virtual because the GV60 Magma is an electric vehicle and has no gears to shift. But the automaker still wants enthusiasts to have a gear-shifting experience if they so choose. Cosplaying As A Gas Powered Car Genesis In Virtual Gear Shift (VGS) mode, the driver's display includes an indicator light for optimal gear shifting of eight gears that don't exist using the paddle shifters. It's, essentially, the same as "N e-Shift" on the high-performance Ioniq 5 model, which simulates an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. The Magma's setup also displays "virtual RPMs," taking it even closer to a simulation of a gas-powered car. Like the Ioniq 5 N, the GV60 Magma uses artificial engine noise to sell the feeling of driving a traditional gas car with a cogged gearbox.The display, which is a gorgeous-looking true black-capable OLED display, also provides useful information, including a G-force meter, a performance timer, and a remaining boost timer. The boost feature is also being ported over from the Ioniq 5 N, and while it sounds like a gimmick, we learned it's not by terrifying ourselves at Laguna Seca with it. Why Virtual Gear Shift Stands Out Genesis The Ioniq 5 N is a groundbreaking car. It's not just a ballistic-fast electric car capable of supercar speed and handling; it's also designed for a track day and costs $66,100. Genuinely, it delivers supercar performance beyond the numbers, which are 601 horsepower, 545 pound-feet of torque, and a zero to 60 mph time of 3.2 seconds using the launch mode. It also does a brilliant job of mimicking a real car with its sound and the badly named N e-Shift system.The GV60 Magma puts a more luxurious and compliant spin on the Ioniq 5 N concept, but for better or worse, it also leans hard into the idea that electric performance cars can't be fun or exhilarating to drive without cosplaying as a "real" performance car. But this isn't a new thingexclusive to electric performance cars. Far from it. It's just the next step in an evolution towards a prediction that's been floating around for a while – that the future of performance is in simulation. The Simulation Of Performance Cars Genesis This has been creeping up on us. Steer-by-wire, throttle-by-wire, shift-by-wire, and brake-by-wire, are all systems that remove the mechanical component of the action. For example, throttle-by-wire turns your input into an electronic signal to the computer system, rather than moving a mechanical linkage connected directly to the throttle body. With steer-by-wire, any resistance you feel when physically moving the control, like turning the steering wheel, is engineered. Some might say it's more of a driving simulation, since the fundamentals you're feeling aren't real.This is absolutely some slippery-slope thinking, notably for purists who fear losing the essence of performance driving. Of course, one could say heavily boosted disc brakes or hydraulic power steering also diminishes the "true" experience. And there is an uncomfortable reality here: building fewer platforms for cars and then defining them with software and style is cost-efficient, which translates to shareholder profit for a corporation.But the upside could well be that software-tuned cars turn out to be incredibly entertaining in the long run, and mechanical cars become like horses – something to be loved and cherished for the experience they offer. On this front, we can at least give Genesis and its parent company Hyundai credit for trying to keep the excitement flowing.