Gran Turismo 5

[VR46]

Take it the badge is not mono

[ChrisF]

I do hope not <shudder>

[JP]

I meant to post this a couple of days back when I spotted it in the latest preview of GT5: Prologue in this months Edge:

The most surprising aspect of the release, however, is that there will be two different versions of the game: a downloadable version will be slightly cheaper, but it will be delivered without certain important features (such as, for the first time in Gran Turismo, damage on the vehicles plus a weather system) that will be found on the Blu-ray disc.

[ChrisF]

Think that stuff may have been posted before Evo... The other bits (damage, weather etc...) are going to be downloadables I think.

[JP]

They'd announced it that way a while back but this was article was written following an interview with Ray Maguire the Director of SCEE last month.

I don't see why the would have changed it as they've not mentioned damage and weather for what must be nearly a year now.

[huxley]

New Logitech G25 wheel to accompany Prologue release, going to cost thick end of ?200 though

http://au.ps3.ign.com/articles/830/830287p1.html?RSSwhen2007-10-25_111900&RSSid=830287

Your Porsche wheel is suddenly looking good value Chris

The GTP G25 wheel is just a rebadged G25

[JP]

OK, I'm going to be ordering this Blu-ray in the next couple of days!

The best deals seemed to be PlayAsia or YesAsia but obviously PlayAsia are a little pointless for PS3 stuff over here.

I'm probably going to go for this and I'm thinking of also going for their $19:99 express shipping for this one as I really can't wait for it to turn up!!!


Has anybody ordered from the before and how long did they take to deliver? Has anybody seen it anywhere else for what seemed like a better deal?

[doodledude]

I've ordered from Yes Asia quite a lot as there about the only ones who still ship Sony Japanese games to the UK.
Their service is OK most of the time, although it used to be better.
When you pre-order it usually takes them about 4-5 days after the release date to ship it out to you.
Once it does ship it takes approx. a week to arrive, and their prices are generally good as they include P&P to the UK.

I've ordered a Dualshock 3 controller from them and was going to use them for GT5 prologue as well.

[huxley]

I`m just going to get it from the store, I gather its 100&#37; the same?

[JP]

Thanks!

I've got my DS3 ordered with YesAsia too, I only really want it for this game.

I'm guessing that both versions will be exactly the same but a recent interview with the Director of SCEE suggested that there was additional stuff on the Blu-ray version.

[bluescape]

I'm gonna get the blu-ray disc too. Should be out here in HK in the shops on the 13th, or sometimes a day or two before.

I'm also gonna be after the offical G25 wheel too. That will take my steering wheels upto 3 (having got each offical wheel firstly with GT3, then GT4).

[Number45]

Thanks!

I've got my DS3 ordered with YesAsia too, I only really want it for this game.

I'm guessing that both versions will be exactly the same but a recent interview with the Director of SCEE suggested that there was additional stuff on the Blu-ray version.

Wasn't it also suggested that the BR content would be available via download at some point? Planning on picking up the BR version anyway, so it's not a problem.

I still haven't decided what I'm going to do with this or the DS3, I'll see what happens with eBay when they get closer to launch I expect. Definitely want the G25 too - hopefully it'll be fully compatible with other racers, or they'll at least patch for it.

[JP]

The things that they are suggesting are only on the Blu-ray were originally advertised as downloads for both versions!

I don't really know why that would have changed and it does seem a little unlikely that they would be releasing damage & weather in December when nobody has seen it in action yet!

I think people will be safe if they download but if you're not...I promised you nothing ok!!!

[VR46]

Nice new replay video of the Ferrari F430 in action, both inside and out

http://www.gran-turismo.com/jp/movie/d1384.html

[JP]

Also from the same site:

Announcement of an online car dealership and other new functions in ?GT5 Prologue?

This is a summary of the presentation made on Wednesday, October 24 at the ?Gran Turismo 5 Prologue? press briefing that was held during the press preview at the ?40th Tokyo Motor Show? currently being held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba prefecture.

Producer Kazunori Yamauchi took the podium and started the presentation with the introduction: ?Since we are at the Tokyo Motor Show today, I will introduce some of the game related material. Please feel free to try out the advanced movement and graphics on the test play unit?.

Mr. Yamauchi first discussed the ?Gran Turismo TV? service, which has begun operation in the Free Downloadable Demo. In addition to distribution of ?Best MOTORing?, as well as all the races of ?SUPER GT? and ?D1 Gran Prix?, as previously announced, Mr. Yamauchi also announced distribution of the super-popular ?Top Gear? automobile program produced by the BBC in Britain.

?The most interesting car program in the world is ?Top Gear?. Although this is an extremely popular program in Britain, it is almost impossible to see on TV in Japan. While various videos are now being distributed online, the ?PLAYSTATION?3? connects to the home television. This is what makes the ?PLAYSTATION?3? different from other forms of distribution.?

Mr. Yamauchi then showed a promotional video for ?Top Gear? before continuing his description.
?The automobile programs scheduled for distribution on ?Gran Turismo TV? lie directly in the middle between programs distributed through regular television broadcasting and programs distributed through retail DVD sales, which are the epitome of a packaged product. Through online distribution over ?Gran Turismo TV?, we expect that these programs will be viewable by a larger audience than was previously possible?.

This was followed by an announcement of an online car dealership screen in ?GT5 Prologue? that was newly added as part of taking the game online. Whereas the car dealership screen up until ?Gran Turismo 4? only contained screens for selecting a car, the new online car dealership screen is the source that allows each brand to present a variety of information. A project called ?Museum? was also introduced in a new effort to sustain interest in the vehicles by providing historical information about each brand.

By going online, ?Gran Turismo?, ?car manufacturers and the media?, and the ?users? are each able to distribute and share information with each other. Entering its 10th year, this is the shape of the new ?Gran Turismo?.

At the end of the presentation, Mr. Yamauchi wrapped up with the following remarks: ??Gran Turismo? is no longer our (Polyphony Digital) creation alone. We invite all of the users, all of the manufacturers, and all of the members of the media to join us in creating a new ?GT? together?.

The collaborative development of the Nissan GT-R multifunction meter was presented

The press preview for the ?40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007? was held on Wednesday, October 24th at Makuhari Messe in Chiba prefecture, and the press briefing for ?Gran Turismo 5 Prologue? was held in the same venue.
This is a summary of the talk session that was held in the first half of the briefing regarding the collaboration with the new model Nissan GT-R.

?Gran Turismo? (GT) series producer Kazunori Yamauchi took the podium first. The unveiling event for the new model GT-R that had been held within ?Gran Turismo 5 Prologue? Free Downloadable Demo at 2:30 pm earlier in the day was then reenacted at the briefing.
The press that had gathered for the briefing had only just gotten a glimpse of the form of the new model GT-R that had been presented in the exhibition center a few minutes earlier, and they spontaneously burst into applause when the GT-R was unveiled on the screen.

The chief developer of the new model GT-R, Mr. Kazutoshi Mizuno from Nissan Motors, and marketing director Yoshimitsu Kaji appeared next. A talk session between them and Mr. Yamauchi then started.

Mr. Yamauchi described his experience of being brought in as ?a member of the new model GT-R development team?, and introduced how the opportunity to test-drive the new model GT-R had been made available in various locations around the world for over a year.

Mr. Yamauchi said ?I don't think there is another car that is this easy to drive. The four wheels move perfectly free and unrestricted?. Mr. Mizuno said ?Even if you are rocketing along the no-speed limit sections of the German Autobahn (high-speed road), it is still possible to hold a conversation within the cabin. Driving along snowy roads is also possible. Nissan have created this kind of multi-purpose car. This is a car where the winning race driver can walk to the winner's podium without appearing tired at all, even after having experienced what is intrinsically the most unrelenting form of driving. This is because a good car does not wear out the driver?.

Mr. Kaji said that the reason for the collaboration with ?GT? was ?Because this is a medium that allows a connection between the real and the virtual. The idea of unveiling a car in software at the same time as it is unveiled at the actual motor show venue has never been done before. I tried driving the new model GT-R in ?GT?, and was surprised at how it felt exactly like ?the sensation of driving the GT-R in real life?. The amazing thing about this feeling is not just the physical sensation, but also the feeling of having already driven on Suzuka Circuit. It is so realistic that when staff at Nissan Motors were shown a ?GT? replay video, they mistook it for the real thing?.

Mr. Yamauchi replied ?I felt that because the GT-R is a national treasure of Japan, we had to recreate it with total realism. From the external form to the texture of the surface coatings, we asked Mr. Hasegawa (Nissan Motors designer in charge of designing the new model GT-R) to check it over and over again. Of course, since this a car with the ability to change the history of Japanese sports cars, we obsessed over recreating the handling?.

Collaboration with Nissan Motors has also been achieved in the past with events such as the ?Skyline 50th Anniversary Event? and the ?Skyline Coupe?. It is no longer a rarity for real-life cars to be recreated in ?GT? and made available to the world, and this trend is continuing.

However, the collaboration with GT-R this time has been different than previous collaboration efforts, and the things that were attempted for the first time were presented here.

This time, technology and designs jointly developed for ?GT? have been incorporated into the new model GT-R.

The developers of ?GT?, Polyphony Digital, were given the responsibility of planning and designing the monitor called the ?multifunction meter? on the new model GT-R. Mr. Mizuno declared ?We believe that this is the world's first device that allows the car to tell the driver about the condition of the car?.

He said ?Even though we work in completely different industries, once Mr. Yamauchi and myself began working together we realized that the basics of how we proceeded with our work was the same. That is, creating a model in our head first before beginning to create the actual object. My first impression was that I had met someone who does things the same way?.

During the development of the vehicle, construction proceeded at such an exceptional speed that ?Mr. Mizuno and myself kept on advancing. That sense of speed was enjoyable? (Yamauchi).

Finally, Mr. Mizuno said ?I want this multifunction meter to be further developed. In the past, ?GT? has reflected the technology from real cars. For the first time, the technology from ?GT? has now been fitted to a real car. This is the starting point for even further advancement?. Mr. Kaji said ?Although the high performance of the GT-R has been the focus of attention, the car is actually packed with many new concepts. I want these ideas to be further developed. The actual GT-R has only just had the mask removed. The Free Downloadable Demo of ?Gran Turismo 5 Prologue? has also only just been released. In fact, nothing has actually started yet. The best is yet to come?.

Mr. Yamauchi wrapped up by saying ?This year, ?GT? is celebrating its 10th year. 10 years ago, we could only look at the GT-R from afar and dream ?I want to drive that car someday?, and we poured those feelings into ?GT?. Now 10 years have passed, and we have been able to be involved in part of the development of the GT-R, and witness the unveiling. This is all deeply moving. In the future, I want to work even harder to move closer to the world of cars?.