Gran Turismo 5

[Malc]

What, so it's been confirmed that it wont be out this year?

[Flabio]

Sony's TGS presser this morning gave a Japanese release date of March 2010.

And the flyers at the show say it's 65% complete.

[Malc]

65%? I thought they said a month ago that GT5 is done and they could release it any time they wanted to.

Maybe they will get an in-car view done for every car by March.

[SuperBeatBoy]

I heard that the game is using the pseye for head tracking, is that true? Sounds amazing if it is.

[TheForce]

somehow I'm glad it's not released this year, soo many big games coming and with Forza3 I wouldn't have any time to play them both...

However, I can imagine it's a big blow for all racers that don't own a 360.... again delayed...

[museumsteve]

I heard that the game is using the pseye for head tracking, is that true? Sounds amazing if it is.

I doubt it very much, it would be pretty pointless as you would always be looking straight at the TV, if you didn't you'd crash

[Brad]

I heard that the game is using the pseye for head tracking, is that true? Sounds amazing if it is.

confirmed.

Maybe Forza 3 has them running a bit scared.

[museumsteve]

my apologioes Zero9X

lol, I've just read that..surely the most pointless inclusion of head tracking ever
I used to use the Sony headset with a Jpn PS2 and one of the Taito flying games which used head tracking, that was awesome but of course in a plane if you turn your head you dont normally have to worry about a wall or barrier 100m in front of you.

[Brad]

PC driving games have had head tracking for a while. Apparently it's useful once you get accustomed to it!

[JP]

It just makes things feel slightly more natural when you're playing, if you want to look up at the mirror then you just tilt your head as you would in real life.

It is optional for people who would rather use their thumb to look around though.

[museumsteve]

well I'll try anything once although I'm not a big fan of cockpit views anyway (give me front bonnet or bumper cam anyday)

[Neon Ignition]

Well thank god for that!

I know the new year is cramped as it is but the Forza or GT decision was becoming a nightmare and now I can comfortably get both and have time to play them.

Huzzah!

[JP]

I've never used head tracking in a game and at the moment with this I'm thinking that it doesn't really bother asI know I'll the option to switch it off if it's not for.

I'll definitely give it a go though, I wonder if it'll recognise me swearing at drivers when I overtake them too!

[JP]

There's a bit of an update on IGN for the people who are interested in the damage side of things. Not particularly bothered by the visual aspect myself but I was definitely worried about them not getting the affect on handing right.

It's been a fairly big Tokyo Game Show for Gran Turismo 5. At the Sony conference centering on Japan, it was announced that the Land of the Rising Sun would see the game in March, that there would be 20 locations with a total of 70 track variations, that there'd be more than 950 cars in the game including hybrids and electrics, and so much more. Plus, the show floor has a set of racing wheels showcasing the red Ferrari, Subaru rally car, and Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

Even better? You can damage those rides.

Now, Gran Turismo 5's a work in progress so a Sony rep let me know that the damage I was seeing in the game was still in development and will change by the game's release. Still, that didn't stop me from slamming on the brakes and turning into t-bone collisions to see just what Polyphony had put under the hood.

Now, for starters, there's going to be deformation damage -- scratches and stuff -- for all normal cars, but race cars are going to take hits hard in a way that will cause doors and side panels to tear completely off.

To put these differences to the test, I took the Subaru racer out on the track and began wildly smashing into walls. At first, it looked like nothing was happening until, finally, the passenger door popped open as I sped around the raceway. I was a bit underwhelmed and went to jerk the car into the left wall, but as I made the move, another ride flew up and clipped my front end.

When the spinning was over, my bumper was hanging on by a thread.

Eventually, I'd get into a few more fender benders and have my rear bumper hanging from one side as well. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get either bumper to completely breakaway. Still, the car looked all sorts of screwed up.

When I climbed into the Ferrari and the Benz, I got to see how the other half lived. I slammed the rides into tire piles, rammed other cars, and grinded along guardrails; the only damage I could see were superficial cracks and scuffs on the fenders, sides, and hoods -- you know, like people had scratched away the paint.

Now, even though the Subaru looked like death and the Benz/Ferrari looked scratched up, all three drove like crap after the accidents. Whereas I could fly around in the rides beforehand, now I felt tension in the wheel when I'd be driving down a straightaway and cornering was tougher than ever.

I'll admit it: I had a hell of time wrecking these cars today. Slamming into orange plastic and watching it get kicked up in the air is fun, the smoke from a spinout is refreshing, and I'll be damned if I'm not going to knock off every bumper I can when Gran Turismo 5 is released.

There's been a few interviews over TGS and from them and even though they gave a figure of 65% completed at the show, the content is already finished and ready to release but the Easter release is there to give them time to make sure that things like real time weather, damage & day/night cycle gets their full attention for nearly 6 months.

[JP]

A new interview of Yamauchi by GameBlog.fr has been translated and is now on GTPlanet.

I'm really surprised and a little worried to hear that he is still planning on adding a real-time damage model for the vehicles.

GameBlog: Gran Turismo 5 will offer a new kind of damage?
Kazunori Yamauchi: Right now we are adding a brand new real-time deformation engine that will process according to the speed and angle of impact. But doing this in real-time remains truly complex. We could make it an easier way with pre-damaged models but definitely we don?t want to make it that way.

I know that Criterion managed to implement simulated if extremely exaggerated real-time damage in Burnout Paradise but there's a reason that more realistic games like Forza 3 choose pre-determined damage rather than simulating it in real-time.

I'm really hoping that this doesn't mean that the game will take a hit elsewhere for him to get this working.