Jalopnik: gran turismo 5

Gran Turismo Creator Can Drive Real Cars, Too

Travis Hudson — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT

The mastermind behind the Gran Turismo series has proven that he can handle real cars as well as he took the 2009 Nissan GT-R for a joy ride. Not only could the game's creator, Kazunori Yamauchi, handle the famed Nurburgring track, but he did so with it wet. Yamauchi even cites his familiarity with the track from the video game to help his real life driving. I doubt Yamauchi beat the 7:29 mark on the same ring, but he manages to keep it on the slippery track. See, Mom, video games are good for something. Check out the video above for the clips of him driving and follow the link to see the entire clip that features interviews about Godzilla and more. [CarScoop]

Confirmed: GT5, Prologue To Get Damage Modeling

Travis Hudson — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:20:00 EDT

Kazanori Yamauchi told us that Polyphony Digital were getting close to finally including deformation, or damage modeling, in the Gran Turismo series, and we finally have some confirmation. Yamauchi recently said that the series will finally be implementing the long-awaited feature in the release of Gran Turismo 5 and it may even be available as a software update for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue as early as this fall. GT5 Prologue is still slated for an April 15 release in the United States. It's already available in Europe.

It's good to see the automakers warm to the idea of kids across the world smashing the hell out of their cars. It may not sound like a feasible idea at first, but it adds a completely new level of realism to the GT series that is already pushing the realistic boundaries of racing sims. [IGN via Kotaku]

Sony Welcomes European GT5 Prologue Release With Pit Lane Party

Travis Hudson — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:30:00 EDT

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is still a couple weeks away for us Yankee Doodle Dandies, but our European counterparts get a crack at the game now, as the demo is currently available for European PlayStation 3 consoles. To commemorate the release of the demo, Sony threw a pretty big party in London and had quite the repertoire of vehicles representing as well.

Sony brought in Ferraris, a yellow Lotus and Godzilla himself to an underground car park in London decorated like a real pit lane. The party included a live DJ, bars and, of course, arcade-style simulators running the demo of the highly anticipated game. A competition was also held looking for the top driver. Drew Forster took home the prize that included a trophy and two tickets to the Le Mans 24-hour race this summer. We're great at games, so we're sad we missed it. [Reuters]

Carmakers Warm To "Damage Modeling" In Games

Travis Hudson — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:45:00 EDT

The final hurdle of realism may be crossed in Gran Turismo sooner than expected. Kazanori Yamauchi, the creator of the famed series, recently said:

We've had a lot of discussions with the manufacturers and although at the beginning they hated the idea of deformation, now they're slowly coming around to it. We've still got a few to convince, but we will. Expect deformation in the very near future: very, very soon.

And by "deformation" he of course means damage modeling, i.e. enabling the cars to show the evidence of wrecks, rollovers, and collisions. Believe it or not, the likes of Porsche and Ferrari aren't too keen on amateur drivers smashing the hell out of their glorious automobiles, even in a virtual realm.

Gran Turismo is one of the more realistic driving simulators available, but without damage modeling, it's still simply a video game. If its developers hope to get it to that next level, they need to convince manufacturers to greenlight the results of inadvertent mayhem. Even though it pains me to see amazing cars smashed to hell by our gaming-deprived editors, there is something thrilling about knowing my driving fuck ups have real consequences. [Kotaku] (Image)

GT5 Prologue Ferrari F40: First Look

Travis Hudson — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:30:00 EDT

You saw the list of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue cars and features the other day. But now we've got pictures of the 1992 Ferrari F40, one of the hottest cars available for the game. I've played my fair share of the Gran Turismo series and I must say that this F40 is one of the most beautiful creations to become part of the game so far. So uh, stop reading and check out the high-resolution images below. Please be sure to keep your pants on, as well. [GT Planet]

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Car, Feature Lists Now Available

Travis Hudson — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:30:00 EDT

Remember Gran Turismo 5 Prologue? You know that glorified full-priced demo of GT5? The car and feature list is now available, and I am mighty impressed for the semi-real-game nature of GT5 Prologue. Some of the interesting features include a drift mode where drifting is judged based on multiple variables, in-depth car tuning, two-player split screen racing and a few new race events for online and offline play. Click through to see the full list of cars and check out the new trailer that is so beautiful the dragons from the fantasy games perk up their ears in anticipation.

Acura NSX '91
Alfa Romeo 147 TI 2.0 TWIN SPARK '06
Alfa Romeo Brera Sky Window 3.2 JTS Q4 '06
Amuse S2000 GT1 Turbo
Amuse/Opera Performance Gran Turismo 350Z RS
Art Morrison Corvette'60
Aston Martin DB9 Coupe '06
Audi R8 4.2 FSI R tronic '07
Audi TT Coupe 3.2 quattro '07
Blitz Dunlop ER34 '07
BMW 135i Coupe '07
BMW 135tii '08
BMW M3 Coupe '07
BMW Z4 '03
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C6) Tuned Car
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 '06
Citroen C4 Coupe 2.0VTS '06
Clio Renault Sport V6 24V Tuned Car
Daihatsu Copen Active Top '02
Daihatsu OFC-1 '07
Dodge Viper GTS
Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe
Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe Tuned Car
Ferrari 512BB '76
Ferrari 599 '06
Ferrari F40 '92
Ferrari F430 '06
Ford Focus ST '06
Ford GT '05
Ford GT Tuned Car
Ford Mustang V8 GT Coupe Premium '07
Honda Integra TYPE R '04
Honda NSX Type R '02
Jaguar XK Coupe '06
Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione '91
Lexus IS F '07
Lexus IS F Tuned Car
Lotus Elise 111R '04
Lotus Elise 111R Tuned Car
Lotus Elise '96
Lotus Elise Tuned Car
Mazda Atenza Sport (2007 Tokyo Motor Show reference exhibit)
Mazda RX-7 (FD) Special Tuned Car
Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD) '02
Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD) Tuned Car
Mazda RX-8 Type S '03
Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG '02
Mine's BNR34 Skyline GT-R N1 base '06
Mini Cooper-S '06
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX GSR '05
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR Premium Package '07
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR Tuned Car
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX GSR Tuned Car
Nissan Fairlady Z Version S '07
Nissan GT-R '07
Nissan GT-R Proto '05
Nissan Skyline Coupe (V36) Tuned Car
Nissan Skyline Coupe 370GT Type SP '07
Nissan Skyline Coupe Concept '07
Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec II Nur '02
Nissan Skyline Sedan 350GT Type SP '06
Peugeot 207GTI '07
Peugeot 307cc Premium AVN '04
RE Amemiya FD3S RX-7
Renault Clio Renault Sport V6 24V '00
Subaru Impreza Sedan WRX STI spec C Type RA '05
Subaru Impreza WRX STI (18inch BBS Wheel Option) '07
Suzuki Cappuccino '95
Suzuki Cappuccino Tuned Car
Suzuki Cervo SR '07
Suzuki Swift Sport '07
Suzuki Swift Sport Tuned Car
TVR Tamora '02
TVR Tuscan Speed 6 '00
Volkswagen Golf GTI '01
Volkswagen Golf V GTI '05

Also included in the game is six different tracks to choose from including a Suzuka Circuit, Eiger Nordwand, Fuji Speedway, a London city track, Daytona International Speedway and a high speed ring. The game is still slated for an April 15 release on the PlayStation 3. [Winding Road; AB]

Logitech PS3 Driving Wheel Simulates Over, Understeer

Travis Hudson — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 11:00:00 EST

Gran Turismo 5 may still be a little ways off, but Logitech is already jumping to have an official steering wheel available for this long-anticipated PlayStation 3 title. It was developed by Logitech and Polyphony Digital, and includes a lot of features that will tighten the trousers of any driving enthusiast.

The force-feedback system is capable of simulating oversteer, understeer and traction loss. It includes paddle shifters and a standard stick shift. Probably one of the better features is the 24-position adjustment dial on the wheel. This little red doodad will allow you to adjust brake bias, TCS and damper settings on the fly. The wheel will be available in May for $150. [Driving Force GT via Uncrate]

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Video Preview

Travis Hudson — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:00:00 EST

The most beautiful and highly anticipated next-generation racing simulator is inching its way towards completion. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is the name of the game, and we've got a preview. "Prologue" means it's not the full game. Actually, it's like a glorified demo that will cost $40, include 5 tracks, 16-player online racing and more than 30 cars. Prologue is slated for an April 17 release date on the PlayStation 3, with the full GT5 game coming sooner or later. At least by the time PlayStation Ocho rolls around. [Techeblog]

Gran Turismo 5 Trailer Hits The Web, Web Too Slow to Keep Up

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 11:45:00 EST

The Gran Turismo 5 trailer has emerged and we couldn't be more excited (though, we still haven't shelled out enough dough for a PlaySation 3). And while we can enjoy other racing simulators and motorsports games, we've been hooked since the Mazda Demio braking test in the original Gran Turismo for the PS1. In the trailer we get a mixture of vehicles (including a new Nissan GT-R), some track shots and one wicked soundtrack (no offense Cardigans).

What we know about the GT5 is that it's super realistic looking, it'll have the Nissan GT-R, the track from Top Gear and us scrounging for a few hundred bucks.

Top Gear Track, Episode Downloads Coming to Gran Turismo 5 And PS3

Ray Wert — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:15:00 EDT

We've just heard some amazing news about the greatest automotive show on Earth, Top Gear. In fact, it was so amazing that despite it being 2:00 AM here in Tokyo (where we're at this week for the Tokyo Motor Show), it literally made us blink, swear under our breath, get up out of the chair and do a little jig. Here's what we've just learned (Thanks to Top tipster Thaddeus):

Top Gear has hooked up with Sony to make our iconic test track part of Gran Turismo 5. And as an office with the permanent distraction of a Playstation 2, race seat, force-feedback wheel and a copy of the current GT4, it's the best news we've had since Alonso missed out on the F1 championship.

Oh but wait, there's more...

The latest iteration of the GT series will also be fully online - and, alongside lapping the TG circuit, players will be able to download classic episodes of Top Gear via a dedicated motoring channel called Gran Turismo TV on the Playstation network.

Holy shnikes — Gran Turismo TV — starring episodes of Top Gear? See, bet you can't believe your eyes either. Now, if only we can drive as "The Stig" our lives would be complete. [via Top Gear]

Is it Live or Is It Gran Turismo 5 Prologue? The Quiz

Mike Spinelli — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 03:35:15 EDT

We have to admit, telling the difference between the photorealism of the upcoming Gran Turismo 5 Prologue and the real realism of, well, reality is harder than it sounds. We were absolutely positive about our answers the first time trying this quiz, and still got only 10 out of 14. Of course, we've been waiting for it since 2005 so the graphicals surely had to be this good. Think of where Britney Spears was in 2005; it's been a long road. (Thanks to Sidney for the tip.) [Generation Dream Team]