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New Gran Turismo HD footage to leave you breathless
We mean just that -- it's Gran Turismo HD footage. Video, due out on the PS Store this Thursday/Friday, will show a new car: the Nissan Xanavi Nismo Z. This is true, however, don't hold your breath for any GTHD updates anytime soon -- this doesn't portend what you think it does.Sony contacted CVG with this to say about the upcoming footage: "The new GTHD video is scheduled to go onto the PS Store this Friday, May 4. It's a bespoke video that was made for Nissan at the Geneva Motorshow." Sony continued, saying there's no big announcement coming and the video is just for "funsies" (not actually a quote from them) because the download has proved so popular. Sorry guys, we'll keep our eyes open for any GT5 info... whenever it comes around the bend.
Gran Turismo HD Euro update supports force feedback racing wheels
European PlayStation 3 owners now have something they can tout over their Japanese and North American brethren. Though they did wait months longer for the console's release, it seems that they are privileged to an updated version of Gran Turismo HD Concept, and version 2.0 sports force feedback support for racing wheels.But force feedback is last-gen, you say? Vibrating controllers of Sony's past have won Emmys, we say. Racing fans who are dedicated to the genre enough to buy a wheel peripheral deserve to have as immersive an experience as possible, even if it's just one race course. This bodes well for future releases (as well as the unknown known Sixaxis with rumble). As of this writing, the U.S. version is still 1.1, but we expect to get our rumble shortly.
Sony unveils launch lineup for Euro PlayStation Network
The PS3's launch day in Europe is set to be filled with wanton punching, devastating explosions and utterly callous driving -- and when new PS3 owners finally get home, they can experience even more of that. Sony has announced a trio of downloads that will greet European PlayStation Network users on March 23, namely Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection (costing £6.99), Blast Factor (£3.49) and the Gran Turismo HD trial (£0). Other games slated for the online network are: 30 March: Super Rub-A-Dub, a touching study of the social intricacies found in a group of inanimate ducks! 6 April: flOw, a relaxing aquatic adventure with many a mingling microorganism! 13 April: Go! Sudoku, a game stunningly devoid of ritualistic suicide! 20 April: Go! Puzzle, a gripping crime thriller following a fugitive jigsaw piece! If all that isn't worth registering on PSN, perhaps James Bond will talk some sense into you. He has a gun, you know.
How a car is scanned for Gran Turismo HD
Jalopnik has a nice little feature on how shiny drivable boxes are digitally scanned for the final release of Gran Turismo HD. The binary reproduction process includes two men in jumpsuits dimming the lights and unloading a bunch of lasers on a given car. Not sharks with lasers, but lasers none-the-less."It was bizarre. A red line swept across the interior. It was sort of a spacey type of a deal. The room was somewhat dimly lit, and you would see this red line sweep across - bzzzzzzzzt. As soon as it finished it was producing a 3d wireframe model to scale on the screen."After wireframing is complete, four more nerds take comprehensive photos and videos to fill in the gaps, like turning wheels, braking, opening the hood, and every other type of human-to-car interaction imaginable. Better driving games through technology.[Thanks, Will]
Sony site confuses GT:HD with PGR3
Hey, it's an easy mistake to make. Both Gran Turismo: HD and Project Gotham Racing 3 feature fierce and fancy cars hurtling about lavishly rendered tracks -- for all intents and purposes, the two games are identical. Of course, our amazingly trained eyes immediately noticed the bizarre appearance of a PGR3 render on the Sony PSP Connect website, innocently advertising a new downloadable GT:HD trailer. "That's not true HD!" we exclaimed, index fingers twirling in the air. "Anyone with barely functioning eyes can see that's an image from a graphically inferior competitor!" We ended off with a resounding "HMPH!" before navigating to the next amusing, albeit inconsequential piece of news.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in.]
PS3 shipments hit 2 million worldwide
Better late than never, right? Though Sony missed their initial goal of shipping 2 million Playstation 3 consoles by the end of 2006, two weeks spent in the new year brings them up to speed. According to a GameDaily Biz report, Sony Computer Entertainment has announced a 1 million shipment milestone in Japan, thus bringing the global total to 2 milllion. Officials point out that in the Playstation family, the PS3 has been the quickest in reaching this number.Next up, Sony will tackle a lofty 6 million shipment target for the end of March, with success largely depending on how the system fares in Europe when it launches in the same month. Japanese analysts aren't particularly optimistic, with Nomura Securities predicting that only 4.5 million units will ship by then. Further numbers revealed by Sony are the 5 million in collective PS3 software shipments, 500,000 Playstation network users and the over 300,000 downloads enjoyed by the Gran Turismo HD demo.
1080p Gran Turismo HD screens
Contrary to what some would have you believe, 1080p gaming is (almost) here -- to that one guy running in 1920x1080 on his PC: shut up already -- Sony has released a few screens to show the power of 1080p on the Playstation 3. We must say, the extra resolution is certainly looking clean, although as much as we love resolution, we also love reflections, motion blur and particle effects, of which which Gran Turismo HD doesn't appear to have any. Of course, GTHD appears to actually be HD, unlike some racing games we could name. Hopefully more will be added as the game gets closer to release.
