gran-turismo-hd
Latest
Gran Turismo HD being phased out
Last year's small taste of next-gen GT, Gran Turismo HD, is being removed from the Japanese PlayStation Store. Makes sense, considering Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is just around the corner. Beginning September 30th, the free download will no longer be available. The online stats tracking service that's included with the demo will continue, however.There's no word on whether or not the US version of Gran Turismo HD will meet the same fate. It was a great gift while it lasted, and it's time to move on to bigger (and hopefully, better) things.[Thanks, Kspraydad! Via Wired]
Gran Turismo HD screenshots vs. real life
If you've ever wondered when videogame images would begin to mirror real life, wonder no more. A contributor at VGchartz provides the screenies, in a side-by-side comparison for easy viewing. The team at Polyphony Digital is meticulous. Proof of their devoted work ethic is (as they say) in the pudding. Don't forget, as we reported last week, Sony recently updated the PlayStation Store with more tasty videos of this hotly anticipated title. So drop by and get some more of these delicious treats. Just be sure to have a sponge nearby to soak up the drool. And for those few PS3 owners without convenient wireless access, don't fret. We've got your Gran Turismo HD information covered. Check out our past articles here.[Via digg]
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.
New stuff hits the PS-Store... lots of new stuff!
Well, everybody's PS-Store probably looks a little different nowadays, what with the European and US and Japan and Hong Kong all handing out different stuff at different times... however! We're pretty sure we've got a good list for the US and EU stores on what's new. Let's get crackin'.US Armored Core 4 demo GTAIV teaser video: "Things Will Be Different" Stardust movie trailer (if anyone else is a fan of Neil Gaiman, you should be giddy with excitement... although my favorite of his has to be Neverwhere, hands down. American Gods is a very close second) Other movie trailers: Are We Done Yet? and Perfect Stranger. EU In addition to that stuff, we imagine excepting the movie trailers (?), Europe is also privy to the Super Rub a Dub demo and game. Also mentioned in an e-mail was a new version of Gran Turismo HD -- now with worldwide scoreboards and one other thing. Oh yeah, full compatibility with force feedback and all of these driving wheels: Logitech's Driving Force, Driving Force Pro, and Driving Force EX. So, enjoy that one, guys! Force feedback is coming back in small doses, but for those who missed the experience, your voice has been heard.
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]
Blast Factor goes multiplayer for $2.99
With an ever-enigmatic "coming soon," Sony announced via press release that it will be releasing a multiplayer pack for the downloadable PS3 launch title Blast Factor. Nothing else is currently known about the pack; we've contacted Sony bigwigs to see what else we can find out. If it can reinvigorate our interest in the game, then it might be worth the $2.99 price tag. Also coming soon is a trailer for the Gran Turismo HD Concept. We're hoping it shows footage of new tracks because otherwise, with the game free and replays freely available through the game, there's no point.
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.
Gran Turismo HD ver. 1.1 details
Sadly, this "updated" version of the neat demo for Gran Turismo HD doesn't come with any special tracks or added options. It fixes a bug. Apparently, a 700MB bug. That's right, no patches, but you've got to re-download the entire thing. Not only that, but doing so erases all your track and drift records. It's... kind of a slap to the face, Polyphony. Why? I was in the top twenty for something... well, probably not anymore, but at some point I was. Oh! We never told you the bug. Here's the big problem: the bug caused the time to stop before you got to the finish line. That's it. Download the new version at your own discretion, everyone!
Gran Turismo HD demo available for your infinite pleasure
We'll keep this quick. You know it, we know it, it's known. The Gran Turismo HD demo has gone live in the PlayStation Store for, what we assume, all regions. Download it. Enjoy it. Wait until the fifth installment of the series? We'll have to. It's a pretty large file, so make sure you've got something else to do in the meantime... like, say, blog on a website where you get insulted more often than discuss the topic at hand. Just for the record, if we say something that's so easy to make fun of or call out as being biased and untrue, it's called "flamebait"... and it's intended. Did you take the bait? Absolutely. We're not actually offended by the reaction -- it's completely expected and many of the comments are entirely true and valid. It's still pretty funny, though. Anywho, let us know if you make a "best time" on the track and it gets put up on the internet -- we'd love to have it linked! Enjoy guys/girls!
Gran Turismo HD, brought to you by Sony
This picture is actually a picture of my buddy all decked out in racing gear walking around his Subaru. We took the license plate off so you don't try to find him, since he sort of stole that outfit. Did you believe me? Even a little? In either case, when we looked at the new Gran Turismo HD screens, we couldn't believe our eyes. Sure, it's probably pre-rendered, but even so -- damn. If you put a picture of yourself in a similar situation next to this, the video game would probably look better, since cameras have only come so far for the casual consumer. There's not really much else to say, except you'd be a fool to say this doesn't look amazing. You aren't a fool, are you?
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.
Sony Playstation 3 Conference Details
Lets get down to the facts. $499 w/20GB HDD, $599 w/ 60GB HDD in the United States No new details about Blu-ray movie playback or drive speed Japan launch date: November 11 US Launch date: November 17 2 million PS3s to ship in "launch window" Accelerometer in a wireless dual shock controller, much like Nintendo's, no rumble support Showed Gran Turismo HD: a special version using GT4 models rendered at 1080p and 60fps Well there it is folks, don't forget to check out Joystiq for the moment to moment updates, although they are likely to slow down momentarily as Sony's last announcement was that they had playable PS3 games onsite. Now I suppose the question is why would anyone buy an HD DVD player for $500 when they can get a PS3 for the same price. Did anybody else check out the stream (via Gamespot.com or E3insider.com), what were your impressions?
