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Gran Turismo 5 'might not even roll out before 2010'
Were you one of those people that skipped Prologue to wait for the full version of Gran Turismo 5? Get ready to wait. In an interview with Joystiq, Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi stated that the full version of GT5 "might not even roll out before 2010." Instead, Prologue will continue to be expanded upon, with additional cars, tracks and features. In fact, a new update is planned for the "near future." The big question we have though is: will it be free?Perhaps Gran Turismo 5 would wrap up production a bit sooner if Yamauchi and crew wasn't so adamant about filming an entire series for Gran Turismo TV. Have fun driving those Ferraris Yamauchi ... while the rest of us wait years for your next game.
Gran Turismo TV announced as part of GT5 Prologue
Gran Turismo TV will feature full high definition original content, such as racing events from around the globe, exclusive first peak into Ferrari's headquarters, and programming like the D1Grand Prix and BBC's Top Gear. They will also offer pay-per-view programs. Available on GT5 Prologue via the PSN on August 1st.
Start your browsers: GT Academy now live
Really real driving simulation news now, with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Nissan launching GT Academy, the competition that will put two of Europe's best Gran Turismo 5 Prologue players inside rapidly moving hunks of metal. If you happen to live in the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Norway or Denmark, and have always wanted to go hurtling around a track at terrifying speeds, now's your chance.The GT Academy website is already up and running, with the first, seven-week long stage of the competition following on June 2nd. You'll have to register your PSN ID on the site during that time and set your fastest lap around the Eiger Nordwand track in a Nissan Fairlady 350Z. Following that, you'll need to come out tops in a national final held in July, and finally, avoid crashing on the real life Silverstone track in August. Easy peasy.
SCEA very pleased with North American GT5 Prologue sales
North American sales for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue pale in comparison to Europe's numbers; however, SCEA is still very much pleased with the results. NPD numbers showed that 224,000 copies have sold at US retailers, making the game the sixth best selling game overall and the second best selling PS3 title for April.Considering that GT5 Prologue marked the first time for a pre-full game Prologue title to hit North America, the game actually sold well. Also, the statistics have yet to take into account sales from the PSN version, so the numbers could possibly be exponentially higher. For those of you who just can't get enough number crunching, here are some other interesting stats: Polyphony Digital's website reports that Gran Turismo 5 Prologue has shipped 550,000 units in North America, 300,000 in Asia/Japan, and a massive 1,380,000 in Europe.Sony also expects that Gran Turismo 5 will do even better. "I don't think that these NPD sales fully represent the true anticipation for Gran Turismo 5," said Stephanie Yoshimoto, a SCEA senior product marketing manager. "GT5 will have a much larger overall scope that will inherently attract a larger, mass market audience."
Gran Turismo 5 competition will put winners in a real race
Umm ... is this really a good idea? Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Nissan seem to think so, having announced "the ultimate competitive driving test" in the form of "GT Academy." The eight-month long European competition will see two obsessive Gran Turismo 5 Prologue players win a four-month training programme to "earn their racing licenses" and, consequently, discover that the ol' mid-turn bump-and-go isn't advised in real life. Following the training, the winners will be granted the opportunity to drive a Nissan 350Z in a 24-hour endurance race in Dubai in January 2009. To get your foot in the door of GT Academy, you'll first have to keep it planted on a pedal as you face "a series of elimination-based competitions on and off the racetrack." Before that, you'll have to qualify in an online GT5 Prologue tournament on the PlayStation Network, details of which will arrive when GT Academy goes live at the end of May. We wish the entrants the best of luck and remind them that the damage modeling in real-life, 80000p racing is totally awesome.
American PSN update for April 17th
It's been a long two weeks, hasn't it? But finally, finally we can get our hands on it. That one piece of content we've been looking forward to ever since it was announced. No, not Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Nor Warhawk's new expansion, Operation Broken Mirror. We're talking about "Still Alive" for Rock Band! Here's the full release list: Gran Turismo 5 Prologue ($39.99) Warhawk: Operation Broken Mirror expansion pack ($7.99) Warhawk "Booster Combo pack" ($11.99) -- contains Operation Broken Mirror and Operation Omega Dawn Rock Band DLC (listed after the break) UEFA Euro 2008 demo (free) Warhawk Operation Broken Mirror trailer (free) Condemned 2: Bloodshot "Making Of" video (free) Haze "Mantel Corporate Vision" video (free) This is Vegas announcement trailer (free) Gran Turismo 5 Prologue "Friendly Fires" video (free) Gran Turismo 5 Prologue "Beyond the Apex" (free) Two Warhawk themes (free) Lair "Mokai" theme (free) Pineapple Express movie trailer (free) Don't forget a load of content also went up on Tuesday, when the store launched. We're glad to see the PSN Store getting content again. Don't forget we've listed all the yummy new Rock Band downloadable content after the break. So what will your first purchase be? GT5:P, Operation Broken Mirror or "Still Alive"?
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue now available on PSN
If you're not content to pick up Gran Turismo 5 Prologue in stores on a fancy Blu-ray disc, Sony has uploaded the game on their shiny new PlayStation Network store. The download will set your hard drive back at least 1.9 GB and your wallet $40 (same price as retail). While not initially available on the PSN version, you can download the intro and ending films at your leisure to view (the latter unlocked only after beating the game, natch). However, a documentary on the series, "Beyond the Apex," appears to be exclusive to the Blu-ray version for the moment.%Gallery-4884%[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue now available from the US PSN Store
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is now up and ready to be downloaded from the American PSN Store, and has been since midnight EST. The price of the game is $40 as well as 1.9GB of your precious hard drive space. Those of you who haven't picked up the, frankly, superior (and cheaper) Blu-Ray version can now go ahead and get your hands on the game without leaving your couch by utilizing the sexy new PlayStation Store. There's more to come from the Store later today and we'll let you know exactly what else is going up as soon as we find out.
GT5 could maybe possibly come to Chinese PCs, perhaps
Oh, that Kazunori Yamauchi. He loves to tease us. In an interview with Germany's derStandard (partially translated by develop), the man behind the Gran Turismo series says it would be "very, very improbable that GT will come out on another console." No surprise there, but then that little scamp of a developer entices us with a line about the series "perhaps [coming] to the PC. Particularly [for] the Chinese market."Of course, a PC version would be the only sane choice for the Chinese market, where the PS3 is not officially released and the PC dominates the gaming scene -- and Yamauchi didn't even confirm that such a Chinese PC version exists. But we can just imagine how this quote will morph and mutate in the hands of fanboys, until, sometime soon, someone will ardently argue that Yamauchi actually confirmed an Wii version of GT5 would be out any day now. Mark our words ...[via PS3Fanboy]
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue continues to dominate European charts
Even with a million pre-orders sold, Gran Tursimo 5 Prologue continues to light up the European sales charts. In both Spain and Germany, the PS3 exclusive rests as the top selling game, beating out strong competition from a variety of Wii, DS and PSP titles. In Sweden, GT5P was only beat out by the PS2 version of Guitar Hero III.It goes to show how different each territory is when it comes to gaming preferences. The US version of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue comes out this week on Blu-ray and on the PSN. Will it match the insatiable European demand for Polyphony's racer? We'll have to wait and see.
Gran Turismo for Boys lives on, might be GT5 feature
The awkwardly-named Gran Turismo for Boys was supposed to be a more kid-oriented version of the popular racing sim, giving male youngsters a small taste of the real racing simulator. In an interview with with Kazunori Yamauchi, the director noted that they're still devoted to making Gran Turismo for Boys "but we're hoping to make that a feature within GT5."A simpler version of GT5 would certain appeal to both boys and girls, no? Regardless, it seems like there are plans to make a much more mainstream-friendly version of GT -- for those who can't get enough auto-assist whilst driving.[Via Joystiq]
Damage coming to GT5 Prologue, weather possible for final release
There's something peculiar about the ability to drive 120 mph into a wall and not see a single scratch on your car. The Gran Turismo series has always been fond of that physics anomaly. Speaking to VideoGamer, series creator Kazunori Yamauchi said damage modeling is coming to GT5: Prologue. "We're not really planning for a trial or test version," he said, "we're going at it full speed. We'll see what happens." In a separate interview with IGN, Yamauchi expressed hope for a Fall release of the update.Yamauchi also hinted that weather effects would be in the final, non-Prologue Gran Turismo 5, due out about a year from now. We're not expecting Burnout-esque pile ups, but a fender bender in the rain would be nice.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Gran Turismo PSP still 'delayed,' possibly until 2009
Polyphony Digital is still working on the PSP version of Gran Turismo. No, really! Series creator Kazunori Yamauchi confirmed as much to us during last year's Tokyo Game Show, blaming the portable racer's vaporware status on the Gran Turismo 5 time sink. Don't expect much movement on the mobile front until Polyphony makes it through the post-Prologue development chicane."We had been developing the PSP version, but the problem was that the PS3 version took much more time and effort than we had first imagined," Yamauchi recently told Eurogamer. "So that's been delayed - I don't think we'll be able to make the end of this year for the PSP version, but we are working on it."If and/or when the final product eventually arrives, Polyphony Digital hopes for it to have an online component "linked" to the PlayStation 3 version. As promising as that sounds, we're still going to file this one as a DNF until we see more.
PS3 continues European sales momentum after release of GT5
The European gaming community really, really loves Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. After a platinum pre-order and a stellar launch, the PS3 has been gaining quite a bit of traction. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Chart-Track's Dorian Bloch said: "PlayStation 3 sales went up by 14 per cent for week 13, after going up 73 per cent the week before."We're certain that we can expect a similar sales boom after the release of Metal Gear Solid 4 as well. In comparison, Chart-Track noted that "Xbox 360 sales were down by 11 per cent." The effects of Microsoft's price drop were strong, but looks like the power of GT overshadowed the efforts of Microsoft's bargain pricing.For those in love with sales and numbers, this generation of consoles is proving rather interesting. It'll be fascinating to see the effect GT has on the American market, when it launches in a few weeks time.
Check out the PlayStation Pavilion at the new Nationals Park
click to enlarge A new season of Major League Baseball started up in America last night with the first game ever at Washington's brand new Nationals Park, complete with a presidential first pitch and a thrilling walk-off home run. Why should you care about any of this? Because the opening of the new park also means the opening of its new promotional PlayStation Pavilion, packed with demo kiosks for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, MLB08: The Show, Guitar Hero 3 and SingStar.You'd think people at a ballpark would have better things to do than play video games, but the demo area drew quite a crowd among the opening night fans. Need proof? Check out our exclusive gallery of photos from the new pavilion below.%Gallery-19511%
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue now available on Euro PSN
No doubt tired of all the screeching that emanated from yesterday's delay of tire-screeching driving sim, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Sony has finally sorted out its "technical difficulties" and updated the European PlayStation Store. Our readers from across the sea can now cease sending us irate tips and reserve the gnashing of teeth for when they send an exorbitantly priced car into an unforgiving barrier.Whether you opted for the downloadable Prologue or the Blu-ray version, we hope you enjoy it long enough for the full game to come hurtling around the corner.
Enjoy your Prologue, Gran Turismo 5 'about a year away'
If you were planning to speed past Gran Turismo 5 Prologue on April 17th because "it's just a demo," you may wish to rifle through your virtues and see if patience is among them. According to a PlayStation Blog comment made by SCEA associate producer, Chris Hinojosa-Miranda, the real real driving simulator is still "about a year away." It's no surprise to see him recommending a Prologue purchase in the meantime, but for automotive fans eagerly awaiting the PlayStation 3's premiere driving sim, the content offered in Polyphony Digital's $40 stopgap puts it well above the status of mere demo. The news certainly shouldn't come as a surprise to them either, as the immense and laborious task of creating Gran Turismo 5 has been well documented. With so much time spent painstakingly modeling each luxurious vehicle, we often wonder if it wouldn't be easier just to fill that Blu-ray disc with interactive HD video. It would be just like Road Avenger, but classier!
GT5 Prologue North American release gets exclusive music
After unveiling the cars and tracks for its upcoming too-good-to-be-a-demo PS3 racer, it seems only fitting that Sony let us know what kind of music we can expect to bop our heads too while navigating the twisty corners of GT5 Prologue. According to Sony, the North American version of the 'real driving simulator' will include "a dozen exclusive singles," including an "exclusive remix" of Weezer's song "Automatic" from the band's upcoming album. In addition, the game, which drops next month as both a download and full retail release, will feature a new version of Polyphony Digital's Masahiro Andoh's series theme song, "Moon Over the Castle." Seventeen international musical numbers from such names as Goose and Nittoku Inoue are also included, giving us plenty of tunes to listen to while failing to pass that license test for the umpteenth time.
Counting Rupees: The year of the PS3
Each week Jeff Engel and Geoff Brooks contribute Counting Rupees, a column on the business behind gaming: Apparently, 2008 is the year of the PS3. After what most consider a very shaky first year, the media is abuzz with a comeback for the company that was once king of consoles. EGM's March issue proudly proclaims on its cover that it's "The Revenge of the PS3". EDGE's December issue was entitled "The Empire Strikes Back" and even Joystiq's PS3 Fanboy has given us 10 reasons why the PS3 is back in the swing of things. Some analysts have proclaimed that the PS3 will do at least as well as the 360 in 2008, and others have the PS3 edging out the 360 by 2010 or even the Wii by 2011. Clearly, everyone is pointing to 2008 being a turning point of sorts for the Cell-powered beast. But is it actually true? Let's focus on, at least initially, Sony's battle against the 360. Certainly, the PS3 has a lot of things going for it. Blu-ray has officially won the next-gen DVD war; upcoming games, such as Metal Gear Solid 4, Killzone 2, and LittleBigPlanet show tremendous potential; and it has seemingly found a price point that people are willing to pay (as they did originally for the 360). In the US, at least so far this year, Sony has managed to outsell the 360 according to January and February NPD figures. But will it be enough?
Have a look at GT5's Ferrari F1
Click for high resolution image. Stylish elegance. That seductive red color. No, this isn't a TV commercial for some new car. We're just stating how much we've fallen in love with Gran Turismo 5 Prologue's Ferrari F2007. Just look at those sleek curves. The detail on this baby is so life-like it's hard to believe that this is just a digital rendering. Do you share in our excitement? Interested in seeing more? You can have a better look at the F1 car in the gallery below. Sony's Three Speech blog has even more pics to drool over, so be sure to check them all out.%Gallery-18534%
