Remember vinyl wraps? Yes, they’re still a thing. I actually think they are pretty cool if done right. Granted these days they’re more used for marketing purposes than style I think they still have a place on both ends. With Gumball 3000 going on right now Nismo partnered up with INTERSECTION magazine to wrap a Nismo 370Z for the hedonistic road rally. The end result looks pretty fresh (probably fresher that it can also be removed at the end as well).
To see how the design came together and how a full car wrap is applied, check out the video below.
As I suspected from the teaser video a while back, today at a special event celebrating the franchise’s 15th anniversary at Silverstone circuit in the UK Sony and Polyphony Digital announced that Gran Turismo 6 is coming this year (holiday) and it is coming to the Playstation 3. While that might be odd considering that Sony recently announced that Playstation 4 was also coming this holiday, it makes sense if you consider that Gran Turismo 6 was probably very far along the development process by the time most of us were taking the shrink wrap off our copies of GT5.
Does this mean there isn’t a Gran Turismo coming for Playstation 4? Hardly, while nothing has been announced I am sure the crew at Polyphony are already hard at work on GT7. But that’s a story for another time. Lets get into GT6 shall we?
First off all the cars and tracks from GT5 will be in GT6 including several new additions which brings the total car count to 1200 when the game is released and additional cars to be added via DLC and customization via aero parts and wheels will be available for “almost” all cars. In fact Sony claims “several thousand” aero parts will be available and that GT6 will have more levels of customization than any of the previous titles.
Beyond the new cars, new locations will be added including Silverstone Circuit as well as 6 other new tracks making for 33 tracks total with 71 layouts. If that isn’t enough, more tracks are promised in the future with DLC and the track editor has been improved so players can create the circuit of their dreams.
When it comes to gameplay the programmers at Polyphony Digital have completely re-done the physics system. The new model will be based off new aerodynamic data, tire data from Yokohama, and suspension geometry data from KW Suspension.
The last thing you should know is that while the full game won’t drop until “holiday 2013″ a demo will come in July and that demo will be the launch pad for the next GT Academy, so start practicing now!
For more info on the game (including the car list for the July demo) check out the trailer and press release below. I will bring you my own impressions of GT6 once I play it on the E3 show floor next month.
UPDATE: It looks like the Gran Turismo 6 news is so big that the official website is down from all the traffic!
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. today announced Gran Turismo®6 (GT6™), the latest version of PlayStation®’s best-selling franchise, will be released in Holiday, 2013. The news was revealed today by legendary Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi at an event held to celebrate 15 years of the 70-million-selling series.
GT6 for PlayStation®3 will bring new levels of authenticity to ‘the Real Driving Simulator’ as well as introducing stunning new tracks and cars and a revised user interface. A new compact game engine will improve operation and increase the flexibility to expand it with downloadable content. Meanwhile, the game is also set for expanded connectivity with other devices such as smart phones and tablets and increased social and community functions.
All of the cars and tracks from Gran Turismo®5, which has sold over 10m copies since launching in 2010, will be retained in GT6. But notable new additions to the already impressive line-up of historic cars, road cars and the latest race cars, brings the total car list to 1200 at launch, with new cars set to be continually added online. Several thousand aerodynamic parts and custom wheels will be available for almost all cars, and players can personalize their own custom cars in game to the greatest ever level possible.
The UK’s famous Silverstone Circuit will be just one of seven new locations in Gran Turismo 6, taking the total to 33, with 71 different layouts available, 19 of them brand new. There will also be regular additions of new tracks set to be made available online. The improved course maker function will provide gorgeous scenery spanning several tens of square kilometers including the magnificent backdrop of Andalucía.
The theme of Gran Turismo’s innovative collaborations with partner companies will increase with the inception of GT6. A number of exciting new projects that blur the line between the virtual and real will be announced in the run up to the game’s launch. Not least of these is GT Academy, a collaboration with Nissan to unearth real racing driver talent that first ran in 2008. It was announced during the event that the competition returns for its biggest ever year in 2013, with the entry mechanic set to take place on an exclusive GT6 demo in July.
Other notable partnerships in the development of GT6 have been with tire manufacturer Yokohama Rubber and suspension company KW Automotive. Both companies are active in the commercial car industry and in racing, and they have acted as technical development partners for the game’s new physics engine, for its tire and suspension kinematic modeling, creating an even more realistic experience for GT fans.
“It is amazing to think that it is 15 years since we first released Gran Turismo,” explained Kazunori Yamauchi, during the announcement at Silverstone Circuit. “Things have changed a lot since then and now Gran Turismo 6 is a further evolution of my dream. We’re pleased to deliver GT6 to PlayStation 3 as we have a very loyal community on that platform. However, we have refactored the game to make it very flexible and expandable, with a view to making many future developments. I am very pleased with everything about the new game and the new additions, but the launch will be only the beginning for GT6. The game will continue to develop throughout its life. I already have many ideas for things I want to achieve in the next 15 years of Gran Turismo!”
The celebration of 15 years of Gran Turismo event at Silverstone included a demo of GT6 featuring the famous circuit. Guests were able to play the game in the familiar circular Gran Turismo race pods before having a chance to take to the real track in cars provided by Audi, Ford, Jaguar, KTM, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Toyota.
Further news about Gran Turismo 6 will be revealed at the forthcoming E3 and Gamescom events.
Cars featured on the GT6 Silverstone demo (* denotes new to Gran Turismo):
Acura NSX ’91
*Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale ’11
*Alpine A110 1600S ’68
*Audi Sport quattro S1 Rally Car ’86
Ferrari 458 Italia ’09
*Ferrari Dino 246 GT ’71
Ford GT ’06
*KTM X-BOW R ’12
Lamborghini Countach LP400 ’74
*Light Car Company Rocket ’07
McLaren MP4-12C ’10
*Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 ’11
Nissan 370Z (Z34) (GT Academy Version) ’08
Nissan 370Z Tuned Car (GT Academy Version) ’08
Nissan GT-R Black edition (GT Academy Version) ’12
*Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 N24 Schulze Motorsport
Nissan Leaf G (GT Academy Version)
*Tesla Motors Model S Signature Performance ’12
Toyota 86 GT ’12
Summary of new Gran Turismo 6 features announced by Kazunori Yamauchi:
New Game Engine
• Refactoring
• Compact, nimble operation
• Flexible expandability
• A new rendering engine that pushes the limits of the PS3
New Physics Engine
• New suspension and kinematics model
• New tire model
• New aerodynamics model
• Technical partnership with Yokohama Rubber and KW Automotive
1200 Cars, abundant custom parts, and on-going DLC
• From historic cars to the latest racing cars, the game contains a total of 1200 cars.
• Multiple aerodynamic parts and custom wheels will be available for almost all cars.
• Players can create their own personalized custom car in the game.
• Cars will be continually added online
33 locations, 71 layouts
• 33 Locations and 71 layouts will be provided from day1 (7 more locations and 19 more layouts than GT5)
• More new tracks will continue to be provided online
New Course Maker
• Massive scenery spanning several tens of square kilometers
• A new course generation algorithm
Community/Club/Race Organizer
• Players can form their own communities
• Various community levels from local and domestic to global
• Players themselves can create and manage their own online events
New User Interface
• Balancing directional key operation and touch operation
• Quick response
• Shortening of loading times
Multi Device Compatibility
• PlayStation®
• Smart Phone
• Tablet
• PC
At the same time as the PS3 version of GT6 the “Real Driving Simulator” launches, a mobile version and web application version of GT6, will be created to enjoy Gran Turismo’s massive community space.
Real/Virtual “Edge Effect” Activity
A variety of “Edge Effects”, the chemical reactions between the real world and the virtual world for which the Gran Turismo series is famous, are also planned for GT6. Exciting collaborations between various automotive manufacturers and collaborations with brands crossing different industries will be revealed gradually across the next six months.
Recently, I celebrated my 31st birthday and during that time I reflected on my early childhood and I realized that as an 80s kid I had it good from a pop-culture stand point. The economy was great, Rocky was kicking everyone’s ass, Teddy Ruxpin was an animatronic bear that read stories to you rather than a hipster DJ, and the cartoons were awesome, especially if you were into cars. It might even be said that the 80s was the decade of the car-themed cartoon.
There was Transformers, its well meaning knock-off GoBots, Vehicle Voltron, Pole Position, and more. However one of the biggest of the “car-toons” was M.A.S.K. a show about an underground force called “Mobile Armored Strike Kommand” that used special armored vehicles to fight the evil V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem) syndicate.
The show had everything: cool cars, a random white kid, a goofy robot for comic relief that doubled as the white kid’s scooter, an old man who flew an attack helicopter, and an epic intro song.
The good guys always won, the bad guys were always thwarted, and every episode ended with some type of valuable life lesson like “always wear safety goggles when using tools”. Unfortunately kids today don’t have it as good as I did but luckily YouTube exists and I can at least temporarily take you back to 1985 with the awesome M.A.S.K. intro below. If you know the words sing along!
What results when film geniuses Clash Productions are combined with a snow camo’d Nissan GT-R, a ski slope, and snowmobile chase cameras? Two and a half minutes of AWESOME that is as pure as…well the driven snow (I make no pun apologies!).
This is one of those occasions in which a “where” and especially a “why” are completely unnecessary. All that you need to know is that a crew out in Sweeden dubbed “Team Ice Ricers” decided to answer the question: “can a GT-R climb a ski slope?”
This year marks the 15th anniversary of Gran Turismo. Yes, it really has been 15 years since the first time some of us put that sweet disc in our Playstation console and got whisked away to a land where we could have any car we wanted, even cars we’ve never seen before. It is also confirmation that those of us who remember the very first game really are that damn old. Christ…
Anyway, to celebrate the anniversary Sony has announced a special event will take place at Silverstone circuit in the UK on May 15th at which, plans for the franchises future will be revealed. By the location (Silverstone) I am also thinking that a few tidbits about the next GT Academy competition will be made public as well.
I am hoping GT6 will in fact be announced, and that it won’t take 6 years to make. After all the time we waited for Gran Turismo 5, plus the awesome-ness coming from Drive Club, Gran Turismo better come soon and come correct! If you want to do some speculating on your own watch the announcement to the announcement video below.
As the Indy Car series left one street circuit (Long Beach) they arrived at another in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Arriving on the home turf of several Indy Car drivers the stakes were high but it was an American who took first blood as Ryan Hunter-Reay managed to capture the pole position. However, race day was a different story…
SPOILER ALERT BELOW!!!
Ryan hung on to the lead for as long as he could and it became that much harder when Tony Kanaan caught his second wind and hounded the 2012 champion mercilessly. The two drivers traded the lead back and fourth several times, each time Tony would take the lead the crowd roared. However, the hometown celebration was short lived when TK’s engine gave out on him. Ryan lost the lead when the younger drivers came gunning after him from the mid pack.
In the end it was James “Hinchtown” Hincliffe who pulled off a beautiful last lap move on Takuma Sato to take the win. Marco Andretti rounded out the podium with a third place finish (which also now puts him second in the points behind Sato). All the race highlights are below and trust me when I say it definitely worth your time to watch!
Like many drivers, when I am going to a place I have never been before I rely on a GPS to make sure I don’t get lost. Most of the time it works out just fine. However, my GPS is pretty old so sometimes it likes to play a game called “update the directions at the last possible freakin’ second” in which a left turn suddenly becomes a right turn and I completely pass where I am supposed to go or I do something stupid and try to make the next turn with less than 20 feet to do it in. Let me tell you, in real life that is not fun!
Yet, it looks like the brains at Codemasters took a page from my old and busted GPS by turning that malfunction into a game mode for GRID2 called “LiveRoutes”. How does it work? Pretty much the same way my crappy GPS does only without the risk of getting lost or actual bodily harm. Imagine racing through the streets of Paris at triple digit speeds but not knowing where to go next; relying on a GPS to tell you! Still hard to picture? Just watch the new trailer below to see it in practice. It looks a lot more entertaining in a game than it is in real life!
It may be a while before I could ever afford an Audi but I will be forever grateful to them for giving me a reason to express my Iron Man fanboy-dom all over this blog! And with Iron Man 3 less than a week away I am in full nerd mode! In today’s flimsy excuse I present a recently released video from Audi which takes the audience into Tony Stark’s famous workshop. Not only is his workshop where most of his inventions, including the Iron Man suit itself was born but it also doubles as the garage for all of his rides, including his two Audi R8′s (5.2 V10 and eTron). Take a look at all of his “cool stuff” (see what I did there?) below.
If you are like me, you have probably spent a lot of time wondering what it is really like to sit in a formula one car. All I really know of it is how it is described by commentators during a race. From what I gathered it seemed like it is actually a pretty uncomfortable experience. However, if you ask Lewis Hamilton, he will tell you the complete opposite. In the video below where he explains the seating position in his Mercedes GP PETRONAS car he actually admits to nodding off occasionally while in the garage. Check it out below.
I know I am a little behind but hey I took on three days and three different motorsports all by myself! It was rough, but fun. By now you probably already know that Takuma Sato made history by winning the Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach and becoming the first Japanese driver to win an Indy Car event as well as the first Japanese driver to win at Long Beach. However, despite what he said in his post race interview, it did not come easy.
Long Beach is known for being a dangerous narrow street course and the walls ate up plenty of drivers this year, including defending champion Ryan Hunter-Reay. Sato was able to navigate his way through all of the random carnage unscathed and his team managed a top notch pit stop to keep their driver up front which allowed him to go on and get the victory. Graham Rahal came second behind Sato and Justin Wilson got his first podium of the season with a third place finish.
If you want to see all the action for yourself check out the highlight reel below. If you want to see the fruit of my three days of labor hit the red text for the full gallery on our facebook page.
Loading ...
