All You Need to Know About Gran Turismo 6

All of the new info for the newly announced Gran Turismo 6 in one place. New cars, tracks, functionality and other features detailed.

Gran Turismo 6 will be launching on PlayStation 3 (and possibly PS4) "Holiday 2013" and will include various updates to the already impressive Gran Turismo 5.

Cars:

Gran Turismo has long been known as the home of car pornography in the world of gaming. So no new edition would be complete without a host of new vehicles to let loose on the track. Every car featured in GT5 has been transferred to the new game and updated accordingly. GT6 will also feature a host of new cars bringing the total count up to a staggering 1200 at launch. As usual the range of cars presents everything from little road cars to power hungry racers and everything in between. Some of the latest vehicles revealed include the classic Ferrari Dino from The Italian Job, the KTM X-Bow R made famous by Top Gear and the latest Tesla electric sports car. There's an impressive collection available to view in the screenshots on the official site. Perhaps more than ever, the graphical quality of these cars is really blurring the lines between reality and the uncanny valley. They're simply astonishing.

Tracks:

Gran Turismo's tracks have arguably left their legacy on gaming forever. legendary courses like Trial Mountain, Cape Ring and Tokyo R246 are still imitated in just about every racing title. Thankfully, GT6 will see the return of all the classic Gran Turismo tarmac as well as the newer tracks from GT5. On top this, the game will include seven new circuits bringing 19 new routes bringing the total count to 33 tracks and 71 routes. Currently the only track announced is the renowned Silverstone circuit in Northampton, UK. Although Polyphony Digital staff were spotted recently scanning the mighty Mount Panorama circuit in Bathurst, Australia. Which, to those less knowledgeable, is the track with the humungous straight! The course maker feature will also make a return and has been expanded for the new game. No doubt there'll be plenty more info on this come E3. You can get some glimpses of the tracks in the newly released teaser trailer.

Gameplay and Graphics:

A new physics engine has been built for Gran Turismo 6 in conjunction with vehicle manufacturers and automotive designers. For example Yokohama Rubber, a tyre producer, has aided Polyphony in designing their tyre kinetics and modeling. No doubt the direct feedback and professional experience will only aid the ever increasing realism of the GT series. A revised user interface is also promised; the rather scattered nature of the GT5 UI left many unhappy with the overall presentation of the game. Hopefully this revision will bring a more user friendly and pleasant interface. An advanced graphics engine is also predictably a key feature. Adaptive tessellation, a feature typically reserved for high end PC games, will be used in the game and there's no doubt that Polyphony will be throwing every bit of the PS3's power in to this title.

GT on the go:

Polyphony also revealed that GT6 will be set for expanded connectivity with devices such as smart phones and tablets, which leads one to think that an app with lap times and the like will be released alongside the game. The game will also feature increased social and community functions, which will hopefully be a bit more than 'share your time on facebook'. A youtube upload feature would be a nice touch. Much like GT5, the game will also incorporate plenty of outside features from automotive companies and motorsport broadcasters. Gran Turismo TV is likely to make a return and will hopefully bring a bit more content than in the previous iteration. Something like highlights from the BTCC or MotoGP would be a welcome addition.

PlayStation 4

Of course, the big mystery with Gran Turismo 6 since it first emerged as a PS3 title was why the title wasn't being reserved for Sony's new console. Of course, one can't deny the financial advantages of selling the title on a console that already has a huge user base. From this perspective it's easy to see why Polyphony are releasing on PS3 first. Add to this the fact that the game has a tradition of releasing two titles per console generation and it's actually no surprise to see the game featured on PS3. Despite this, Polyphony have by no means ruled out a PS4 version of the game. "We actually do have a PlayStation 4 version in mind" said Polyphony CEO and legendary designer Kazunori Yamauchi. He suggested that a full version of the game, featuring DLC released over the PS3 versions' lifetime would be the best call. So a sort of premium edition is likely to hit PS4 some time next year.

It's a lot of information to soak in, and Polyphony have confirmed that there will be more details at E3 and Gamescom later this year. For now you can enjoy the range of new cars on show in the latest screens (if you're into that kind of thing) and be sure to look out for the latest info on Gran Turismo 6 here at GameGrin.