Driving a McLaren sports car is always exhilarating.
The mid-mounted V8 turbo engine reacts quicker than an angry Tassie devil, and that exotic
exterior design, be still my beating heart.
But it’s challenging trying to stretch the legs of a pure bred machine such as this in
the bustling metropolis that is Tokyo.
Or is it?
We’ve come to Tokyo to test the last Gran Turismo sport video game.
It’s the latest in a franchise that spans all the way back to 1998, and it’s sold
more than 64 million copies worldwide.
Supporting the luscious 4K visuals, and even virtual reality, the graphics have been given
a high octane boost.
It looks absolutely incredible.
The car is shown with a new level of realism, inside and out, from the detailed headlights
to the unique alloy wheels, and even down to tiny details like the brake callipers and
rotors.
The 3D rendering is so good you can barely tell it’s made up of millions of tiny polygons.
The particle affects, such as smoke and rain, add loads of atmosphere, and the attention
to detail on the racetracks is spellbinding.
Playing on a large 4K HDR TV is equal parts intense and awesome.
There’s native support for virtual reality too, which is a first for a Gran Turismo game.
The PS4’s VR headset delivers an even more immersive experience.
It’s the future of gaming, make no mistake.
And the headset is a fairly comfortable set up, too.
Despite adding a new level of involvement, the graphical quality drops significantly
with the PSVR goggles.
Thankfully, the audio has improved.
Some of the cars in previous GT games sounded like food processors, but now the machines
sound properly meaty.
And it’s not just a breathtaking game to look at, the game [unclear] has improved on
several levels.
An updated physics engine gives the cars more solidity, and this is about as close to reality
as you can get from the comfort of your couch.
Vehicle collision detection, steering input and even tyre behaviour have improved, but
for all this, the game is more approachable now, and way more addictive, although I wouldn't
call it forgiving.
I’ve driven a fair few of these cars in the real world, and it’s fair to say developer
Polyphony Digital has nailed the brief.
Lightweight mid-engine cars are agile, and quick to turn, while big, bruising front engine
V8s require far more finesse to get the most out of them.
The computer AI races are more dynamic now, but multi-player is where it’s at.
Racing human opponents is a blast and way more unpredictable, but massively rewarding.
Gran Turismo Sport is also the world’s first video game with an FIA sanctioned virtual
race series.
When you pass a number of criteria, you can qualify for your FIA Gran Turismo digital
licence.
The Gran Turismo games have launched the racing careers of 21 individuals and counting, via
the GT Academy.
Yes, these dudes were pros in the digital world then graduated to Nissan GTR GT3 race
cars in the real world.
There’s more single player modes too, including a campaign mode with mission challenges that
unlock new cars and even a driving school.
There’s so much gaming content here you’ll want to clear your diary for a few weeks at
least when this game drops.
Flogging the bejesus out of a McLaren in the virtual world is almost as edifying as doing
it in the real world.
More immersive, more realistic, and breathtakingly pretty to look at, one of the best racing
simulators in the world just got better.
See you on-line in October.