Gran Turismo PSP

Thanks to an excellent new interview with Kazunori Yamauchi, we’ve just learned a lot about the progress of Gran Turismo 5 – and it sounds like it is further along than anyone may have imagined.  When asked about “how development’s going”, Yamauchi-san responded:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn5rBftQ1b0

We knew it wouldn’t be long before more detailed information begins trickling out of Los Angeles – and sure enough – the first interview with Kazunori Yamauchi from E3 does just that!  He sat down with automotive news site Edmunds.com shortly after Sony’s E3 press conference and shared a few interesting things about GT Mobile and Gran Turismo 5.  Here’s a quick summary of what we learn:

Here’s our first “real” look at the Gran Turismo PSP, including gameplay and menu screenshots!

Polyphony Digital’s president, Kazunori Yamauchi, just announced Gran Turismo PSP at Sony’s E3 2009 Press Conference.  This “little” game is going to pack quite a punch, including 800 cars and 35 tracks!  It’s also going to let you trade and exchange cars with each other, which Kazunori warned will probably be the only way to acquire them all.  Up to 4 people can also race head-to-head via the PSP’s ad-hoc connectivity.

Welcome to GTPlanet’s live coverage of Sony’s E3 2009 press conference!  After months of anticipation – and complete silence out of Polyphony Digital – expectations are running high for some type of major announcement regarding the Gran Turismo series.  We already know that Gran Turismo Mobile is going to be announced, but questions still remain about Gran Turismo 5.  What’s going to happen?  Watch this box below over the next few hours to find out!

After years of waiting, we’re about to get a deluge of Gran Turismo 5 and Gran Turismo Mobile news from E3 2009. To help you keep up with it all, I’m happy to announce GTPlanetNews on Twitter – featuring breaking GT-series news from the E3 show floor.  Start following us now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1FF8_0mAOA

A rumored list Sony’s list of games to be presented at E3 2009 has popped up, and it has a lot of people talking – not for the games that are on the list, but for the game that is not: Gran Turismo 5.  We have anxiously been waiting for what Sony has called one of their “biggest events in the past 11 years“, and many legitimiate sources have hinted that GT5 and Gran Turismo Mobile for the PSP would both be making an appearance at the show.  Of course, it makes sense, given the fact that it has been so long since we’ve heard any news about the development from Kazunori Yamauchi, and the next big game show (Tokyo Game Show) doesn’t hit until September.

The pieces of the puzzle are starting to fall into place!  Heavy rumors about the PSP2 were just released today by gaming site 1UP, and Gran Turismo Mobile popped up on their radar.   Hardware details will remain sketchy until the system is announced at E3, but we do know that the original PSP’s UMD media format will be dropped in favor of software downloads.  From 1UP’s article:

Earlier today, Amar212 dropped an odd bombshell on the GTPlanet Forums, posting a cryptic message full of hidden details about Gran Turismo 5.  Before you continue, have a look at Amar’s post for yourself.  It’s an exciting, well-crafted read that you are sure to enjoy.  If you’re still lost, keep reading for our careful analysis of each main point – and why you should believe them…

In a revealing statement from last week’s Game Developer’s Conference, SCEA Director of Hardware Marketing John Koller mentioned that Gran Turismo 5 will be released across “all platforms” when it “makes the most sense”.  The comments came from a Q&A session and were just picked up by VG247:

Despite continually being written off by the popular gaming press, another mention of the game has been stirring PSP owners everywhere.  This time, it’s not from Kazunori Yamauchi, but from the head of Sony Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida.  In an interview with Eurogamer, Yoshida acknowledged the game is still “in Polyphony Digital” and under development.  When asked about the delay, unsurpsingly, he cited work on Gran Turismo 5 Prologue and Gran Turismo 5 as the primary culprits…

The long-shrouded Citröen GT, developed jointly between the French car maker and Polyphony Digital was finally unveiled today at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.  After all the teasing, it doesn’t disappoint, and so far has been well received by both the press and GTPlanet users.  More importantly, we can confirm that the car will be available in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, so we’ll all be driving it before long.  Official word on the powerplant is hard to come by – expect some type of hydrogen/electric technology outputting upwards of 646hp.  According to these screen shots released by Polyphony, the car went around High Speed Ring in 1’01.570, and hit 212 km/h downhill on the Eiger.  What do you think?  Do you like the concept, or would you prefer Polyphony focus more on Gran Turismo 5 development?  Sound off and join the conversation in our forums.

In a very interesting statement at E3 today, GT series creator Kazunori Yamauchi brought us both good and bad news.  The good news is that he confirmed that the Polyphony Digital team was focusing nearly all of their efforts on Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, working hard to bring us features like vehicular damage, private online races, new tracks, and more cars.  Of course, there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch, and he added that these updates could push the full version of Gran Turismo 5 back into 2010.  He also confirmed that Gran Turismo Mobile, for the PSP, is still in “active development” but probably not be released until after Gran Turismo 5 (in other words, 2011).

In an interview with Kikizo, GT series creator Kazunori Yamauchi has once again confirmed that the PSP game Gran Turismo Mobile is still in active development.  Despite having been overwhelmingly written off by the the popular press, the gaming press, and even video game retailers, it remains something that Yamauchi repeatedly confirms.

Since IGN posted an article about U.S. games retailer GameStop canceling pre-orders for Gran Turismo 4 Mobile for the PSP, rumors have been flying around the internet that the highly anticipated title is no more. While I can certainly understand why anyone would think that, most of the reports do seem to be jumping the gun just a bit, and most reporters have completely forgotten about a recent interview with Kazunori Yamauchi less than a month ago. He clearly states that Gran Turismo Mobile will be released after Gran Turismo 5, which would put this mobile version quite far off into the future. With the additional workload of Tourist Trophy, Gran Turismo HD, and now Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, I am certainly not surprised that it has been pushed to the back burners. Perhaps it’s just me, but this new game would appear to be an excellent launch title for the PSP2. A spring 2009 release would provide the development team with just enough time, and would be an excellent way to keep the momentum of the series going strong after GT5 has been on store shelves for a few months. What do you think?