rAge 2016: Hands-on with Gran Turismo Sport

[CataclysmZA]

At rAge 2016, there were several demos of Polyphony Digital’s new game in the Gran Turismo series, called Gran Turismo Sport. Sport is the studio’s replacement for the Prologue series which used to come a year or two before the final full game, and it was often used as a showcase for their updated engine as well as new visuals and allowing for competitive online play. This time around, PD is tapping into that online play aspect to turn Sport into something entirely different, serving as the leading platform for the launch of GT Academy, as well as kicking off the GT Online leagues, which have homologated digital events that see just as many rules and close attention as actual FIA-sanctioned events.

I had some time to GT Sport by myself to evaluate it, and I have my thoughts for you right after the jump.

Source: NAG

I hope this is the right place to put this!

Despite the delay (which a Sony exec asked how I felt about), I'm still excited for what Sport brings to the table.

 

[Zlork]

Source: NAG

I hope this is the right place to put this!

Despite the delay (which a Sony exec asked how I felt about), I'm still excited for what Sport brings to the table.

Great feedback !

Just a question :

Gran Turismo Sport launches for the PlayStation 4 sometime in January 2017, and will be compatible with the PS Pro and the PlayStation VR headset on launch day.

How did you know ?

 

[CataclysmZA]

Just a question :

How did you know ?

I had a Sony/Ster-Kinekor rep ask me how I felt about the delay to January. Up until that point, I knew about as much as everyone here! Granted, I don't think that's a concrete date, but it's the one that I was told about.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Am I reading that right ?

GTSport is a form of prologue but it's more online based with FIA competition events.

interesting.

And a full game will be released in 1 or 2 years.

Hmmm.

Why not just concentrate on a full game now & get it released instead of wasting time with GTSport.

 

[CataclysmZA]

So.

GTSport is a form of prologue but more online based with FIA competition events.

interesting.

And a full game will be released in 1 or 2 years.

Hmmm.

Unless something's changed that I missed, that's how it was originally introduced to the public at that Silverstone event, IIRC. Sport essentially replaces prologue, and a full game should follow eventually. Makes a lot of sense to me.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Unless something's changed that I missed, that's how it was originally introduced to the public at that Silverstone event, IIRC. Sport essentially replaces prologue, and a full game should follow eventually. Makes a lot of sense to me.

I thought it was supposed be the start of a new direction that PD were doing with the series, hence the big arguments on the other thread about whether it could've been called GT7 or not.

I don't know anymore, I'm lost.

 

[CataclysmZA]

I don't know anymore, I'm lost.

I'll drink to that. I'm very confused by the goings-on of late as well.

 

[Zlork]

I had a Sony/Ster-Kinekor rep ask me how I felt about the delay to January. Up until that point, I knew about as much as everyone here! Granted, I don't think that's a concrete date, but it's the one that I was told about.

It's interesting because I know a guy who went to Gamestop for pre-order GT Sport and the seller was told him that the game will be released around February....

Yeah, I'm surprised.... We'll see

 

[TS050]

Despite the recent delay to January

Whoa, we got a release window? Nice.

Rather confusing that the preorders were cancelled over a relatively short delay, though.

 

[CataclysmZA]

Rather confusing that the preorders were cancelled over a relatively short delay, though.

It is. I commented on a similar thing on Reddit, and I think the delay is due to issues running the game in PSVR mode. The stage demos clearly had issues staying above 40fps with sixteen cars on the track, and IIRC Sony requires all games to run at 45fps minimum to make their warping approach work and approximate the 90fps warping that the Rift and Vive are capable of.

 

[ImaRobot]

Unless something's changed that I missed, that's how it was originally introduced to the public at that Silverstone event, IIRC. Sport essentially replaces prologue, and a full game should follow eventually. Makes a lot of sense to me.

It was never said that it was supposed to be a prologue, in fact, they've been trying to convince everyone of the opposite really.

Whoa, we got a release window? Nice.

Rather confusing that the preorders were cancelled over a relatively short delay, though.

I wouldn't count on it at this point.

It is. I commented on a similar thing on Reddit, and I think the delay is due to issues running the game in PSVR mode. The stage demos clearly had issues staying above 40fps with sixteen cars on the track, and IIRC Sony requires all games to run at 45fps minimum to make their warping approach work and approximate the 90fps warping that the Rift and Vive are capable of.

From what I've read, 60fps is the minimum, not 45.

 

[TS050]

I wouldn't count on it at this point.

Yeah, I'm gonna hold out for an official statement. 👍

 

[Robbks]

This I like the sound of

""Racing with a wheel made made another positive impression on me. I’ve played GT5 and GT6 with a wheel, and the sense of control is there, but Sport takes it to a new level.
If the track has uneven bits, there’s feedback to reflect that. If you pitch forward while braking on a decline, the steering becomes heavier for a few moments, making any mistakes made in that instant possibly more dangerous. The sense of speed, again, is great, and better than in previous games.""

 

[Samus]

Big games don't come out in January, it's not a good month for sales when everyone is tight on money after the holidays.

Plus if it was then I'm pretty sure it would already be announced.

 

[Robbks]

But it's not a "Big" game,
Only a Prologue......

 

[Fabr_123]

January? Wow, a smile today! I hope they confirm this new release date.

 

[Samus]

But it's not a "Big" game,
Only a Prologue......

Ha, well I meant big as in a "AAA" title obviously.

If I had to guess there has just been some crossed wires about 2017, someone somewhere has taken that to be the first month of 2017. If Sony release a title like Gran Turismo in January I'll be amazed. In this age of patching you'd think if the game was that close they would do everything humanly possible to get it out before the holiday period for the sales.

 

[CataclysmZA]

From what I've read, 60fps is the minimum, not 45.

You're quite right. I had that info from older documentation in my posession. It seems like 60Hz and 120Hz with frame reprojection is what Sony's aiming for now.

This I like the sound of

You know the final stretch on the Nordschleife, Döttinger Höhe? It now has a couple of bumps in the road where the gradient changes, and there's some feedback as you go over them (the road is curved upwards slightly as a result). I don't remember having that in GT6. You can't keep a perfectly straight line on it anymore, but that's fine, because it makes overtaking a little more challenging there.

 

[Zlork]

Ha, well I meant big as in a "AAA" title obviously.

If I had to guess there has just been some crossed wires about 2017, someone somewhere has taken that to be the first month of 2017. If Sony release a title like Gran Turismo in January I'll be amazed. In this age of patching you'd think if the game was that close they would do everything humanly possible to get it out before the holiday period for the sales.

Gravity Rush 2 ? Resident Evil 7 ?

I'm not saying that the guy from Sony says is true or not but a release in January isn't impossible.

 

[Samus]

Gravity Rush 2 ? Resident Evil 7 ?

I'm not saying that the guy from Sony says is true or not but a release in January isn't impossible.

Neither are games on the scale of GT, a huge first party title. It could be true, but it's extremely unlikely. It's only 3 months on from the original date, if that was the plan it surely wouldn't have been announced without a new date initially and again, if it was so close, why not just push it a few more days ahead into a much more favourable December date, and patch it later?

 

[CataclysmZA]

Neither are games on the scale of GT, a huge first party title. It could be true, but it's extremely unlikely. It's only 3 months on from the original date, if that was the plan it surely wouldn't have been announced without a new date initially and again, if it was so close, why not just push it a few more days ahead into a much more favourable December date, and patch it later?

A) Sony knows that Yamauchi is both a perfectionist and horrible at time management, so maybe they're giving him more time than he needs
B) Sony thinks January is enough time, but there'll inevitably be another delay, so that's why they're not talking about it
C) The game has actually gone gold on time, and Sony has no idea if they should release it now, or later, because they're still flabbergasted
D) Somehow Hideo Kojima has snuck in a picture of Norman Reedus' butt on the pace car and they're trying to remove it before it makes more copies of itself.

 

[Samus]

Or a guy in South Africa with no direct connection to PD or upper Sony management doesn't really know what he's talking about. The rep I mean, not you.

 

[CataclysmZA]

Or a guy in South Africa with no direct connection to PD or upper Sony management doesn't really know what he's talking about. The rep I mean, not you.

Edit: Temporary retraction.

 

[queleuleu]

It was a woman, and she's the independent product manager for PlayStation. She handles all the product planning and marketing for games launching on the PS4 system, so I'd say she's pretty high up the chain.

I want to believe in a January release but you don't cancel preorders for only a delay of 2 months. The game won't be ready for holidays, so at this point, they can wait a few more months.

 

[Zlork]

Anyway, I don't think Sony will release GT Sport along with Gravity Rush 2.

Maybe we will have information about it at the PS Experience ? But they don't need an event to announce a new date.....

We'll wait and see.

I want to believe in a January release but you don't cancel preorders for only a delay of 2 months. The game won't be ready for holidays, so at this point, they can wait a few more months.

Sony removed GT Sport from PS Store because there is no specific date, simply.

 

[CataclysmZA]

I want to believe in a January release but you don't cancel preorders for only a delay of 2 months. The game won't be ready for holidays, so at this point, they can wait a few more months.

I do as well, and I had no preconceived ideas about when the game would hit either, but that's all I have to go on now.

 

[Zlork]

> https://www.gtplanet.net/playstation-south-africa-is-saying-strange-things-about-gt-sport/

We’re very curious to see if/how Sony responds to this news. Keep an eye on the ‘Planet as the story develops.

@Jordan Have you sent an email to Sony or PoDi for clarification ? Or you just wait a response from them thanks to a news?