Over the weekend, we told you about the discovery of a “secret” API in Gran Turismo 7 which enables motion simulators to respond to what is happening inside the game’s environment. Through additional research, this same interface was found to contain a wide range of real-time data, including everything from tire “temperatures”, to engine RPMs, and positional information.
GTPlanet user Nenkai, who originally uncovered the depth of data available via the API, mentioned that he might produce a utility which presents the data in a more user-friendly way. Sure enough, Nenkai has now published the tool as free, open-source software, allowing anyone with a copy of GT7 and a PC to view this data — no motion rig required.
You can download the software here, or browse the source code on Nenkai’s GitHub page. It has been published with the open-source-friendly MIT License, so others are free to use and expand upon the project.
If you’re curious to see what it looks like in its current form, Nenkai has shared a video of the updated tool in action:
More derivative software has already been produced, including this proof-of-concept “GT7 Dashboard App” built by another GTPlanet user, ddm. Although the software has not been published, he has produced a video which demonstrates what a connected app could look like if it was running on a separate device such as a smartphone or tablet:
Needless to say, since the discovery of the private API over the weekend, development has moved quickly. If you want to get involved, head over to the related discussion thread here on the GTPlanet Forums.
We’ll keep an eye on the tools as they continue to evolve.
