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PlayStation 3 News by Tom Bramwell
Following last week's contentious Gran Turismo HD announcement, Sony America and series creator Kazunori Yamauchi have shed more light on Polyphony Digital and Sony's plans for the racer's first PlayStation 3 outing.
Due out this December in Japan, Gran Turismo HD consists of two game modes: Premium and Classic. The offline Premium mode will feature high-fidelity content - the sort you'd expect in a PS3 GT game - and will start with 30 cars and two tracks. Classic is a head-to-head online game, with no content at launch - the idea being to download the cars and tracks you want from the PS3's online shop. The team is aiming to introduce 770 cars, 51 tracks and 4,500 "items" on an ongoing basis for Classic, with 30 extra cars and one more track available to download at launch for Premium, and more to follow. Classic cars will cost 50-100 yen each (22 to 45 pence), while tracks will go for 200-500 yen (90p to £2.25). Phew.
A subsequent press release from Sony America during the Tokyo Game Show added that Classic's online mode will allow you to "manage race regulations, online competition and communities, and organise race events", while TGS itself revealed the inclusion of Ferraris in GT HD, and the introduction of "Normal" and "Professional" driving model options.
So anyway, speaking to members of the Japanese press, Yamauchi explained some of that. According to Japan's Impress Watch, translated by IGN, he said that Sony hopes to make GT HD available for a very low price - as little as the cost of the game disk and instruction manual - as most revenues will be made through the digital distribution model. It'll be interesting to see whether other heavily digi-dist-based games, like SingStar, adopt a similar approach.
He said that "Professional" mode would offer a more realistic driving experience, although we'll presumably have to wait for a bit to gauge exactly how, while he also added that the 770 car/51 track/etc. figure is a "target" rather than a specific number. He also said that he hopes to make content downloaded for GT HD available for use in Gran Turismo 5, which is due out exclusively on PS3 in 2008.
GT HD will also see the much-desired introduction of car damage, Yamauchi said, although not immediately. Given the online game element, Yamauchi says he prefers to start small and then build the game up as the player-base matures, and so that will see damage-modelling introduced in 2007, while the first half of 2007 will also see more advanced opposition AI routines made available. Both updates will be downloadable, although there's no word on whether you'll have to pay for them.
Another reason we're having to wait a bit longer for all of this is simply how complicated the development process is, he said. "Creating a car for GT4 took approximately one month. This time, it takes half a year. The amount of data for each car is approximately 20 times that of GT4." Ouch.
Not content with all that, Yamauchi also noted that Polyphony Digital is "of course" considering connectivity between PS3 Gran Turismo (he wasn't specific) and Gran Turismo Mobile on PlayStation Portable, which was recently put on hold while work was completed on PS3, although he said he couldn't comment on it.
One thing he did have time to do though was mention that "Gran Turismo for Boys" is still in development for PS2, and not - as IGN noted - just something he'd drunkenly made up at the GT4 launch party.
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I easily jump on the "hate sony" bandwagon these days, but if what I read was correct the game won't cost the normal (expensive) price?
If it is say £5 and the Cars are 50p and tracks £3 then I can actually see where they are trying to go with this. I am a fanatic of a certain few types of Jap motor but not all (of course). If GT is going to keep catering to every fan of every car old and new then you could end up with 800+ cars. How many of those do you want to actually race with? I would buy my favourite ten jap motors plus the special exotica and as many tracks as needed (10 tracks = £30 so still cheaper than a normal game), and say 20 cars = £10. Total £45 for the customised game with only the content I want. It's just another (non "hating on sony") way of looking at things, for once. ;) Of course I don't really care as I won't be buying a ps3 until it is anywhere near a realistic price and only then if there are enough decent games. My 360 + Forza2 and PGR4 (to come) is more than enough for the next year or so for the petrol head in me :)
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most recently on 26/09/06 @ 11:53
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So next gen means "watch the game get developed, RIGHT THERE IN YOUR LIVING ROOM!"? Oh yeah, and you pay three times as much*.
If it takes half a year to process a car, are we looking at 200+ years (based on how many they can do at once) for the full 770? That IS next-gen! It's not even in the next generation of people! * Fact? |
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gamingdave
26/09/06 @ 10:55
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Im wondering how this works fr finding races though. If you dont "own" a track can you join a race hosted on it? Id assume not. That would meen id have to own the same courses as my mates to play against them. Same question about the cars? Do you all need to have downloaded (and paid for) the same cars?
Given their track record for (greatly) missing deadlines, I certainly wouldnt get this on the promise of damage coming in 2007, infact knowing PD theyll probably just can it saying there focusing on GT Mobile for the PSP2. It sound to me like they want to release it as soon as they can, and will finish building it once people buy it. |
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kangarootoo
26/09/06 @ 10:59
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Surely the whole point of shopping for individual items is that you only buy what you want to buy. Making comparisons to what you you would have to pay to buy every car and track if bloody ludicrous, 'cos no-one is going to actually do that.
Singstar makes a good comparison. Buying 30 songs will probably cost you more than a standard disc, but those 30 tracks will be exactly the ones you want, so you get your value for money that way. All of the killers, none of the fillers I believe the saying goes. In that context it makes perfect sense (except for those on a mission to find bad news of course). |
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Stormflood
26/09/06 @ 10:59
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DanMW - you've clearly made a prepared statement of disgust without reading the article.
Sony hopes to make GT HD available for a very low price - as little as the cost of the game disk and instruction manual |
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Someone on the Forza 2 thread joked that Microsoft would have you paying for petrol next. Looks like it'll be a race between MS and Sony to see who gets there first.
Seriously, my concerns would be around the track and model sharing - if you're playing opponents and have no models in common, that's a lot of data to shunt around at the start of the race. Wouldn't that make it slow to start up? |
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@ kanga
All of the killers, none of the fillers I believe the saying goes. While I completely agree with you, I do however think that sometimes it is good to have a few 'fillers' that you wouldn't normally choose in a game. Sometimes these tracks (e.g cheesy songs in singstar), actually surprise you by turning out to be the ones you enjoy the most, even though they go against your preconcieved taste! I.e, there may be less chance for people to experience new stuff if they simply select tracks/songs they know well and play it safe for money reasons. Sorry, not sure if I'm making any sense?! :/
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most recently on 26/09/06 @ 12:11
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Has any body considered the fact that quite alot of people who will potentialy buy this game may not be online?
What happens to them are the stuck with the premium pack? if the PS3 will malny be bought buy people who previously owned a PS2, then there is a distinct possiblity that those people are still not interested or involved with the online scene in the same way the majority of xbox owers currently are. |
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Something nobody seems to have noticed...what about people who aren't going to go online with their PS3s? Sure, in Japan it might be ok, but over here, the people who are the most dedicated to the PlayStation brand haven't even touched Sony online.
GTHD classic is practically GT4 HD online. Because GTHD classic is online only you're not going to play with that mode unless you're hooked to the internet anyway meaning purchasing cars without the intent of playing online is a waste of money. Although you're argument stands with GTHD premium which is GT5 prologue which will start with 2 tracks and 30 cars and they'll add damage, Ai and more cars later. I think Polyphony are doing this so they actually launch a Gran Turismo earlier than normal when there's something like a glitch on turn 34 on Nurbengurg the game gets delayed by an extra 6 months. Hopefully their damage actual affects the inside of a car, if car crashes into a corner at 100MPH head on collision i don't expect that car to finish the race.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 26/09/06 @ 12:28
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While I'm torn about the "download your own content"-type of game (can be good, even though I'm very reserved), I admit that I do not believe a single word of whatever Yamauchi/Sony are talking about. They simply lied too often.
EDIT: Replace "lied too often" with "promised too much" if you're touchy.
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most recently on 26/09/06 @ 12:30
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If the stripped down version of the game is going to cost the price of the BRD and manual, isn't this in itself going to be a bit pricey? At the mo plank discs cost a fortune compared to blank DVDs. It's about £15 for a blank BRD. I know they'll get it cheaper wholesale and all, but it'll still be more than a coupe of quids. Unless Polyphony stick it on a standard DVD thus proving that BRD is fairly unnecessary after all. YAY!
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rhinoxious
26/09/06 @ 11:35
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I'm sure I heard that only about half the 360's sold so far had used Live. And these are early adopters we're talking about.
Just how many of the PS3's installed user base will actually have their console networked up and ready to buy downloadable content? |
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GT HD will also see the much-desired introduction of car damage, Yamauchi said, although not immediately. Given the online game element, Yamauchi says he prefers to start small and then build the game up as the player-base matures, and so that will see damage-modelling introduced in 2007
the first half of 2007 will also see more advanced opposition AI routines made available. Both updates will be downloadable, although there's no word on whether you'll have to pay for them. Hehe - now if that ain't the epitome of "we ain't finished the game, but ship it anyway. We'll finish it later then patch it or charge the punters for expansions" :-D |
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"I would buy my favourite ten jap motors plus the special exotica and as many tracks as needed (10 tracks = £30 so still cheaper than a normal game), and say 20 cars = £10. Total £45 for the customised game with only the content I want. "
So how is that better than at GT4HD with 600 cars and 60 odd tracks for the same price?? Or having say forza 2 with 300 cars and 50 tracks for £40?? Variety is the spice of life.. In fact to buy as much content as forza 2 would cost.. Tracks (£1.50 average for a track * 50) = £75 Cars (30p average * 300) = £90 TOTAL £165 - WTF!!! Well at least online play if free.. I wonder how much the advance Ai will cost?? £10, £20 What about the damage models?? £10 How can anyone in a sane sense of mind accept this ???
Edited 3 times,
most recently on 26/09/06 @ 12:45
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Artemis_Matsas
26/09/06 @ 11:40
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Well, i like the idea of customized content, but being an old fart, i am a little bit suspicious. Let's say that i bought an extra 100 cars and 5-6 new tracks. If for some reason i just have to format my PS3's hard drive, then what?
I know that there have to be some safeguards to prevent loss of content, but if you ask me, i still prefer to have my content on a nice solid DVD stacked on my cupboard... /goes back to his cave |
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Wait ... without know exactly how this will work, and speculating wildly before any more details come to light ...
You buy a car online and take it into a race with another online player who might have bought a different car that you don't own. So to see each others cars the players will have to DL the opposing player's car model and spec and so on to race? Doesn't that mean that you have essentially "bought" the car model to race against, even though you're not driving it? Or are they suggesting that you can only race on tracks and with cars that every player in the "room" posesses? officially confused. EDIT : or what gamingdave said.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 26/09/06 @ 12:45
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Rodhull: no, it's not Ken Kutaragi shuffling Blu-ray-recordables after hours on a pc to supply you with PlayStation games. Game discs are pressed (just like music CDs and movie DVDs) and the prices of that don't have ANYTHING to do with those of writable media.
Also, one game that doesn't use the extra space of Blu-ray proves it is useless? I think rather the other way around, some games using it do prove it is usefull after all! |
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markypants
26/09/06 @ 11:48
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WOW this is GREAT!........
If you have broadband. If not. You is f***ed. |
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Mr_Whacker
26/09/06 @ 11:50
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Try not to analyse these tidbits of info. Thats why you are confused. Wait and see what its like. If DL content is going to work then its in a game like GT.
I worry about the upgrading. You used to spend game money on that new racing gearbox, now it might be real cash. |
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I think this is a great idea in principle, but it sounds a little expensive. Even if the disc itself is dirt cheap, you won't be able to download a full games worth of content at those prices.
If you split your £50 into £25 for tracks and £25 for cars, you get an average of around 16 tracks and 80+ cars (based on some quick maths admitedly). This isn't great VFM compared to past GT games, and it's based on the disc itself being FREE, when I'm guessing at least £10. Essentially this system just seems implemented in a way to get more money for less content. Otherwise I see no reason why they wouldn't distribute it normally. Other than to release the game quickly. Which is a terrible reason. |
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What a really crap idea for a game...
You're basically getting a useless single player game that has no real purpose; you buy the cars and tracks online so there's no progression and little point to playing the game beyond trying out different cars and tracks. Then there's the equally lacklustre online mode, which because of the impracticalities of having a system where everyone is downloading different cars to everyone else, means that it's head-to-head only and cannot cater for multi-car races... you know like what was commonplace on the last-gen Xbox. /rolls eyes I'll wait for the proper Gran Turismo 5, thank you, which had better have plenty of content and a multiplayer online mode on the damn disc! |
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Guh, I'm not really sure what to think of this announcement.
I'm not a big fan of the microtransaction-thing thats starting to gain momentum now, and its obviously a way to jack up the price of games but in a way thats less obvious than handing over an extra note at the cash register. Then again, GTHD is something that everyone should be able to take or leave at their own discression. Its not entirely new, but an upgrade of a PS2 game. So there should be none of this "OMFG I simply must have it!" excitement surrounding it, therefore its a perfect testbed for this kind of distribution model. If you like the idea, sure go ahead, but if you dont, just grab a copy of the last GT game out of the bargin bin and play that instead. So, decent way of judging the market then........ |
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For the love of fu**...
Car damage can easely be done on 360, this is fixed point calculations. Those are 360's strongest point. In fact it's much stronger on fixed point than ps3 is. The "pay for petrol" thing was a joke, there's not a word from MS about that. It's only to find on Eurogamer too... Don't bite over every little word of hype and bullshit that is online |
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You're basically getting a useless single player game that has no real purpose; you buy the cars and tracks online so there's no progression and little point to playing the game beyond trying out different cars and tracks.
Gee you make it sound like it's a GT5 prologue. Polyphony would never do that. |
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Isn't that what it is though? It's filler stuff to keep the diehard fans quiet during the long two year wait for Gran Turismo 5. It doesn't even have a PROPER (as in more than two cars on the track) multiplayer player mode, it's the same old dull head-to-head one that all the earlier GT games had except this time it's ONLINE! (That was a wasted opportunity if ever there was one.)
Wow! Let me sit down, the excitement's getting too much! LOL Surely if Polyphony spent less time on this kind of rubbish then, maybe, just maybe, Gran Turismo 5 could be finished sooner? |
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