Gran Turismo HD Concept
A free demo preview of Gran Turismo on PlayStation 3.
Gran Turismo HD Concept is a sim racing video game demo developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It was the first Gran Turismo series installment released on that console, made available as a free download on the PlayStation Store on December 24, 2006. The project was intended as a sneak preview preceding a full version, but the Gran Turismo HD project was canceled and replaced by Gran Turismo 5 Prologue.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Polyphony Digital
- Publisher
- Sony Computer Entertainment
- Series
- Gran Turismo
- Designer
- Kazunori Yamauchi
- Platforms
- PlayStation 3
- Released
- JP/NA, December 24, 2006, PAL, March 23, 2007
- Genre
- Sim racing
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Gran Turismo HD Concept offers external view, rear view, and bumper view; the bumper view adds left and right perspectives as seen from the driver's helmet. These left and right views work with both Sixaxis and steering wheel peripherals, though they are not assigned in the wireless controller's default configuration. The game includes ten cars, from the Suzuki Cappuccino to the Ferrari 599, each available in stock and tuned versions once unlocked. A single track, The Eiger Nordwand, is a newly created mountain pass based on the Kleine Scheidegg featuring the Mönch and Jungfrau peaks; it can also be driven in reverse mode. Two play modes are Time Trial and Drift Trial, both with Internet ranking charts per continent. This is the first Gran Turismo game to support online ranking. Replay mode allows downloading the best five records per car for each course.
Development
The Gran Turismo HD project was preceded by the Vision Gran Turismo trailer at E3 2005 and the 2005 Tokyo Game Show, which showed upscaled Gran Turismo 4 gameplay with sixteen cars on the grid. At the 2006 Tokyo Game Show, Famitsu released details about two planned versions: the Blu-ray Disc based GTHD Premium and the PlayStation Store downloadable GTHD Classic. Polyphony Digital unveiled a teaser featuring HD renders of five cars: Nismo GT-R R-Tune R1 '99, Honda S2000 '99, TOM'S Castrol Supra JGTC '99, Ford GT '05, and the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano '06. The first four cars had appeared in Gran Turismo 4 but not in later GTHD trailers, while the Ferrari appeared in Gran Turismo HD Concept. Kazunori Yamauchi confirmed a full version scheduled for December 2007 in Japan, with plans for an iTunes-like download service and packs for cars, tracks, advanced AI, and car damage compatible with future Gran Turismo 5. The introduction of Ferrari models was announced on September 28, 2006 at the Paris Motor Show by Yamauchi and Giulio Zambeletti, with the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano and Ferrari F430 as the first models; the 599 appeared in Gran Turismo HD Concept, while the F430 was included as a non-selectable NPC car in the Gran Turismo 5 Prologue free playable demo.
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