Gran Turismo 5 goes behind the wheel

Late last year, Gran Turismo designer Kazunori Yamauchi told fans that the next installment in his popular driving simulation series would reflect a change in the franchise's core principles and become "a fully realized online car life simulation."

While it might not be one of the "core principles" Yamauchi referred to last year, the designer did confirm one change in store for the next Gran Turismo in a recent Polyphony Digital profile by French motorsports program Turbo. For the first time in a Gran Turismo game, players will be able to select an inside-the-car viewpoint with the steering wheel and dashboard visible.

"To translate the real car into 3D, we use data and assets provided by the car manufacturers, but we also use a scanner that completely digitizes a car," Yamauchi told the show. "Here's a scoop: We're also modeling the dashboards because you can drive from the interior view in the upcoming Gran Turismo 5."

When asked about the Gran Turismo five in-car views and recent rumors of downloadable content for Gran Turismo HD for the PlayStation 3, a Sony representative told GameSpot, "We haven't made any recent announcements on the GT franchise."