Gran Turismo 5 Prologue hits NA highway April 17

"Precursor" to Polyphony Digital's eagerly awaited PS3-exclusive racer will be available as a Blu-ray Disc or digital download for $39.99; Sony prepping Gran Turismo PSN channel.

This week, Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer publicly expressed confidence that the PlayStation 3's once-flagging fortunes have turned around. However, many gamers are holding off on buying the device for one simple reason--its dearth of "system seller" exclusives. While Sony has spent millions touting first-party games such as Lair, Uncharted, and Heavenly Sword, none have reached the multiplatinum status of the Xbox 360's Halo 3 or the Wii's Super Mario Galaxy.

That may change later this year, when a wave of highly anticipated PS3 exclusives washes up on retailers' shores. One such title is Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, the latest installment in the acclaimed racing series that helped the PlayStation 2 sell more than 100 million units worldwide. Today, Sony announced it will go on sale in North America on April 17. The $39.99 game will be available both as a 2.2GB digital download from the PlayStation Store and at retail as a Blu-ray Disc, which will also sport an exclusive making-of high-def video featurette called "Beyond the Apex." No European launch details were announced for the game, which went on sale in Japan last December to celebrate the series' 10th anniversary.

Though it won't be as expansive as the full Gran Turismo 5, which has only a tentative 2008 release window, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will sport the same 60fps, 1080p HD graphics as its bigger brother. Developed by Polyphony Digital, the game will contain some 60 detailed replicas of real-life cars from Nissan, Audi, and Ferrari. It will also sport five racetracks (not 16, as initially reported), including re-creations of international locales such as Daytona International Speedway, which will allow 16 players to race together online. It will also feature a new in-cockpit view with realistic recreations of each vehicle's various dashboard displays, and will fully support the forthcoming DualShock 3 controller's force feedback functionality.

To help support GT5 Prologue and rev up interest in GT5 proper, Sony Computer Entertainment America is also launching Gran Turismo TV, a PlayStation Network channel "that delivers worldwide motorsport programming and manufacturer content." In addition, SCEA is planning a series of GT5 Prologue community races and related events.

262 Comments

  • endlesssnakes

    Posted Feb 16, 2008 12:17 am PT

    Gran Turismo 5 will kick butt it will be the best racing game out for the PS3.!!!!

  • lrsp

    Posted Feb 5, 2008 5:11 pm PT

    I want to buy it but at the same time I say to myself "just wait for the full game. Save your money." So I think I might wait.

  • JamesSoprano

    Posted Feb 5, 2008 6:43 am PT

    i'm getting this the day it comes out .. when i first played the first GT i played it quite abit and i didn't get the 2nd one tho but i got the 3rd and fourth and this will no doubt be just as great !

  • limbofrog

    Posted Feb 1, 2008 11:21 am PT

    I would love to see a crash model - I really would if it were done right. However, I agree that it is a simulator more than a game. The point is not to crash the car and to be a superior driver. You sort of have to hold yourself to a higher stand and know that had you slammed into that wall in real life, that you would probably not be able to finish the race anyways if not worse.

  • peon_frenzy

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 11:27 pm PT

    "no fanboy just anti self denial."

    I own a ps3 and a 360. I have played forza many times. GT is a superior driving game. you do not own a ps3 so you havent played gt5. Your comments are meaningless. This is a driving simulator not a crash simulator. go troll somewhere else. and btw. dont blame your inability to communicate clearly on other people. makes you look very childish.

  • Autolycus

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 9:26 pm PT

    peon_frenzy - you obviously missed the whole point. maybe i can dumb it down a bit. GT has such a large following because when it came out, it had the potentional to grab the largest audience because there was no other circut at the time. GT3 could've been GT2 w/ no jaggies and it still would've sold in record numbers. point being, @ this point the actual gameplay has nothing to do with it. as long as they stick with what they have done in the past, they'll sell, as we can see from the lack of damange. Simply put, this series can never have damage because too many people would cry. no fanboy just anti self denial.

  • ctg867

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 6:14 pm PT

    Woot. Bring the AAA titles coming baby.

  • SalarianChemist

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 5:59 pm PT

    Correct,

    Gran Turismo 5 does NOT have a resolution of 1920x1080p.

    1920x1080p is what is traditionally termed as "1080p resolution." It is impressive because it uses all 2,073,600 pixels on a 1080p HDTV set.

    1920x1080i resolution uses 1,036,800 pixels on screen at the same time.

    Sony wants to try and advertise "1080p resolution" to gamers, so they have told the developers to make sure the game runs in "1080p" resolution. But the fact is that the Playstation 3 doesn't have the power to run Gran Turismo 5 in a resolution of 1920x1080p resolution with 2 million pixels.

    As a result, Sony has decided to use a resolution of 960x1080p, where the vertical lines are kept at 1080p (so that Sony can use the words "1080p,") but the much larger number of horizontal lines have been cut in half. This means that only 1,036,800 pixels are being displayed on the screen. That is the exact same level of performance as 1080i.

    So, when Sony says that Gran Turismo 5 is 1080p, they are not being honest, because it actually only offers the level of performance as traditional 1080i.

  • SalarianChemist

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 5:45 pm PT

    dkell2,

    As of January 30, 2008 it is confirmed that there will be no damage in Gran Turismo 5 for the Playstation 3.

    That is an unfortunate fact that really does hurt the Gran Turismo series and the Playstation 3, because Microsoft has raised the bar of performance to a higher level with Xbox 360 games like Forza Motorsport 2 that include simulated physical damage to real-life cars.

    That's one of the reasons why Forza Motorsport 2 received the Award for "Best Racing Game of the Year," from virtually every magazine and website.

  • dkell2

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 1:37 pm PT

    Has it been confirmed that there will be no damage in GTHD? I'm a bit of a Sony fanboy, but after playing Forza 2, I just can't see dropping $60 for a racing game that lets me run headlong into another car with no consequence. It might as well be Ridge Racer.

  • peon_frenzy

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 1:20 pm PT

    "peon_frenzy GT sells based on the fact that when it debuted, it was the only sim of its time. now its outdated and unrealistic. if thats the type of game you enjoy maybe polyphony should make the next ridge racer." GT3 is the highest selling game in the series. So you are saying when GT3 came out there were no other racing sims....
    fanboy to the extreme.

  • Autolycus

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 1:03 pm PT

    peon_frenzy GT sells based on the fact that when it debuted, it was the only sim of its time. now its outdated and unrealistic. if thats the type of game you enjoy maybe polyphony should make the next ridge racer.

  • TheAllSeeingI

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 1:00 pm PT

    Leadlefthand

    That's right, the NSX. I wasn't sure. I've only seen that episode once which is a surprise as they are getting repeated to high heaven at the moment!

    I'm still waiting for someone to make a game from their 'motorhome racing' concept!

    I'm surprised at the inclusion of the top gear test track in GT5 but imagine the prospect of racing the stig online and beating him on his own turf! I wonder if the Veyron is in GT5 anyone know?

  • rasterror

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 12:45 pm PT

    If you are going to say you are the real driving simulator you better make sure you implement everything that can happen while diving, including crashing. I remember wrapping a rubber band around my PS2's analog sticks to keep the car turning right and placing a small weight on the gas button for one of the endurance races. I left then came back two hours to find out that I won the race. How realistic! I bet you could probably do that in GT5, but I dare you to try that in Forza.

  • AngelsongCA

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 12:36 pm PT

    @rasterror "For those that understand why crashing is so important it's the fact that trying not to crash makes you a better driver."

    And, it makes the game feel more real. Unlike the Fisher Price set up you have with Grand Turismo. Because of GT's setup, crashing can actually improve your time depending on how you do it. Yeah that's real.

    All of the cars have magical, invisible force fields. Powered by pretty rainbows and unicorns. No harm can come to your car, they bounce off of everything effortlessly.

  • rasterror

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 12:32 pm PT

    Besides I'm not buying GT5 or the $40 demo of it either.

  • rasterror

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 12:31 pm PT

    Yeah but bumping cars off the road has no affect like Forza would. So if I was in the lead I could have some jerk just run me off the road with no penalty to his car. Forza that would mess up his brakes, aerodynamics, drive train, transmission, and maybe engine.

  • peon_frenzy

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 12:27 pm PT

    "I tried playing the GT4 after the first Forza and the game was a joke. The fact that I know I could drive like a drunk and still doesn't make it a simulator."

    The game is online now. Yea you can drive like a drunk...but you will be about 2 laps behind me at the end of the race. you will be forced to drive better to keep up with good players. If you want to win.

  • rasterror

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 12:24 pm PT

    This is the reason why I'm glad I have Forza 2. Great physics, great graphics, superb multi-player and online, great line of customizable cars that you want to drive. For those that understand why crashing is so important it's the fact that trying not to crash makes you a better driver. I tried playing the GT4 after the first Forza and the game was a joke. The fact that I know I could drive like a drunk and still doesn't make it a simulator.

  • peon_frenzy

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 12:24 pm PT

    "Form a marketing stand point, can a game ever have TOO big a fan base or make TOO much money though?" Well the Halo series spends millions on advertising and not one game has sold over 10 million copies. GT sells on the fact it is the best racer around and people know it. ofcourse you are going to have people that "hate on it" but that happens to everything and everyone that is on top.

  • lanista

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 12:21 pm PT

    "erocstangs First off, people who pretend to know what they are talking about should know the difference between write and right. To the comment about Sony needs GT 5 Prologue to sell more than Polyphony, hello Polyphony is an in house studio, owned and operated by.........SONY."

    ?
    I think what's being said is that Sony needs to sell the game well because they need to make the money (not Polyphony - for the reasons you've also said)

    Prologues are a good way of doubling the profit because the bottom line is that people are basically buy the game twice. They are desperate to play and they pay for the advance privilege...

  • AngelsongCA

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 12:01 pm PT

    @Dj_Lizz "from the bumps you said you sounds like a kid that doesnt even know how to drive without bumping cuz in real world once you bump a car you need a job to pay the bill of those cars"

    From the bumps I said? What the? At least make sense. It's a racing Sim(Wanna be), not "The Sims." And, in the real world intelligent people buy car insurance to cover any repair costs for their cars.

  • Dj_Lizz

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 11:28 am PT

    AngelsongCA ,from the bumps you said you sounds like a kid that doesnt even know how to drive without bumping cuz in real world once you bump a car you need a job to pay the bill of those cars .so what i can say it GROWUP!

  • komet999

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 11:05 am PT

    I'll wait untill the "real" game comes out, thank you very much.

  • AngelsongCA

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 10:50 am PT

    $39.99? I wouldn't pay $19.99 for the full game, much less for this demo. Grand Turismo is pretty much like a little kids racer. It's bumper cars with shiney paint jobs, hit a wall and nothing happens. Ram someone, nothing. No consequences, no lost top speed, steering, suspension. You couldn't flip your car if you wanted to.

    You can freely ram other cars without worry like Dukes of Hazard(That should be fun for all the little kids online, messing up races all day).

    It's like a wanna be Sim, that can't detach from Arcade elements. It was great back in the day when it was hard to put damage in racers, so barely any games had it. People took what was there.

    But, now that there are so many racers with damage in them(Most good racers) it just looks dated and childish to go back to that.

    Everytime you strike an object you're pulled out of the experience and reminded that you're just playing a child's game.

    Ride through dirt, grind your paint job on the side of the wall, your car will still end up looking pristine when it's all over. It's embarassing really.

    I guess ten year olds wouldn't care, like they'd know the difference. But, it isn't like bumber cars can't be fun either.

  • erocstangs

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 10:34 am PT

    First off, people who pretend to know what they are talking about should know the difference between write and right. To the comment about Sony needs GT 5 Prologue to sell more than Polyphony, hello Polyphony is an in house studio, owned and operated by.........SONY.

  • Autolycus

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 9:53 am PT

    regardless I would rather play any racing game w/ damage, even if its not 100% ( because GT is far from 100% realistic as far as weight transfer and grip go ). I enjoy a broken ball join from hitting the tire wall.

    One think you have to undestand about race cars, in real life, is they are pushed to the absolute max for every single race, its how they win. I worked @ Real Time Racing for 2 years. They go as far as shaving the lip off each valve for an additon 1 ft lbs to torque, no joke. everyting is blueprinted and balanced. EVERYTHING.

    SO when my car starts smoking in forza because the heavier car came from behind and hit me ( notice no damage on my front ), i am not really suprised. the car wasnt really designed to do that on the track to start off with.

  • BILLNYE6983

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 9:39 am PT

    It's funny how little people understand about driving and physics. I've played the GT series and the forza series and as much as I can say the GT is missing things that the forza series has... forza doesn't do them right. And I think that is the arguement that polyphony is making for why they don't add these things in, they can't get them write. I've played just about every major racing game on the market and have yet to find one with a realistic damage sysytem. You can take a tiny car and slam a spot going 40 MPH and then slam a much bigger car going 60 and the damage is pretty much the same. If you have ever taken physics, you would remember Newtons second law, F=ma where F is force, m is mass and a is accerlation. So if I have a car with more mass going the same speed, it's force will be higher, and if you remember Newtons third law, action for reaction, then in that case, the reaction should reflect that increase in force. The problem is this is very hard to do as you have a lot of things to take into account, you'd have to do crash tests if you really wanted this to look good, you'd have to study film of car crashes, you'd have to account for a lot of variables. Hell it took racing games years to get surface friction to a point where I could say it looked real, something like this could never be done right.

  • Autolycus

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 8:45 am PT

    why would any business change what has worked in the past and made them such a driving force? you quoted the numbers yourself. If they change how it plays ( aka damage and realistic handling ) it might not sell as well and Sony NEEDS this game to sell. So when you say I am making an uneducated comment, thats not entirely true. Sony needs this to sell more then Polyphony.

    As for the reviews you try to source, they just arent credible enough. We all know the media is easy to buy ( just like this site being owned by ebgames/gamestop ). Game informer is the same way, the reviews are based on sales ( also in partnership w/ gamestop ). If i game that gamestop needs to sell isnt selling well, they will put a feature in the magazine, rate it really high and guess what, it starts selling everytime because most people are gullable. POint being, reviews are about a useful as a spoon trying to crack open a coconut.

  • darkride66

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 7:55 am PT

    Autolycus noted "Gran Turismo will certainly get you closer to realism, but its by far not the most realistic car racer for any system."
    I just picked on this one quote, but his entire argument, while I'm sure well intentioned is rather moot. The game's not out yet. Autolycus hasn't played it. All the points could be proven wrong by the new GT, we just don't know yet. You would think that the reviews coming in that claim the new GT is the evolution of the racing game would give someone like Autolycus pause until he actually played the game but NO! GT isn't realistic and Autolycus knows this through some clairvoyant means that don't need to be explained to anyone. Maybe his Japanese is really good and he picked up the Japanese version and took the time with Prologue to make a serious, informed opinion on the new GT. Or, perhaps he's basing his reviews on a game almost 3 years old. Personally, I can't say for sure.

  • DJ_Lae

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 7:35 am PT

    mitchiejapan - unfortunately, that line from Polyphony could easily be applied to realistic vehicle handling, since any attempt to program for an accurate recreation of a car, from its power band to weight distribution, suspension, and tires, is going to be an approximation. There is no programmer on earth capable of perfecting the feeling of driving a real vehicle, so I guess Polyphony should just hang up the towel and stop making driving games altogether. That or they should be honest and tell us that they'd rather code graphical filters for car gloss than make an accurate racing game.

  • Autolycus

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 6:40 am PT

    Here is the great thing about GT series. People that play it, think its realastic, but here is a hint, it's not. In GT1,2 the cars where on rails. They improved the handling in GT3 but it still wasnt realistic until you put a wing on the back of the car (no matter what type of car, even a crx with a wing on a 20mph turn would handle better).




    One thing polyphony has done, is stuck with what they know. They don't really change what works for them and there is nothing wrong with that. IF you are a fan of the previous GT's you'll still be a fan of GT5 (pending you don't feel abused by paying 40 for "big" demo).




    HOwever, if you want a taste of what actual racing on a track or rally course is like, you'd be better off playing Race Driver 3 ( or 2, but 3 is the best imo ). They made it on ps2 and xbox AND you can have the incar/dashboard view. If you want a wider range of cars and want to know what it might feel like to race, your next bet is probably Forza 2.




    ANyone who says that damage isnt part of racing, simply just doesnt understand racing. There needs to be a consequence for you taking a bad apex and running into 3 other cars. IT happens in real life but it doesnt happen in GT.





    As for the person that said it would take to long to program for, try again. Turn 10 did it twice already and released it in full games ( not demos ) in a very reasonable amount of time. THey don't have MS's budget and they still managed to make a realistic handling, difficult to master racing simulation. IF its too hard for you, Gran Turismo will certainly get you closer to realism, but its by far not the most realistic car racer for any system.





    Oh yeah, and people saying it will effect the money, game, etc. Its supposed to. just race well, w/ proper braking and proper weight management, and you wont have to worry about it.

  • vahid_xbox_360

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 6:13 am PT

    interesting !!

  • Irve

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 6:06 am PT

    Sorry for my money Forza was BY FAR a much better game than GT4.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------- Now i've not played Forza 2 or GT HD or GT5 Prologue ... but from what they are saying and the features they are adding i don't think GT5 is going to be as good a driving game as Forza 1 was . But as a Graphical showcase ... it does look stunning !!

  • berhaneric

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 5:50 am PT

    39.99 for a demo? ya right.... ill buy the real one when it comes out

  • Azwhtknight

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 5:00 am PT

    peon_frenzy

    Form a marketing stand point, can a game ever have TOO big a fan base or make TOO much money though?

  • daveg1

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 4:58 am PT

    that way too much too pay for that!!

  • peon_frenzy

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 4:10 am PT

    "As much as I like the Gran Turismo series, I think that $39.99 is a bit ridiculous for GT5 Prologue. I mean it has only 5 tracks! I don't have anything against Sony (I can't wait for the price to come down a little more so I can get a PS3), but I think they are grasping at straws with this one. Sony, don't get ahead of yourself and appear greedy. Why not just reduce the number of playable vehicles and offer it as a demo so people can get addicted to it and increase the overall interest and sales of GT5?"

    So you think the highest selling racing franchise of all time at nearly 50 million copies sold needs to increase overall interest? uhhhhhh.....

  • rockutd

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 4:05 am PT

    so when is da real thing gonna come out.Anyone any idea?

  • flex49

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 3:45 am PT

    mitchiejapan200 **

    To put in a nutshell and somwhere directly along the lines of what Karaam is saying, Polyphony is after perfection in a video game, and no programmer who has lived, living or who is yet to live can make a near perfect crash or realistic crash mechanism.

    Ok, so no damage in GT5 but you would think that they could at least make the trees 3D instead of those 2D cardboard trees I've seen in videos of GT5 Prologue.

  • KBABZ

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 3:19 am PT

    Oh, also, by 'Real Driving Simulator', they mean it in terms of the handling physics and whatnot. Airtime physics, crash physics, and the health of the driver, are ignored. It's just the facts. DEAL WITH IT.

  • Azwhtknight

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 3:19 am PT

    As much as I like the Gran Turismo series, I think that $39.99 is a bit ridiculous for GT5 Prologue. I mean it has only 5 tracks! I don't have anything against Sony (I can't wait for the price to come down a little more so I can get a PS3), but I think they are grasping at straws with this one. Sony, don't get ahead of yourself and appear greedy. Why not just reduce the number of playable vehicles and offer it as a demo so people can get addicted to it and increase the overall interest and sales of GT5?

  • scrivner

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 2:17 am PT

    I'll pay for playing that!...

  • mitchiejapan200

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 1:55 am PT

    Don't get me wrong about Forza 2 boyz... great game, but I'm only playing it until GT5 comes out, then it's hitting the eBay shelves the next day. I read somewhere... but I bloody forget where... why the guys at Polyphony don't add crash damage to a game like GT5. To put in a nutshell and somwhere directly along the lines of what Karaam is saying, Polyphony is after perfection in a video game, and no programmer who has lived, living or who is yet to live can make a near perfect crash or realistic crash mechanism. There are too many variables that have to be taken into consideration for the development of such a mechanism, therefore the lack of any damage to cars in GT5 or any previous GT's. Polyphony is either all the way, or not at all and refuse to be half-job harry's like the boyz at Turn10. GT5 seperates the boyz from the men, and Forza 2 is somewhat in puberty, has the potential to mature to greatness but is in need of a few more chest hairs for manhood. Oh yeah, as mentioned a million times before me, the graphics looks1000 times better in GT5 than Forza 2. But, they better be though! They've had over a year and a bit to finish off the game from the demo, and still we have no full bloody game yet! Hurry the hell up! I want a real car game! Bastards...

  • blackace

    Posted Jan 29, 2008 11:56 pm PT

    I'll wait for the full version, thank you. How many people are going to pay $100+ for GT5 this year?

  • pourya_ahmadian

    Posted Jan 29, 2008 11:10 pm PT

    it will be nasty;it is not look so good;in demo you can find the sky so bad,it is not real at all;the cars act like monsters,you can not control them;
    it is so bad;

  • halokila

    Posted Jan 29, 2008 8:47 pm PT

    so is this just an over-priced demo? because it seems like it.

  • Zerosumgame

    Posted Jan 29, 2008 8:38 pm PT

    The console market follow the business cycle like other industries, boom and bust, this year you will see Sony PS3 booming and perhaps xbox 360 getting the bust, relax, it is normal.

  • darkride66

    Posted Jan 29, 2008 8:22 pm PT

    It's funny that so many condemn this product already based on it's price and quality. So far the reviews trickling in seem to think Prologue is outstanding, and worth every penny even if it's not the finished version. It reminds me how everyone on these forums moaned about the loss of BC on the 40GB PS3, and now it's flying off the shelves so fast compared to the 80GB that stores are no longer going to be stocking the 80GB. There certainly appears to be a disconnect between what people in gamespot forums think is important and what seems to matter to the people buying the consoles. Also funny you don't see these forums flooded with posts bashing 360 games that aren't out yet. I wonder why that is? *cough*360fanboys*cough*

  • Karaam

    Posted Jan 29, 2008 8:20 pm PT

    Cars physics and Polyphony: They put a lot of effort into making the driving as real as the cars handle, and they do it to perfection. Now if they would put that much effort into making the damaging on the cars, it would take forever to develop this game. They would want to go to the extent of really covering every kind of impact and the damage that it can do. It would be too much for the team. Don't forget we are talking about humans that want to play, not simulate real life insurance in races.

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