Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Kazunori Yamauchi: More Prologue, no GT5 soon, GT PSP still cominghttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/kazunori-yamauchi-more-prologue-no-gt5-soon-gt-psp-still-comi/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/kazunori-yamauchi-more-prologue-no-gt5-soon-gt-psp-still-comi/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/kazunori-yamauchi-more-prologue-no-gt5-soon-gt-psp-still-comi/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

We somehow managed to get Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi to slam on his brakes for a moment today and talk to us about his flagship racing franchise. According to the Polyphony Digital boss, his studio is focusing a majority of its efforts on Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. In fact, he confirmed that the proper, disc-based Gran Turismo 5 might not even roll out before 2010.

In the meantime, Polyphony will continue to expand Prologue with additional cars, tracks, and features. Yamauchi couldn't speak to specific plans, but mentioned that an new update is planned for the near future.

With all of the work his company is putting into the next console GT installment, Yamauchi tells us that it hasn't forgotten the long-delayed Gran Turismo 4 Mobile for PSP. He confirms that the game - originally announced at E3 2004 - is still actively in development, although it isn't planned for release until after GT5. That would be 2011 for those with pen and calendar in hand.

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]]>dlcgran-turismogran-turismo-4-mobilegran-turismo-5gran-turismo-5-prologuekazunori-yamauchipolyphony-digitalpsnRandy Nelson2008-07-17T09:00:00+00:00Start your browsers: GT Academy now livehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/27/start-your-browsers-gt-academy-website-now-live/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/27/start-your-browsers-gt-academy-website-now-live/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/27/start-your-browsers-gt-academy-website-now-live/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Really real driving simulation news now, with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Nissan launching GT Academy, the competition that will put two of Europe's best Gran Turismo 5 Prologue players inside rapidly moving hunks of metal. If you happen to live in the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Norway or Denmark, and have always wanted to go hurtling around a track at terrifying speeds, now's your chance.

The GT Academy website is already up and running, with the first, seven-week long stage of the competition following on June 2nd. You'll have to register your PSN ID on the site during that time and set your fastest lap around the Eiger Nordwand track in a Nissan Fairlady 350Z. Following that, you'll need to come out tops in a national final held in July, and finally, avoid crashing on the real life Silverstone track in August. Easy peasy.

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]]>Gran-TurismoGran-Turismo-5-PrologueGT-AcademyGT5GT5-PrologueNissanPolyphony-DigitalSCEELudwig Kietzmann2008-05-27T09:52:00+00:00Gran Turismo series ships more than 50 million globallyhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/gran-turismo-series-ships-more-than-50-million-globally/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/gran-turismo-series-ships-more-than-50-million-globally/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/gran-turismo-series-ships-more-than-50-million-globally/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


While it may seem seem like just yesterday that we first played Sony's love note to console gear heads in Gran Turismo, it was actually ten years ago ... a realization that made us feel incredibly old as Sony and developer Polyphony Digital announced that the sim, that first got its license in December 1997, has shipped more than 50 million units across the globe.

This figure, of course, includes the recently released Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, which according to Sony has shipped out more than 2 million units. The company is playing coy, though, as to whether this number includes just physical products or digital downloads over PSN as well. We'd like to extend our hand and congratulate the series for making it this far, but unfortunately it didn't stop between the two yellow lines on the pavement so it's going to have to go back to the start and try again.

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]]>gran-turismogran-turismo-5gran-turismo-5-prolo...granturismogranturismo5playstation3playstationnetworkpolyphony-digitalpolyphonydigitalpsnsonyJason Dobson2008-05-09T10:57:00+00:00Gran Turismo 5 competition will put winners in a real racehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/06/gran-turismo-5-competition-will-put-winners-in-a-real-race/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/06/gran-turismo-5-competition-will-put-winners-in-a-real-race/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/06/gran-turismo-5-competition-will-put-winners-in-a-real-race/#commentsFiled under: ,


Umm ... is this really a good idea? Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Nissan seem to think so, having announced "the ultimate competitive driving test" in the form of "GT Academy." The eight-month long European competition will see two obsessive Gran Turismo 5 Prologue players win a four-month training programme to "earn their racing licenses" and, consequently, discover that the ol' mid-turn bump-and-go isn't advised in real life. Following the training, the winners will be granted the opportunity to drive a Nissan 350Z in a 24-hour endurance race in Dubai in January 2009.

To get your foot in the door of GT Academy, you'll first have to keep it planted on a pedal as you face "a series of elimination-based competitions on and off the racetrack." Before that, you'll have to qualify in an online GT5 Prologue tournament on the PlayStation Network, details of which will arrive when GT Academy goes live at the end of May. We wish the entrants the best of luck and remind them that the damage modeling in real-life, 80000p racing is totally awesome.

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]]>Gran-TurismoGran-Turismo-5Gran-Turismo-5-PrologueGT-AcademyGT5GT5-PrologueNissanSCEELudwig Kietzmann2008-05-06T16:30:00+00:00PSN Thursday: Welcome back, Updateshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/17/psn-thursday-welcome-back-updates/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/17/psn-thursday-welcome-back-updates/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/17/psn-thursday-welcome-back-updates/#commentsFiled under:

What a week it's been for the PSN! A new store, a Tuesday update and now we get back into the snug confines of routine with a normal Thursday update. The big deal this week, to those who consider "real driving simulators" precious, is that Gran Turismo 5 Prologue can now be purchased on PSN without ever having to deal with those filthy hobbitsez at retail.

Warhawk's expansion, Operation Broken Mirror, is also available for download and there's a discount bundle for those who didn't purchase the Omega Dawn expansion. Don't forget to grab the analog control update if you own DOTY (disaster of the year) Lair. The full list of the PSN update is after the break.

Check out what Europe's update looks like by heading on over to those fine chaps at PS3 Fanboy.

Gallery: PlayStation Store Update Spring '08


Downloadable games:
  • Gran Turismo 5 Prologue ($39.99)
Add-on Content:
  • Warhawk Broken Mirror Pack ($7.99)
  • Warhawk Booster Combo ($11.99) -- Booster Combo includes the Warhawk "Operation: Omega Dawn" and "Operation: Broken Mirror" Booster Packs.
  • Rock Band DLC (Last three weeks of Rock Band Weekly)
  • PSN Tuesday update
Demo
  • UEFA EURO 2008
Game Videos:
  • Warhawk Broken Mirror Trailer
  • Condemned 2: Bloodshot Making Of The TV Spot
  • HAZE Mantel Corporate Vision
  • This is Vegas Annoucement Trailer
  • GT5 Prologue Friendly Fires Video
  • GT5 Prologue Beyond the Apex Trailer
Move and Blu-ray disc Trailers (Free):
  • Pineapple Express
PS3 Themes (Free):
  • Warhawk Theme (x2)
  • Lair Mokai Theme
PC Store (for PSP):
  • GT5 Prologue Friendly Fires Video (Free)
  • GT5 Prologue Beyond the Apex Trailer (Free)

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]]>gran-turismogran-turismo-5gran-turismo-5-prologuepsnpsn-storepsn-thursdayAlexander Sliwinski2008-04-17T15:00:00+00:00Kid-focused Gran Turismo for Boys could become GT5 featurehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/05/kid-focused-gran-turismo-for-boys-could-become-gt5-feature/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/05/kid-focused-gran-turismo-for-boys-could-become-gt5-feature/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/05/kid-focused-gran-turismo-for-boys-could-become-gt5-feature/#commentsFiled under: , ,


It's been over three years since we first sighed 'awwwe' to Polyphony Digital's plans to develop a kindly, gentler racing simulation with the kid-friendly Gran Turismo for Boys. Now series mastermind Kazunori Yamauchi has come forward about the project, and in a recent CVG interview commented that Gran Turismo for Boys is still coming, though perhaps as an included feature in Gran Turismo 5 rather than a standalone game.

Gran Turismo for Boys was first revealed in November 2004 by Yamauchi as a way to hook preteens on cars, sort of like candy cigarettes, but since then there's been little said about the effort beyond the occasional footnote to let the world know that the project hadn't been run over. Tykes shouldn't get too excited yet, however, as Yamauchi admits that his team is currently spinning wheels working on GT5, and have little time to spend on side projects. Still, with the game's release about a year off maybe he'll find time to include the child dedicated feature -- and keep us from throwing a tantrum.

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]]>boysfeaturegran-turismogran-turismo-5granturismogranturismo5kazunori-yamauchikazunoriyamauchiyamauchiJason Dobson2008-04-05T11:00:00+00:00Damage coming to GT5 Prologue, weather possible for final releasehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/04/damage-coming-to-gt5-weather-possible-for-final-release/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/04/damage-coming-to-gt5-weather-possible-for-final-release/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/04/damage-coming-to-gt5-weather-possible-for-final-release/#commentsFiled under: ,

There's something peculiar about the ability to drive 120 mph into a wall and not see a single scratch on your car. The Gran Turismo series has always been fond of that physics anomaly. Speaking to VideoGamer, series creator Kazunori Yamauchi said damage modeling is coming to GT5: Prologue. "We're not really planning for a trial or test version," he said, "we're going at it full speed. We'll see what happens." In a separate interview with IGN, Yamauchi expressed hope for a Fall release of the update.

Yamauchi also hinted that weather effects would be in the final, non-Prologue Gran Turismo 5, due out about a year from now. We're not expecting Burnout-esque pile ups, but a fender bender in the rain would be nice.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

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]]>damagegran-turismogran-turismo-5gran-turismo-5-prolo...gt5prologueweatherRoss Miller2008-04-04T12:30:00+00:00Gran Turismo PSP still 'delayed,' possibly until 2009http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/04/gran-turismo-psp-still-delayed-possibly-until-2009/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/04/gran-turismo-psp-still-delayed-possibly-until-2009/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/04/gran-turismo-psp-still-delayed-possibly-until-2009/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Polyphony Digital is still working on the PSP version of Gran Turismo. No, really! Series creator Kazunori Yamauchi confirmed as much to us during last year's Tokyo Game Show, blaming the portable racer's vaporware status on the Gran Turismo 5 time sink. Don't expect much movement on the mobile front until Polyphony makes it through the post-Prologue development chicane.

"We had been developing the PSP version, but the problem was that the PS3 version took much more time and effort than we had first imagined," Yamauchi recently told Eurogamer. "So that's been delayed - I don't think we'll be able to make the end of this year for the PSP version, but we are working on it."

If and/or when the final product eventually arrives, Polyphony Digital hopes for it to have an online component "linked" to the PlayStation 3 version. As promising as that sounds, we're still going to file this one as a DNF until we see more.

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]]>Gran-TurismoGranTurismoGT5Polyphony-DigitalPrologueRacingLudwig Kietzmann2008-04-04T08:02:00+00:00Gran Turismo 5 Prologue now available on Euro PSNhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/28/gran-turismo-5-prologue-now-available-on-euro-psn/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/28/gran-turismo-5-prologue-now-available-on-euro-psn/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/28/gran-turismo-5-prologue-now-available-on-euro-psn/#commentsFiled under: ,


No doubt tired of all the screeching that emanated from yesterday's delay of tire-screeching driving sim, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Sony has finally sorted out its "technical difficulties" and updated the European PlayStation Store. Our readers from across the sea can now cease sending us irate tips and reserve the gnashing of teeth for when they send an exorbitantly priced car into an unforgiving barrier.

Whether you opted for the downloadable Prologue or the Blu-ray version, we hope you enjoy it long enough for the full game to come hurtling around the corner.

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]]>Gran-TurismoGran-Turismo-5Gran-Turismo-5-PrologueGranTurismoGT5Polyphony-DigitalProloguePSNLudwig Kietzmann2008-03-28T16:00:00+00:00Enjoy your Prologue, Gran Turismo 5 'about a year away'http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/26/enjoy-your-prologue-gran-turismo-5-about-a-year-away/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/26/enjoy-your-prologue-gran-turismo-5-about-a-year-away/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/26/enjoy-your-prologue-gran-turismo-5-about-a-year-away/#commentsFiled under: ,


If you were planning to speed past Gran Turismo 5 Prologue on April 17th because "it's just a demo," you may wish to rifle through your virtues and see if patience is among them. According to a PlayStation Blog comment made by SCEA associate producer, Chris Hinojosa-Miranda, the real real driving simulator is still "about a year away." It's no surprise to see him recommending a Prologue purchase in the meantime, but for automotive fans eagerly awaiting the PlayStation 3's premiere driving sim, the content offered in Polyphony Digital's $40 stopgap puts it well above the status of mere demo.

The news certainly shouldn't come as a surprise to them either, as the immense and laborious task of creating Gran Turismo 5 has been well documented. With so much time spent painstakingly modeling each luxurious vehicle, we often wonder if it wouldn't be easier just to fill that Blu-ray disc with interactive HD video. It would be just like Road Avenger, but classier!

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]]>Gran-TurismoGran-Turismo-5Gran-turismo-5-prologueGranTurismoGT5Polyphony-DigitalPrologueLudwig Kietzmann2008-03-26T17:30:00+00:00GT5 Prologue North American release gets exclusive musichttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/25/gt5-prologue-north-american-release-gets-exclusive-music/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/25/gt5-prologue-north-american-release-gets-exclusive-music/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/25/gt5-prologue-north-american-release-gets-exclusive-music/#commentsFiled under: , ,


After unveiling the cars and tracks for its upcoming too-good-to-be-a-demo PS3 racer, it seems only fitting that Sony let us know what kind of music we can expect to bop our heads too while navigating the twisty corners of GT5 Prologue. According to Sony, the North American version of the 'real driving simulator' will include "a dozen exclusive singles," including an "exclusive remix" of Weezer's song "Automatic" from the band's upcoming album.

In addition, the game, which drops next month as both a download and full retail release, will feature a new version of Polyphony Digital's Masahiro Andoh's series theme song, "Moon Over the Castle." Seventeen international musical numbers from such names as Goose and Nittoku Inoue are also included, giving us plenty of tunes to listen to while failing to pass that license test for the umpteenth time.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue North American Soundtrack

Exclusive Tracks to North America:
  • Weezer - "Automatic" (LA Riots remix)
  • The Mars Volta - "Goliath" (EL-P remix)
  • Justice - "Let There Be Light"
  • SebastiAn - "Dolami"
  • Kavinsky - "Testarossa Autodrive" (SebastiAn remix)
  • DJ Shadow - "LOVE LOVE"
  • Does it Offend You, Yeah? - "With a Heavy Heart (I Regret to Inform You)"
  • The Earaches - "Not the Kind of Man I Am"
  • Thin Lizzy - "The Rocker (Richard Evans Mix)"
  • The Klaxons - "Golden Skans"
  • Friendly Fires - "On Board"
  • Pride Tiger - "Let 'Em Go"
International Tracks also on the North American Soundtrack:
  • Masahiro Andoh - "Moon Over The Castle" (Gran Turismo 5 Prologue version)
  • Nittoku Inoue - "Road Star"
  • Nittoku Inoue - "100,000 R.P.M."
  • Nittoku Inoue - "Get Away"
  • Nittoku Inoue - "V12"
  • Nittoku Inoue - "Kill Switch"
  • naomee - "Vanish From Angel"
  • naomee - "Sky High Mountain Breeze"
  • naomee - "Twieky 4"
  • Daiki Kasho - "Surv1v3"
  • Daiki Kasho - "Edge of the World"
  • Daiki Kasho - "Flow"
  • Goose - "Check"
  • Goose - "3T4"
  • Goose - "Everybody"
  • Backdraft ft Tor - "Off The Wall"
  • Alloy Mental - "We have Control"
  • Reverend & The Makers - "The Machine"
[Via press release]

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]]>gran-turismogran-turismo-5gran-turismo-5-prolo...granturismogt5musicprologuesoundtrackJason Dobson2008-03-25T11:30:00+00:00Counting Rupees: The year of the PS3http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/counting-rupees-the-year-of-the-ps3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/counting-rupees-the-year-of-the-ps3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/counting-rupees-the-year-of-the-ps3/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Each week Jeff Engel and Geoff Brooks contribute Counting Rupees, a column on the business behind gaming:

Apparently, 2008 is the year of the PS3. After what most consider a very shaky first year, the media is abuzz with a comeback for the company that was once king of consoles. EGM's March issue proudly proclaims on its cover that it's "The Revenge of the PS3". EDGE's December issue was entitled "The Empire Strikes Back" and even Joystiq's PS3 Fanboy has given us 10 reasons why the PS3 is back in the swing of things. Some analysts have proclaimed that the PS3 will do at least as well as the 360 in 2008, and others have the PS3 edging out the 360 by 2010 or even the Wii by 2011. Clearly, everyone is pointing to 2008 being a turning point of sorts for the Cell-powered beast. But is it actually true?

Let's focus on, at least initially, Sony's battle against the 360. Certainly, the PS3 has a lot of things going for it. Blu-ray has officially won the next-gen DVD war; upcoming games, such as Metal Gear Solid 4, Killzone 2, and LittleBigPlanet show tremendous potential; and it has seemingly found a price point that people are willing to pay (as they did originally for the 360). In the US, at least so far this year, Sony has managed to outsell the 360 according to January and February NPD figures. But will it be enough?

January's NPD results had the PS3 topping the 360 by 39k, a reversal from the previous month's 400k advantage for the 360, while February showed a 26k advantages over the 360. At this rate, using numbers from VGChartz, the PS3 would need nearly 18 years to overtake the 360 in the US. If this didn't look bad enough, Microsoft also claims that it's had supply shortages for its console early this year. If true, Sony has an even steeper hill to climb assuming Microsoft can work out these "shortages."

Sony has to rely on other opportunities that present themselves this year. Certainly, its Blu-Ray win is one thing that it hopes will generate momentum. Unfortunately, so far, people haven't looked like they're in a hurry to buy the PS3 now that Blu-Ray has won. From January to February, after Warner Bros. effectively ended the format war, the PS3's sales only went up 4%, while 360's sales went up 11%. Perhaps since the format war wasn't officially over yet the news hadn't taken effect yet. It could also take some time before clarity in the HD disc market actually trickles into the console market, particularly if this old survey is still an indication of people's knowledge of the PS3's Blu-Ray capabilities. While the PS3's perception on this has probably improved, Sony also likely realized that it needed to continue to increase awareness of movie-playback capability. The fact that a Spider-Man 3 Blu-Ray was being packaged in with PS3's over the holiday period is certainly an expression of that, as is the "Movie Pack", which comes with 3 movies, that is going to be made available in Europe very soon (and I'm actually surprised something like it isn't going to be marketed in the US as well). Assuming Blu-Ray gains in popularity, it could certainly accelerate the PS3's adoption at least until Blu-ray players hit a mass-market price, after which, most people looking for a way to play Blu-ray movies will probably opt for the standalone player. For this very reason, I'm not confident that the PS3's inclusion of Blu-ray will help it narrow the gap with the 360.

If not Blu-ray, then perhaps the games will help propel Sony into the lead? After all, Halo 3 moved quite a bit of hardware last year, so couldn't MGS4, Killzone 2, LittleBigPlanet, and Gran Turismo 5, among others, do the same for the PS3? No doubt, there is a lot of hype behind those titles, but unfortunately for Sony, they're no Halos. Granted, nothing else really is, but they're no Marios, Brawls, or Mario Karts either. Hell, Gears of War sold nearly as many copies as MGS3, MGS3: Subsistence, and Killzone combined at a time when the PS2's base was substantially larger than the 360's currently. As much praise as the MGS series has received, they don't have an extremely wide appeal. LittleBigPlanet, obviously as a new property, is completely untested and it is hard to tell whether it will reach the PS3's current demographic, as it seems more in tune to Nintendo's. Gran Turismo may be, surprisingly, the strongest property here; its last outing selling nearly 9 million copies, but again, with a 100+ million installed base. None of this is to say that PS3 owners shouldn't be celebrating these game releases, but as properties, they have not proven to be "killer apps". Easily, Sony's biggest games from the last generation were the Grand Theft Autos, all of which sold more than 11 million copies each, and whose newest installment is a multi-platform game with exclusive content going to the 360. Despite the strength of its lineup and without an exclusive like GTA, Sony may not have a killer app.

Sony is, for its part though, playing it smart with the properties it has by creating what are likely to be fairly popular and lucrative bundles for both MGS4 and Gran Turismo 5 (in Europe anyway). While I'm sure that MGS4 will sell fairly well by itself to the hardcore PS3 crowd, packaging a well-known exclusive name with a PS3 could help less hardcore fence sitters decide that it's the system they want, particularly in a year with no Halos on its closest competition. Still, while the 360 doesn't have a Halo, it does still have some high-profile games coming out. If Microsoft is able to market exclusive games like Gears of War 2, Fable 2, and Too Human effectively, it may well be able to counter the impact of the PS3's new games, particularly if the games fail to impress as Lair and Heavenly Sword did. Even with positive reviews, there's still no guarantee that they'll sell as well as "killer apps" are expected to, as Ratchet and Clank Future and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune demonstrated. If the games still don't sell well, it's unlikely they'll drastically improve the PS3's sales. Sony's going to need quite a bit of positive buzz around its system and these games if they hope to make up its nearly 7M unit deficit to the 360 in the US. I'm not sure I see it happening by 2010, 2011, or at all.

Which brings us to an interesting possibility: can the PS3 take 3rd place in the US but overtake the 360 in the world market? There may be an opening for Sony here. As we all know, the 360 has sold abysmally in Japan. Sony has already sold about 1.4M more PS3's than Microsoft has 360s, and this trend will probably continue, if not accelerate. If we simply take the average sales of the consoles on a monthly basis from the time of their release, the PS3 would net roughly 5M consoles alone from Japan. In Europe, the PS3 is closing fast and is about 500k consoles behind the 360. Indeed, Sony expects to overtake the 360 in Europe this summer. Projecting in a similar manner as before, surprisingly, the PS3 nets another 5M against the 360 over 3 years from Europe and other PAL regions. The PS3's strength in Europe and Japan could very well offset its weakness in North America, but if the 360 can retain its strength in the US, it will be pretty close in the worldwide numbers. Obviously, over even more time it looks quite possible that the PS3 will surpass the 360's worldwide numbers.

As for catching the Wii like some analysts have suggested? Considering the Wii has so far more than doubled the sales of the PS3 in nearly every region in the same time frame (slightly less than double in Europe), has consistently been selling out at least in the US every month it's been available, and continues to dominate in sales around the world every month, this seems exceedingly hard to believe. Certainly, sales are not static and the Wii could slow down as the PS3 speeds up, but starting almost 12M units down with no real signs that it can outsell the Wii, it would take a serious stumble by Nintendo to lose its lead here. By my calculations, over 3 years, the PS3 would need to net over 300k units per month to catch Nintendo now. We've seen no precedent for this yet, and even with new games coming out for the PS3, it seems unlikely that the momentum would shift so drastically in its direction. I would think that for Sony, just gaining parity with weekly Wii sales would be considered a huge success at this point, let alone surpassing its sales by a few hundred thousand units.

So, is this the "Year of the PS3"? Perhaps as a gamer, as the system seems to have many of the "big exclusives" this year. As far as its sales, things are a bit more mixed. While the PS3 is likely to overtake the 360 in Europe, it still looks unlikely that its situation will change in US, even with the success of Blu-ray and a potentially strong software lineup. Still, the trend in sales worldwide looks like it could settle comfortably in second place. Ironically, before the 360 launched, everyone considered whether a console could succeed on a worldwide scale without succeeding in the all-important Japanese market. To some extent, it looked like the US would be big enough to determine its success. But that was apparently only part of the question. The other part is whether a console that performs marginally in the US can actually compete at the worldwide level (at least for second place). Seemingly, Sony is set to demonstrate that the answer is yes.
As co-editors of A Link To The Future, Geoff and Jeff like to discuss, among many other topics, the business aspects of gaming. Game companies often make decisions that on their face appear baffling, or even infuriating, to many gamers. Yet when you think hard about them from the company's perspective, many other decisions are eminently sensible, or at least appeared to be so based on the conditions at the time those choices were made. Our goal with this column is to start a conversation about just those topics. While neither Geoff nor Jeff are employed in the game industry, they do have professional backgrounds that are relevant to the discussion. More to the point, they don't claim to have all the answers -- but this is a conversation worth having. You can reach them at

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]]>Counting-RupeesGran-TurismoGT5HaloKillzone-2Killzone2LittleBigPlanetMetal-Gear-Solid-4MGS4NPDJeff Engel2008-03-20T21:00:00+00:00GT5 Prologue hits 1 million Euro pre-ordershttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/17/gt5-prologue-hits-1m-euro-pre-orders-download-is-1-9-gb-with-ci/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/17/gt5-prologue-hits-1m-euro-pre-orders-download-is-1-9-gb-with-ci/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/17/gt5-prologue-hits-1m-euro-pre-orders-download-is-1-9-gb-with-ci/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The upcoming Gran Turismo 5 Prologue for PlayStation 3 has already reached a milestone, with SCEE confirming the title has reach one million in European pre-orders. That pretty much assures the racer of hitting platinum status within its first week of release.

For those wishing to go the download route, Prologue will only cost your hard drive 1.9 GB. Filling out the remainder of the Blu-ray disc version are cinematics from the game, still available to the downloaded version in-game through GT TV. As explained by Eurogamer (via PS3 Fanboy), you can download the opening movie at any time, and the ending movie becomes available once you beat the game. No word yet on how big those movies are.

GT5 Prologue is due out next Friday, March 28, in Europe (March 27 for download) and April 17 in North America.

Gallery: Gran Turismo 5 Prologue

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]]>breakingnewsgran-turismogran-turismo-5gran-turismo-5-prologuegt5prologueRoss Miller2008-03-17T12:45:00+00:00Europe gets GT5 and Blu-Ray PS3 bundles, same €399 pricehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/28/europe-gets-gt5-and-blu-ray-ps3-bundles-same-399-price/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/28/europe-gets-gt5-and-blu-ray-ps3-bundles-same-399-price/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/28/europe-gets-gt5-and-blu-ray-ps3-bundles-same-399-price/#commentsFiled under:


Since we all know Sony Computer Entertainment America and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe can't agree on a single thing (see: GPS, PlayTV, 80GB PS3) it should come as little surprise that they're releasing two 40GB PS3 bundles, neither of which have the words "metal" or "gear" or "solid" anywhere on them. So there's no 80GB MGS4 bundle, but there is a GT5: Prologue bundle reportedly dropping March 29 and a Blu-ray bundle - including Spider-Man, 300, and Casino Royale -dropping March 19th.

Both bundles will retail for €399, the same price the 40GB PS3 is currently - a great deal to be sure, though bean counters may consider three Blu-ray discs a decidedly better deal than GT5: Prologue. Either way, they're both "free." Check out a pic of the Blu-ray bundle after the break.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

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]]>Blu-rayBreakingNewsGran-TurismoGT5-PrologueSCEEChristopher Grant2008-02-28T14:29:00+00:00GDC08: Logitech unveils Gran Turismo wheelhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/20/gdc08-logitech-unveils-official-gran-turismo-wheel/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/20/gdc08-logitech-unveils-official-gran-turismo-wheel/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/20/gdc08-logitech-unveils-official-gran-turismo-wheel/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

gt racing wheel
Want the perfect prologue to sim racing's most-distinguished brand? Tack another $150 onto that $40 download, as Logitech has unveiled the official, and pricey Driving Force GT racing wheel. Engineered specifically for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (but compatible with GT4 and GT5 on PS2), the Driving Force features requisite force feedback, plus a new 24-position realtime adjustment dial (see -- it's red!), so you can fine-tune the brake bias, traction control and damper settings on-the-fly. Brake bias? Damper settings? Just point us to the boost button!

The Driving Force GT wheel is "expected" to ship in May.

Gallery: Logitech Driving Force GT Wheel

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]]>breakingnewsgran-turismogran-turismo-5gran-turismo-5-prologuegt5logitechlogitech-driving-force-gtpolyphony-digitalracing-wheelJames Ransom-Wiley2008-02-20T12:56:00+00:00Gran Turismo 5 Prologue arrives stateside April 17http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/29/gran-turismo-5-prologue-arrives-stateside-april-17/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/29/gran-turismo-5-prologue-arrives-stateside-april-17/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/29/gran-turismo-5-prologue-arrives-stateside-april-17/#commentsFiled under: ,

Were you the sort of kid who could never wait to open their Christmas presents? The tot who would lift one corner of the wrapping paper to catch a glimpse of the treasure inside? Now, would you have paid someone $40 for the privilege to do so? If so, you might be the perfect candidate for the $40 Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, which Sony dated today for an April 17 release.

The sample will feature 60 cars from manufacturers like Ferrari, Audi and Nissan and five tracks like Daytona International Speedway and one on the streets of London. You can get your GT fix either from the PlayStation Network store or on a retail disc, though the latter option ships with an exclusive video. Both also include a parental scolding for not being able to restrain yourself.

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]]>breakingnewsgran-turismogran-turismo-5gran-turismo-5-prologuesonyJustin McElroy2008-01-29T08:58:00+00:00GT5 Prologue scores third place in Japanese chartshttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/20/gt5-prologue-scores-third-place-in-japanese-charts/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/20/gt5-prologue-scores-third-place-in-japanese-charts/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/20/gt5-prologue-scores-third-place-in-japanese-charts/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


You know times have changed when the top three spots in Japan's software sales chart are no longer occupied by traditional fare, but rather a miasma of Mario mini-games, a balancercise board and a glorified automotive demo. Gamasutra runs down last week's top ten, highlighting Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo 5 Prologue which made its debut in third position with approximately 116,000 units sold. Professor Layton bully, Wii Fit, found itself parking off in second position with 124,000 units after having switched places with Mario Party DS and its 180,000 attendees.

Nintendo proved the overall wii-ner, with six first-party titles accounted for in the chart -- in fact, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue was the only game not to be found on the Wii or DS. The two systems are expected to enjoy continued good fortune in the hardware sales chart due for release tomorrow.

Gallery: Gran Turismo 5 Prologue

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]]>Gran-TurismoGran-Turismo-5GranTurismo5GT5Japanese-Software-SalesMario-Party-DSMarioPartyPolyphony-DigitalPolyphonyDigitalWii-FitWiiFitLudwig Kietzmann2007-12-20T15:55:00+00:00GT5 Prologue seen driving into uncanny valleyhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/10/gt5-prologue-seen-driving-into-uncanny-valley/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/10/gt5-prologue-seen-driving-into-uncanny-valley/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/10/gt5-prologue-seen-driving-into-uncanny-valley/#commentsFiled under: , ,

This is your virtual car. (Points to car) This is your virtual car with its textures' reflectivity bumped up to 500%. (Points to own finger reflected from car's bumper) Any questions?

In watching new trailer for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, which debuted during last night's Spike VGAs, Joystiq's own Griffin McElroy made a strange and unintentionally philosophical observation: can mechanical objects cross into the uncanny valley? Can a computer-generated car be so detailed that it edges too close to reality and minor differences become glaring issues? Judge for yourself; the video is embedded above.

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]]>gran-turismogran-turismo-5granturismogranturismo5gtgt5sonyRoss Miller2007-12-10T16:00:00+00:00Gran Turismo TV to feature BBC's Top Gearhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/24/gran-turismo-tv-to-feature-bbcs-top-gear/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/24/gran-turismo-tv-to-feature-bbcs-top-gear/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/24/gran-turismo-tv-to-feature-bbcs-top-gear/#commentsFiled under: , ,


A newly announced collaboration between Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., Polyphony Digital and BBC Worldwide will see the broadcaster's popular motoring show, Top Gear, distributed through Gran Turismo TV. The online channel, expected to launch on the PlayStation Network during 2008, will host 40 downloadable episodes of the Jeremy Clarkson vehicle snobbery-fest.

An added bonus resulting from the agreement is an in-game replica of the Top Gear Test Track, bound for the PS3 installment of Sony's driving sim, Gran Turismo 5. You'll be able to experience "every white knuckle, hairpin turn," whether or not you're rambling into a camera about how the unnervingly attractive car makes you feel. If you haven't done so already, you can coax the Japanese PSN into giving you the GT5 Prologue demo while you await the final game's release.

Gallery: Gran Turismo TV (PS3)

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]]>Gran-TurismoGran-Turismo-5GranTurismoGranTurismo5GT5GTTVPSNTop-GearLudwig Kietzmann2007-10-24T08:30:00+00:00GT5 Prologue demo coming Oct 20 in Japanhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/18/gt5-prologue-demo-coming-oct-20-in-japan/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/18/gt5-prologue-demo-coming-oct-20-in-japan/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/18/gt5-prologue-demo-coming-oct-20-in-japan/#commentsFiled under: ,

Japanese racing fanatics (and international racing fanatics with Japanese accounts) can rejoice. A demo for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is coming to the Japanese PlayStation Network on October 20. Given the futuristic nature of the country (it's currently early morning Friday), that's less than 24 hours from this time of publication.

According to the press release (via Rocket Punch Auto Blog), the trial includes seven cars and one course (Suzuka). There is no online play but single-player races for up to 16 cars. Video service Gran Turismo TV will also be included with reports from 40th Tokyo Motor Show.

No word on a demo release outside of Japan. GT5 Prologue is due out this year next year, according to the official PS blog.

Gallery: Gran Turismo 5 Prologue

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]]>demogran-turismogran-turismo-5gran-turismo-5-prologuegt5playstation-networkpsnsonyRoss Miller2007-10-18T16:27:00+00:00