Gran Turismo has been one of those “must have” video games for gearheads ever since they hit the PS1 console in 1997. I know…I practically sold my soul to get one that year, and spent every loose moment I had whipping up on everybody who was willing to grab the second controller in the vain hope of beating me on a course. GT was instrumental in teaching a generation about performance cars they would have otherwise never heard of: Nissan Skylines, Subaru WRXs, TVRs, and plenty more. Kazunori Yamauchi’s vision of a highly detailed racing game has taken on a life of it’s own and has given Yamauchi the opportunity to race in real life, something that he has managed to give back to his fans via Nissan and the GT Academy. There is no doubt that the figure behind Gran Turismo loves cars and racing, but the latest announcement to come out of Polyphony Digital, the release of a beta of Gran Turismo Sport, has both gamers and broke-ass racers like myself on the edge of their seat.
GT Sport is only going to be on the PlayStation 4, and will be compatible with a virtual reality system that should be debuting early next year. Couch racers will have two options for competition: the Nations Cup, where you represent your home territory, or a Manufacturer’s Cup, where you race for the glory of the marque you have chosen to align yourself with. But here’s the part that has everybody’s eyes raised: According to Sony, the winners “will be awarded in the same manner as real-life motorsports champions, at the FIA prize-giving ceremony.” That could mean anything from a virtual award ceremony to tickets in the mail. We’ve seen first-hand how Yamauchi celebrates, and anything FIA is a big deal. The beta is slated to be released in the spring of 2016, but prepare to tack your name onto a waiting list if you are genuinely interested in seeing just how involved you can be in racing from your man-cave.
