And Ian, it isn't the game that makes the new GT so great... Handling and tire physics have gone to new heights, but what makes it the game that rules is the online community.

Yes, TBH it isn't as engrossing a game as GT4, but OTOH, racing bots is for slowpokes! Until you are online, facing some of the best in the world (aliens walk amongst us!), you aren't really seeing what the genre has turned into.

Ignore the kids and the demolition derby rooms, there is a HUGE community of great clean drivers playing every day and night, all around the world with each other. Several GT Academy winners have gone on to podium at LeMans and many other races.

You are reading the wrong forum if all you see is whining about the offline game... Go to GT Planet's Racing forums, and see what great ORGANIZED racing looks like.

Bots are for tots!

(BTW, ranked in top 600 or so worldwide on one of the GT6 time trials... C7 Corvette round Daytona Road Course at night, LOL)

Hi Diki...I'm glad you like the new game and platform...it's just not for me.

I was never interested in on-line gaming of any kind, not just GT racing.

We don't race against bots either...we race against the clock on the same track using the same type car and as close to stock as possible. It's also how we compete on the forums.

Sometimes we outfit one model car with fully adjustable suspension, transmission and gearing and compete on set-up skills as well as driving abilities. Horsepower and tire type would be fixed, however.

Thanks for your views, and I admire your enthusiasm for the new GT series.

I may look at the next new generation PS (PS4 or even PS5). but, for now, I'm content.

Ian

You might not be able to handle a NH gig, but I'll bet it's not because you're too sexy!
I love to play at nursing homes. It's the most mentally rewarding thing you can do, but what they pay here is insulting. Too many guys doing it for free or for $30. I'd rather go play free at the Veteran's Hospitals! Guys think they are "helping the old folks". What they are doing is helping the already rich corporations that own the places.

Probably best to wait. Let Microsoft and Sony have some price cutting wars. You can bet in 6 months the price of the PS4 and Xbox One will come down. Unlike previous generations of game consoles which has had the Xbox come out ahead of the Playstation in terms of performance and ease of software development ... this generation the PS4 appears to be the winner.

Thank you Nigel...I understand that you are involved in gaming as a profession, so you know the deal.

What is surprising is the longevity of the old PS2...I have the regular old one (still in use) and a brand new slim model still in box I bought for $25.

I think the Gran Turismo 4 game still has more actual fun and playabilty, and this surely brought to better realism with the Logitech G-25 wheel and pedals which we have secured to a strong table set up in front of the big old flat screen TV. We have a bucket seat from a Civic one of the guys mounted on a computer chair platform...even has a seatbelt...ha ha.

The G-25 wheel is that sensitive, you can actually feel the tires slip and the different textures in pavement...it has several motors in the column part, and the wheel was nearly $300 several years ago..of course the GT4 game itself provides the neat feedback. Yes, the graphics aren't as good as the new games, but it doesn't seem to matter.

We run against the clock (time trial) with the tires in the game that replicate actual street tires...man, it does feel pretty real...some of the guys here never played a driving game and they are blown away. We are like a bunch of kids.

I can only imagine how incredibly accurate a newer driving game will be on the PS4...my only concern would be that I may need to buy a new wheel, and a really good one like the G-25 would likely be costly.

Have you ever played a PS2 game called ICO?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ico

I was lucky to get a new one, following the advice of some avid gamers, and I must say it was, and still is, the most fascinating and compelling game I've ever played...it's not a violent shoot-em-up, but a game of strategy and planning, but not so hard as to be discouraging.

It's worth the price of a PS2 to play it on if you can find the game.

Thanks again for the heads-up.

Ian

PS...in regards to old game platforms...they seem to have become popular again, as have the old games...graphics aren't as good (comparatively) but apparently, a lot more gaming fun and some of those old games were pretty challenging.

Well, each to his own, Ian, but time trialling is NOT racing!

Time trial, you learn ONE line and speed, braking points etc.. But in racing, when in a pack, you have to be a lot more flexible. Sure, out front or trailing by a bunch, you can run the racing line. But the challenge comes from being able to drive all the OTHER lines as fast as they can be taken, and also the skill to know when to pass, when not to pass, when to let someone past, when to block, getting used to the driving style of your opponents (they all differ), basically the strategy of the REAL sport.

A soccer game where you just kicked balls into an empty net isn't much of a soccer game. And a racing game where you are the ONLY guy on track isn't much better, IMO.

Find a friend with a PS3 and GT5/6, and go online in a clean room. Once you do, there's no going back...

I guess it's "time trialing" we're doing, Diki...but, it's what we enjoy.

I going to wait for a PS4 or even a PS5...it's nice not to be in a hurry...except when you're "time trialing" of course.

Thanks for the suggestions all the same.

Happy trials to you...mmmm...that has something Roy Roger-ery about it.

Ian

Thing is, the PS4 is going to go to the XBox's subscription model for online. Currently, the PS3's online features are free, so now's a good time (we've probably a two to three year window for PD to keep up the GT6 PS3 servers) to pick up a used PS3 and GT6. Your wheel will work just fine with it.

GT6's AI has got quite a bit better, but it still doesn't challenge you a lot if you have good skills, so I can understand why, on the GT4 game, you tend to want to race alone (because of the AI, no reflection on your skills). But if you are a fan of the SPORT (rather than simply a 'gamer'), I can't imagine how anyone could turn down the chance to race against other skilled drivers...

But, each to his own.

Thanks again, Diki...I think the PS4 will likely be my next platform...I'm not interested in on-line racing or on-line gaming in general.

The GT4 game is a terrific diversion, and oodles of fun especially using regular street tires, and not the default sport type.

It also magnifies the physics of the game, which are pretty darn good, and using street tires pretty much gets rid of the under-steer that plagues many racing games, not just the Gran Turismo series. We also do "drifting" contests as well...the right tires and proper suspension settings are vital to good drifting.

To me, gaming has always been a private adventure, which is why games like ICO, and Tomb Raider, appeal to me so much, and, racing off-line on GT4 is still a lot of fun, especially with having the wheel, using street tires and setting the AI difficulty level to 10 (highest setting).

Much like our arrangers, there is a lot in these games to keep one very entertained, if you dig in and learn how to set up and/or make adjustments.

Again, thanks for your suggestions.

I'll let you know if I get anything new...another pension kicks in at the end of April, so I'll have a bit more "play" money.

Ian

I guess it's a bit like playing music. Some like the solo scene, some like playing in bands...

Me, I like RACING! Been going to races since I was a little kid (grew up near Silverstone, saw all the greats there in the 60's and 70's), now I follow F1 and Grand-Am/ALMS (now combined into one series, the new Tudor United Sports Car Challenge) prototype and GT sports car racing. I was going to go to Daytona for the 24hr, but a gig came up (dammit!), so now I have to wait for the Sebring 12hr.

I've been at Sebring several times, along with Road Atlanta for the Petit LeMans 3 times, and last year went to the GrandAm/Indy weekend at Barber for the first time (amazing facility). I really wanted to pop my Daytona cherry this year, but maybe next year it will happen.

But, anyhoo... Watching qualy is OK, but the real show is the racing. Particularly mixed class racing, there's action and passing on every corner, every straight, every lap! And this is where the REAL skill comes into it. Some of the best drivers in the world are mixed class devotees (Webber is moving on from F1 this year to driving Porsche's new Le Mans prototype, saw Nick Heidfeld in the Rebellion Racing prototype last year in Atlanta) and consider it the highest challenge the sport provides...

But bottom line is, they RACE. Qualy is just the warm-up!

I don't know if you have had a poor experience racing online before, or just that you've never had the opportunity to try, but don't rule it out. Quite honestly, if GT5/6 had no online component, it would rapidly die the death. Racing bots is for noobs, and TT's get lonely (and boring, sorry, but you can only spend so long trying to shave a thou or two!), but a roomful of talented drivers, all driving by FIA rules (none of that BTCC thuggery, LOL!), and it is like being at the races. Only, YOU are the star driver, not Jordan Taylor, or Allan McNeish...!

Try it before you knock it, Ian.