wraggster
August 9th, 2004, 11:14
Good news for all boy racers - an interview with Polyphony Digital president Kazunori Yamauchi has revealed that the PSP version of Gran Turismo 4 is likely to be a full port of the PS2 game, making it a potentially exciting racing prospect for the handheld.[br]Speaking to Sony's Japanese website PS World about the forthcoming racing instalment, likely to be named GT4 Mobile, Yamauchi said: "As far as volume is concerned, because we're using the GT4 name, we're of course envisaging the same level of volume [in the PSP version] as the PS2 GT4." [br][br]He also attempted to diffuse any lingering preconceptions that the PSP would be 'child's play', adding: "The PSP is a portable game machine, so many will think is used to play only simple games. Say what you will, it's a new generation of portable hardware, with performance that stands up against the PS2. [br][br]He finally concluded with the promise that "...given that we're already making the GT4 systems on the PS2 hardware, we will probably end up porting them to the PSP."[br][br]Think about it - a fast night-time ride through the glitzy environs of Vegas, all compacted onto a handheld with fluidity, speed and excitement intact. It's a promise that, if realised, should reaffirm the power of the new next-gen handhelds, which has certainly had us quietly excited since E3. [br][br]Whether that will make it quite as much fun as GBA Mario Kart though is another matter.[br][br]As for the PS2 version of GT4 itself, Yamauchi said that the game was roughly 75 percent complete, with several new unannounced courses still in the pipeline. The game is set to release around November this year.[br][br]Needless to say, there are no confirmed release dates announced for the PSP version as yet, although our (rough) guess is that it will be some time close to the console's 2005 launch in Europe.