Would you believe it, Gran Turismo 7 is actually coming out soon and not another delay in sight. To keep up the hype, PlayStation has released a new trailer for Polyphony Digital’s upcoming racing sim, comparing its realistic graphics against the real-world equivalent.
The comparison takes place in Willow Springs International Raceway, specifically the Big Willow route, set in the middle of the desert of California with long curves and gentle undulation.
One of the videos has a real-life racing driver,2011 Formula D champion Dai Yoshihara, and sim racer/content creator Steve Brown, Super GT on YouTube, discussing how to tackle the track and their car of choice: a Tesla.
Yoshihara drives a tricked out Turn 14 Distribution Tesla Model 3 (which Gran Turismo sponsors in real life), while Super GT takes the closest equivalent in GT7: The 2012 Tesla Model S Signature Performance.
A small note on the trailer has hinted that the Tesla Model 3 will be added in a future update.
The whole bit is to show how similar the thinking of driving in a racing sim and driving in real-life, with both drivers having similar points when talking about the car and the track.
Another trailer shows a side-by-side comparison of a lap in Big Willow, both in the respective Teslas. Since electric vehicles don’t have engine noises, only tyre squeals and the drivetrain, the trailer puts on the Bring Me The Horizon mix of Gran Turismo’s de-facto theme song, Moon Over The Castle in the background.
The side-by-side comparison doesn’t show a 1:1 exact replication, however. Like many others in the comments sections have noted, the track surface in GT7 is relatively smooth compared to the aged-out asphalt of the real deal (though track evolution is simulated as seen in the State of Play broadcast, so the track can get rubbered in over time).
The real-life footage is also running at a lower framerate and has a different camera angle. The in-game’s bumper camera doesn’t have the windscreen glare as the real-life’s footage.
Still, layout and proportion-wise the in-game rendition is very similar to its real-life counterpart.
Gran Turismo 7 will be out on March 4 for the PS4 and PS5.