129w ago - Today another Gran Turismo 5 PS3 update has arrived, with the v1.03 patch weighing in at 149MB in size.

According to GTPlanet.net (linked above), the update includes an option for mechanical damage added to the settings for online races.

To quote: As can be seen in the online “My Lounge” options for an online race, a new “Mechanical Damage” setting is available for the event with three settings, as described by the scrolling information bar on the bottom of the screen:

• None – No mechanical damage.
  
• Light – Mechanical parts can be damaged, but will “automatically be repaired after a short time has passed.”
  
• Heavy – Mechanical damage will be more severe, and can only be repaired by making a pit stop. Damaged parts will be indicated with on-screen icons.
  

I just downloaded it and can confirm it does add mechanical damage to online races.

130w ago - While GT5 PS3 hit the Internet a few days back, today Producer Chris Hinojosa-Miranda has announced that Gran Turismo 5 for PlayStation 3 officially races into stores today and shared a new launch trailer!

To quote: Christmas has arrived a little early for all you GT fans across the world with today's release of Gran Turismo 5.

That's right, it's been five years in the making and it's finally here -- the most realistic and comprehensive driving experiences in one of the most highly-anticipated games ever released. And what better way to spend the 4-day weekend than diving into the world of Gran Turismo 5 head first?

To celebrate today's release, check out our new GT video with never-before-seen footage of the game.





Not only will you be able to play with over 1,000 licensed cars from the world's top manufacturers, race on more than 20 tracks with over 70 variations of famous world circuits, city courses, snow and dirt, and original environments popular to fans, but experience new features BRAND NEW to the franchise.

These include real-time car damage, dynamic...

131w ago - Sony's Senior Social Media Specialist Sid Shuman has made available a video today showcasing the unboxing of Gran Turismo 5 Collector's Edition for PS3.

To quote: Jeff and I got our grubby paws on the first in-house box and have defiled its pristine shrink wrap for your viewing pleasure in the video above. Love that new-car smell!

What does your $99.99 get you? Read on for the full contents. Not enough detail for you? Head over to GranTurismo.com for even more specifics and images.

• Gran Turismo 5 on Blu-ray: 1000+ cars, a wealth of tracks, new Course Maker, stereoscopic 3D, kart racing, and more features than we could possibly list here. Seriously -- this game is huge.

• Collectible Diecast Car: Exclusive limited edition 1:43 scale diecast 2009 Nissan GT-R Spec V with custom Gran Turismo livery designed by Polyphony Digital, produced by well-known collectible car maker Kyosho.

• Exclusive "Apex" Car Guide: 300 pages of advanced GT5 driving techniques, a crash course in modern automotive history, track reference material and much more straight from experts at Polyphony Digital.

• Five exclusive DLC cars: Special...

131w ago - SCEE Blog Manager James Gallagher has shared a video today revealing what's under the bonnet in the Gran Turismo 5 Signature Edition for PS3.

To quote: If you haven't already seen something similar from a popular UK retailer *shakes fist* then here is a sneak peek of what you can expect from that glorious moment, seconds after the postman has arrived on 24 November, when you lift the lid on your GT5 Signature Edition.

We shot this video as soon as the first delivery of Signature Editions arrived at SCEE HQ and, before you ask, no I haven't played the game yet. I argued that I should get to keep it, seeing as I've already taken the box out of its plastic and breathed my DNA all over it, but that didn't seem to work.





If anybody else thinks that I should keep that Signature Edition, fight for me in the comments. YES WE CAN!

Edit: as FULLMETAL56 pointed out in the comments, you can win your own Signature Edition by entering the competition at eu.playstation.com/psn/competitions.

131w ago - Today Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo 5 is making its rounds on the Internet by release group DComics, while PS3 JailBreak users are working on how to get it running without updating the PlayStation 3 console to 3.50 Firmware as required by the title.

The full US release name is Gran.Turismo.5.PS3-DComics and the game weighs in at 19.4GB (20,882,698,502 bytes) in size unpacked for those wondering (packed at 19515.8MB), with the leaked European version coming in at 13.72GB in size.

According to the NFO File, the following important note states: "To play the game you need to spoof your fw as 3.5 with one of the payloads available in net."

There is also now another scene release named Gran.Turismo.5.EUR.JB.PS3-PEMA in which the NFO File states the following: "Spoofed firmware 3.5 required" and under Install Notes: "Unrar files and copy gamedir dir to external harddrive or use some PS3 FTP server. Files must be placed in the GAMEZ folder."

Although there have been a few reports of it working they are unconfirmed thus far, with most currently reporting getting a black screen...