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The Logitech G25 was one of the first steering wheels to introduce a clutch pedal and gated 6-speed shifter.  It’s success has prompted other wheel manufacturers like Fanatec to jump in the game, fueling competition in this niche market to new heights.  Now, with the G25 pushing 3 years old, everyone is watching Logitech to make a move.

Rumblings about their next device have been occuring in all corners of the web, but we’ve just nabbed the best confirmation of the new wheel thanks to the keen eyes of GTPlanet reader “Homerfreak”.  One of the developers at Codemasters accidentally included the Logitech G27 in the list of compatable wheels for their new game, DiRT 2.  Unsurprisingly, the post was quickly edited, but not before Homerfreak wisely nabbed this screenshot.

This isn’t the first time the G27 name has been mentioned, though - if you take a look around the web, you’ll not only find rudimentary information, but pictures, too!  Of course, nothing has been confirmed officially by Logitech, but here are a few changes you can almost certainly count on from leaked photos:

• Thicker steering wheel.
• 6 buttons on the wheel.
• Shift indicator lights.

Few people gave much weight to these pictures when they surfaced late last year.  However, although the final design could obviously change, GTPlanet can independently verify their authenticity for now.  It’s important to closely watch the development of Logitech wheels, given the company’s long, close relationship with Polyphony Digital.  It would not be unreasonable to expect the G27 to hit at roughly the same time as GT5… Stay tuned!

Polyphony Digital’s Citroën GT is set to become one of the most expensive “production cars” (if you can really call it that…) sold today, coming in at £1.1 million pounds or approximately $1.8 million U.S. dollars.  AutoCar got the scoop from “senior inside sources”, who revealed that only six of the cars will be made - all of which will be powered by either a “Ford or GM V8″.  That’s considerably less than the 20 production models that were hinted at before, but according to AutoCar, “most of the concept’s features should make the final production version, including the carbon-fibre construction and eccentric interior details such as the copper trim.”  Sweet!  The final production version of the car is expected to be launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September.

While you’re saving up, check out this video showing the GT’s recent tour around London.

In a short but sweet interview with AutoWeek magazine which must have fallen through the cracks with all the other E3 news, GT series creator Kazunori Yamauchi stated that “We will give the release date of Gran Turismo 5 soon.”  The question remains, though - just how soon is “soon”?  Speculation is mounting in our forums, with many pointing towards the upcoming Tokyo Game Show this September 24-27.  Aside from taking place on Polyphony Digital’s home turf (their offices are located in Tokyo), the 2007 TGS show is where they announced the release date for GT5 Prologue.  While this is just speculation, you can see the pieces of the puzzle would fit together quite nicely.

Another surprisingly interesting portion of the interview came when Yamauchi was asked about Gran Turismo 1’s development:

AW:  How hard was it to make that first game?

KY:  It took five years. In those five years, we could not see the end. I would wake up at work, go to sleep at work. It was getting cold, so I knew it must be winter. I estimate I was home only four days a year.

He also mentioned the original game was created by a staff of only 7 people!  Oh, how things have changed….

Since E3 earlier this month, the entire GT community has been looking forward to the release of July’s PlayStation Official Magazine, after last month’s issue promised a major Gran Turismo 5 feature article.  Early this morning, the new French edition started hitting newsstands, and it didn’t take long for scans to hit the web - for all the wrong reasons.  No new information could be found, and the screenshots were simply lifted from the official E3 trailer.  Some are still holding out hope that the UK or US editions will contain fresh content, but that’s extremely unlikely.  We’ll keep an eye out just in case…

People keep referring to this magazine as “OPM”.  However, that’s the acronym of the now-defunct “Official PlayStation Magazine“.  The new magazine is called the PlayStation: The Official Magazine.  Both were/are associated with Sony, which drove speculation that they would use their own media property to announce new information about GT5.

This little game just keeps looking better!  Take a closer look at the Ferrari Enzo and the Nissan GTR V-Spec in these impressive new screenshots.  For the skeptics, take a look at this gameplay video footage.

Polyphony Digital’s Citroen GT concept car has been busier than ever - first appearing at the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring, hitting up the 24 Hours of Le Mans a few weeks ago, and now stopping traffic as it drives the London street circuit from GT5 Prologue.  Of course, this made for some pretty impressive photo ops, which you can see below.  The car is slowly making its way to the Goodwood Festival of Speed, taking place July 3-5.  Full press release after the jump…

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The Gran Turismo brand once again made a strong showing last weekend at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.  Trackside banners could be seen all around Circuit de La Sarthe - most notably at the chicanes down the  Mulsanne straight.  Sony also continued their strong support of the Pescarolo Sport racing team’s Peugeot 908 LMP car, in the quickly-becoming-classic light blue/green/white livery that you probably remember from GT4.  Polyphony Digital’s Citroen GT also made the rounds this year, (supposedly) doing a honorary lap around the circuit (still waiting on pictures of that) and appearing in a local driver’s parade.

(Photo by Brecht Decancq.  Thanks to DaveTheStalker for the Mulsanne screen grab, too.)

If there’s one thing the “general” gaming press knows about Gran Turismo, it’s that big news about the series can drive lots of traffic.  Unfortunately, that’s exactly what is happening right now in the Internet rumor mill, and it’s getting fans everywhere stirred up for no good reason.  It all started when Play.com - an online games retailer with of no particular authority - listed Gran Turismo 5 as “due for release on 27/11/2009″.  This isn’t anything new or exciting, as pretty much everyone who has waited on a game to be released is well aware how retailers wrecklessly throw release dates around.  Until an official date comes along, it’s little more than someone’s best guess.

That didn’t stop TheSixthAxis from picking up the random date (via a NeoGAF forum post) and running with it, further sensationalizing the story with the matter-of-fact title, “Gran Turismo 5 Gets UK Release Date”.  Of course, the link was promptly posted to gaming news aggregation site N4G, and has since spread to VG247 and PSXExtreme.  It’s almost funny to see the authors slipping down the slippery slope of quoting retailer release dates, as they are suddenly forced to acknowledge (and link to) a seemingly endless sea of nonsense.

Indeed, it would be funny, if it wasn’t taken seriously by so many people.  Casual fans won’t read this article, nor will they pay much attention to the source of TheSixthAxis’ date.  When the official date is then released by Sony (say, March of 2010), people will become very upset, claiming the game has been further “delayed”.  In reality, though, no date was ever moved, nor was the game ever “pushed back” from anything other than their own personal expectations.  Be wary of the internet rumor mill surrounding GT5 - I hope you’ll continue to rely on GTPlanet for accurate, cited news about your favorite series.

UPDATE:  A Dutch PS3 site claims to have contacted Play.com, who said the release date was given to them by the publisher. If that’s true, not only is Sony releasing 5 of their biggest titles on the same day (according to other games on Play.com with the same November 27th release date…), but one of Sony’s own representatives lied when directly responding to all of this drama.