Jordan Greer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h8GPApp1Cg

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.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO26tmL-_gE

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.

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.

If you’ve been holding off on GT5 Prologue because you don’t want to pay for a “demo”, you are quickly running out of excuses – especially if you’re in the United States.  As has been reported around the web, Target has dropped their in-store price on the game to $9.98.  That’s an incredible $30 less than the old MSRP for the game (and what’s still listed on their website), and $20 less than it’s new Greatest Hits price.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZw3ObYN6uE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep0vcFE7Ezg

Not long after the dust settled at E3, people started to ask when we could expect the next batch of news from Yamauchi and his team at Polyphony Digital.  It didn’t take much time to find out: the PlayStation Official Magazine is expected to preview Gran Turismo 5 in next month’s issue.  Of course, there are no guarantees as to what this “preview” will contain – indeed, it may simply be a re-hashing of what we already learned at E3.  With that said, it makes sense for Sony to drive “official” magazine sales by using its own media property to announce new information.  Keep a close eye on those newsstands!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn5rBftQ1b0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2uQ2ayvvWY