GT Sport (Not Driveclub) is Only Racing Game in PlayStation VR Launch Trailer

After a long wait, PlayStation VR will be landing on shelves across the globe this Thursday, October 13. In a surprising twist, Sony has opted to show off Gran Turismo Sport as a part of the new accessory’s launch media blitz. Despite a delay pushing the title into 2017, and no public examples of the game’s VR capabilities before now, you can catch it mixed in with the other immersive experiences in the launch trailer above.

It’s been almost exactly a year since GT Sport was first officially announced at Paris Games Week 2015. Since the very beginning, we’ve known Polyphony has been testing Sony’s virtual reality tech: Kazunori Yamauchi stated “the experience looks to be something that’s very good, and very natural” during the game’s unveiling presentation.

While GT Sport gameplay only occupies a handful of seconds of screen time in the video, it does (seem to) reveal a new car to the roster: the road-going McLaren 650S. Originally introduced in 2014 as an update to McLaren’s mid-range “Super Series”, the GT3-spec racing version already exists in the game.

The interior shot is the biggest giveaway, showing the road-car innards instead of the pared-back GT3’s. While it’d make sense for the street model to be included alongside the racer, it’s worth pointing out that the original MP4-12C — a car that has already featured in the franchise during the PS3 era — looks largely identical from the driver’s seat.

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The mystery McLaren found in the latest PSVR trailer. Which could it be?

What’s most surprising about the launch trailer is the absence of Driveclub VR. We’ve played it, and deemed it a worthy showcase of what’s possible for the driving genre and virtual reality. Considering it not only has a solid release date, but is in fact launching simultaneously alongside PlayStation VR itself this week, it seemed a shoe-in for some time in the spotlight.

There could be numerous explanations for the decision: perhaps the closure of Evolution Studios is one, or the increased name-recognition of a 76-million strong franchise. Either way, it’s encouraging to see confirmation of the game’s VR initiative, and we hope this means Polyphony will soon begin ramping up the pre-release media machine.

Hat tip to queleuleu for first posting the trailer!

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Comments (11)

  1. GBalao888

    I honestly think that the mystery McLaren really is the 650S, just search for photos of its cockpit, and no matter how similar you think it is compared to the 12C, you’ll easily realize it’s the 650S.

    1. Kyle Patrick

      From my understanding, the material options for the interiors could be more or less the same between 12C and 650S, hence the mystery. I agree that it’s far more likely to be the 650S though, more so than anything else (including the 675LT).

  2. jm79

    Isn’t the orange paint job a dead giveaway that it’s the 650s, or is that reading too much into it?

    Either way, that little segment looks promising, and about time we had some new info, however small, about this game…

    1. Kyle Patrick

      To be fair, all of McLaren’s modern cars are available in that orange. I’m reasonably sure Bruce’s ghost would be spotted stalking the halls in Woking if it wasn’t!

    1. rikiflsh_99

      i think is the 650 because if you notice the center console, is surrounded by a single piece of polished carbon fiber … mclaren mp4-12c have the same piece but in aluminum (in gt6).

      and in that driving position seen in the trailer the hood is widely visible…the 650s has more long and high hood than mp4-12c.

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