
GT5 Update Coming October 27th
Just as the North American gamers are getting to grips with yesterday’s DLC addition, Kazunori Yamauchi has announced a game update. The update will address issues gamers have brought up with the Spec 2.0 version of the game released earlier this month:

Gran Turismo 5 DLC Releases in North America Today [UPDATE]
Though there’s still been no explanation from Sony regarding the delay of Gran Turismo 5’s first batch of DLC in North America, its release date of October 25th is finally here. The exact time the new content will become available in the PlayStation Store is not known, though it will likely be in the afternoon, Eastern Time (Edit: Confirmed as 14.00PST through Twitter).

“Many Batches” of Additional Content Coming to Gran Turismo 5
Gran Turismo 5 took top honors in the Racing category at the 2011 Golden Joystick Awards, one of the gaming industry’s highest-profile awards ceremonies (congratulations, Polyphony Digital!).

GTP Photomode Competitions: Week 47 Round-up!
It’s true, it’s true… the Tournament has come and gone. In its place, our community is taking advantage of the biggest overhaul to GT5 since its release, with the Spec 2.0 update adding some features, and the DLC packages this week (and next for North Americans) bringing even more content. What better way to show off your new rides?

New GT5 Online Time & Drift Trials, Online Car Dealer Update
New Time Trial and Drift Trial events are now available in Gran Turismo 5:

Kazunori Yamauchi Addresses GT5 DLC Complaints, Update Coming in December
Following the community reaction to some of the intricacies of the downloadable content released earlier in the week (or next week for North America), Kazunori Yamauchi has been busy working on solutions and responding to complaints via Twitter. The latest of these includes a nod to the present, one-off nature of the car pack:

Free Nissan GT-R GT500 Stealth Model in Gran Turismo 5
To celebrate the official conclusion of the North American GT Academy competition on Speed TV (hopefully you were able to join GTPlanet’s live viewing party!), Polyphony Digital and SCEA have now made the Nissan GT-R GT500 Stealth Model available as a free download in North America.

GT Academy Finale Tonight on Speed, Twitter Contest Winners Announced
The North American GT Academy finale is about to begin on Speed TV, tonight at 10:00PM Eastern Time. As announced yesterday, GTPlanet and Nissan are hosting a live viewing party on Twitter (where Nissan is about to give away even more prizes), and I hope you’ll join us!

North America’s Bonus GT5 Downloadable Content Details
Although Sony has still not explained the seemingly bizarre last-minute delay of Gran Turismo 5’s DLC in North America, they have now detailed the “special bonus” the region will receive when the content is eventually released next week on October 25th. From the company’s latest PlayStation Store Update:

Beware: Gran Turismo 5’s DLC Locked to Single PSN Account
Since Sony Computer Entertainment America’s surprise announcement regarding the delay of GT5’s DLC in North America late last night, it’s been a rocky road for fans eager to enjoy the new content.

GT5’s DLC Delayed in North America, Releases October 25 with “Special Bonus” [UPDATE]
Only hours away from release, Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced via Twitter the release of Gran Turismo 5’s first DLC – including the highly anticipated Spa Francorchamps circuit – has been delayed in North America until October 25th, 2011. No further explanation is offered, but the tweet does mention the content will include a “special bonus” when it is eventually released next week:

GT Academy Finale on Speed Tues. at 10PM ET, Live Twitter Viewing Party (with Prizes!)
It’s been interesting and entertaining to watch America’s fastest Gran Turismo players make the transition from virtual to reality over the last four weeks, and now the final episode of GT Academy on Speed TV airs this Tuesday, October 18th at 10PM Eastern Time. If you haven’t been able to watch, don’t worry – all the episodes are right here.

More GT5 Spa Francorchamps Videos with Weather, in Full HD
Since Amar212 offered our first hands-on look at Gran Turismo 5’s new DLC content, he’s been hard at work with R0M of TaxiGamer capturing more top-quality videos of Spa Francorchamps which showcase the track’s weather changes. You can watch a few of the clips on YouTube below, or head over to TaxiGamer to grab the direct, 60FPS, 720p video files.

Gran Turismo 5 DLC Hands-On, Spa Francorchamps Gameplay Videos, Screenshots
GT series guru Amar212 has managed to unlock Gran Turismo 5’s upcoming DLC, and has shared the very first hands-on videos of Spa Francorchamps on behalf of GTPlanet and his own Croatian GT community, GTSurgeons. Amar is documenting his discoveries here in our forums, and I’ll continue updating this blog post as he goes over all the new content.

GTP Photomode Competitions: Week 46 Round-up!
It’s been a busy week for racing game fans – that’s by bad excuse as to why this week’s Round-up is late. But, here we are! In the midst of literally dozens of Schulze N24 GT-R’s running around online, our 2nd Photomode Tournament is just wrapping up. There’s only a few hours left to vote, so help decide the winner of the matches below…

GT Academy Winner Jordan Tresson & Team Win Blancpain GT4 Championship
Last weekend, 2010 GT Academy winner Jordan Tresson became the second of Nissan’s graduates to win an international championship. Along with his RJN Motorsport team mates, Alex Buncombe and Chris Ward, he took the Nissan 370Z to the GT4 title in Sunday afternoon’s season-closing Blancpain Endurance Series race at Silverstone.

Gran Turismo 5 DLC Coming October 18th, Includes Spa Francorchamps
Hot on the heels of the massive Gran Turismo 5 Spec 2.0 update, Polyphony Digital has just released all the juicy details on the game’s first batch of DLC, or “downloadable content”. It will all be available to purchase via the PlayStation Store, starting October 18th. Here’s a closer look at what’s coming:

Gran Turismo 5 Spec 2.0 Now Available
Gran Turismo 5’s biggest update yet, Spec 2.0, is here! It weighs in at exactly 1192 MB, and is available now at no charge – just load up your game and put your Internet connection to work.

Red Bull X2010s For All in GT5, New Seasonal Event
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcI-rHO0yko

New GT5 Time & Drift Trials, Online Car Dealership Updated
Hot off the heels of the formal Gran Turismo 5 Spec 2.0 announcement, Polyphony Digital has just made two new Time Trial and Drift Trial events available in the game: