GT Academy 2012 Starts Today

The search for the next generation of GT Academy champions begins today! 
This year’s competition will be bigger than ever before, open to players in more than 15 countries in four different regions:

• Europe:
• Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg
• France
• Italy
• Spain and Portugal
• Switzerland
• Austria and Poland
• UK and Ireland
• The United States of America
• Russia
• Germany

Here’s how everything works  

The exclusive Gran Turismo content will be available to download from PlayStation Store, free of charge, from 17.00BST / 18.00CEST on May 1 until 23.59BST / 00.59CEST on 24 June. You can download and take part at any time during this period, so even if you miss the start you can still play catch up and get involved.  

Once you have downloaded the content, Polyphony Digital will release new rounds approximately every two weeks; in total there are eight rounds and within each round there are five sections.

Here’s a list of the rounds and when they will be available:

Round 1 and 2: 1/5 (Tue) 17.00BST – 24/6 (Sun) 23:59 BSTRound 3 and 4: 14/5 (Mon) 00:00 – 24/6 (Sun) 23:59 BST Round 5 and 6: 28/5 (Mon) 00:00 – 24/6 (Sun) 23:59 BST Round 7 and 8 (ROUND 8 IS FINAL/QUALIFICATION EVENT):  6/11 (Mon) 00:00 – 24/6 (Sun) 23:59 BST

A champion will be crowned from each region, with each getting the chance to drive for Nissan in the 2013 Dubai 24 Hours. Players in other countries will likely be able to download and play the demo, but will not be eligible for the competition’s main prize. As of writing, however, no official confirmation of this has been announced by Sony.
GT Academy 2012 will be available on the PlayStation 3 as a free, downloadable mini-game via the PlayStation Store. The game will consist of eight consecutive time trial events over the next eight weeks.
Good luck, everyone!
http://www.gtplanet.net/gt-academy-2012-launches-today-in-15-countries/

GT5 Update 2.04 Out Now

A new update has been released for Gran Turismo 5
 
The main contents of the update are as follows:
79MB
- Improved the performance of online races to provide a better racing experience. However, please note that using voice chat by 12 or more players can reduce screen refresh intervals.

- Reduced wobbling of the screen when using the Chase view. (The Chase view is when the car is viewed from the rear during races and replays, selected by switching views using the SELECT button)

- Electric cars (opponent cars and your cars in B-Spec) will now pit-in automatically to recharge the battery.

- Reduced the amount of steering pull when using force feedback steering wheel controllers in banks of tracks such as the Special Stage Route X Oval.

- The initial force feedback of Logitech steering wheel controllers when driving formula cars, has been made milder, and was adjusted to make it easier to drive in a straight line.
Applicable controllers: Driving Force™ GT, G25 Racing Wheel、G27 Racing Wheel, GT Force®Pro, GT Force®、Driving Force™, GT Force®RX and Driving Force Wireless
Applicable cars: Red Bull X2011, Red Bull X2010, Ferrari F10, Ferrari F2007, Formula Gran Turismo

[Correction of Known Issues]
- Fixed an issue where speedometer, position and/or best lap time is sometimes not displayed on the 2nd player side of the 2P Split Screen.
- Fixed an issue where exhaust noise is heard even after changing from a combustion engine car to an electric car in the same online race.
- Fixed an issue where if the game is started without signing in online and then saved, the cars and tracks included in the Racing Car Pack and Course Pack would become unusable.
- Fixed an issue where electric cars would not recharge in the pit and become immobile.
- Fixed an issue where when the oil of the Toyota Prius was changed in GT Auto, the motor ceased to function correctly.
- Improved the force feedback of the Guillemot Thrustmaster T500 RS, where the 10 level adjustment of feedback force (Especially when using the X2010 and X2011) was not working effectively. Also improved a condition where it was difficult to drive in the intended path.
- Improved the force feedback for the Logitech Driving Force™ GT, G25 Racing Wheel, G27 Racing Wheel and GT Force®Pro, where the 10 level adjustment of Feedback Force (Especially when using the X2010 and X2011) was not working effectively.

GT5 New Seasonal Events Now Available

New Seasonal Events have also become available, which include the following races:

• 400PP Rome City / 3 Laps
  1st: Cr.185,600  2nd: Cr.113,000  3rd: Cr.99,300
• 500PP Tokyo Route 246 / 3 Laps
  1st: Cr.303,000  2nd: Cr.184,200  3rd: Cr.161,800
• 650PP Madrid City / 5 Laps
  1st: Cr.427,200  2nd: Cr.260,000  3rd: Cr.228,500

http://www.gtplanet.net/gran-turismo-5-2-03-update-dlc-new-seasonal-events-now-available/

GT5 2.03 Update Now Available

The latest Gran Turismo 5 update, version 2.03, weighs in at 225MB and is currently going live around the world.

• 12 new My Home theme colors and 12 new wallpapers for [GT Mode] have been added to the game. Please find these from the [My Home Settings]-[My Home Design] menu on the left side of the screen.
• Tire wear speed prediction has been added to the pit stop decisions in B-Spec, to prevent tires from wearing out completely during long races.
• Regenerative braking (which recovers energy by converting kinetic energy into electricity) in electric cars have been made stronger to extend driving distance.
• Electric cars will now also creep forward (as in standard automatic cars) when the brake is released without pressing the accelerator.
• Regarding the Chaparral 2J race car’s performance points, the increased performance factor due to the downforce produced by the fan is now calculated.
• A issue has been corrected where the car would pit in unintentionally during the last lap of a B spec race.

http://www.gtplanet.net/gran-turismo-5-2-03-update-dlc-new-seasonal-events-now-available/

GT5 Route X Demo Run Video