The VisionRacer Blog

Project CARS – Hockenheim Reality Check

Tue, 15 May 2012 21:18:00 GMT

This time, the comparison shows off Hockenheim as he has taken real-life footage from the first DTM round at the German Grand Prix venue to compare with Project CARS.

Hockenheim is among the Project CARS content instantly available to try in the latest development builds for team members. Team Membership is available for a one-time payment of 25€, entitling members to a weekly development build of Project CARS with all the latest content.

For more info on membership pricing and benefits, please check out the WMD website.

Forza Motorsport 4 – Porsche 911 GT2 Preview

Tue, 15 May 2012 21:17:00 GMT

Turn 10 has revealed a new car that is part of the 30-car Porsche DLC pack for Forza Motorsport 4 that will be released later this month.

The new preview shows the 1995 Porsche 911 GT2 at Hockenheim, the pack will feature a mix of street & racing machinery, several of the cars will be completely new to the Forza franchise.

The pack will not just consist of cars though as 20 new Porsche-centric career events will be added alongside 10 new Xbox LIVE achievements.

The Porsche expansion pack will be available starting May 22, due to the amount of content it will be more expensive than regular DLC packs as the pack will sell for 1800 Microsoft Points (roughly 20 US Dollars).

Fanatec ClubSport Pedals V2 Announced

Sun, 06 May 2012 22:08:00 GMT

In 2009, Fanatec introduced the ClubSport pedals with sophisticated features such as a load-cell brake and brake pedal vibration.

Since then, Fanatec has expanded their line of pedal sets as the ClubSports have received smaller brothers with the CSR & CSR elite pedal sets. With them successfully introduced, it was time to overhaul the long-running ClubSports to a new version.

The proven base design of the pedals remains unchanged, coming in a new black and brushed aluminum look. More important are the technical changes as the V2 ClubSports comes with a new hydraulic brake.

To accomplish this, the load-cell brake has been equipped with an oil dampener for an even more realistic feeling. Users can adjust the brake pedal by changing the silicone oil and the viscosity alongside the spring tension. The brake pedal has also been made stiffer and comes with less travel for improved feeling.

The clutch has also been overhauled as it now comes with a degressive clutch mechanism developed by Teki Ei-Ichi. The new ClubSports will be shipping together with the new ClubSport wheel, Fanatec has set the price to 249,95 Euros/Dollars, upgrade kits for old ClubSport pedal sets won’t be available.

Sim Racing Nvidia GTX680 Video Review

Sun, 06 May 2012 22:06:00 GMT

Seahawks1Fan has released his interesting video review of the Nvidia GTX680 graphics card.

While graphic card reviews are widespread on the net, this one is a little different as it focuses on the needs of sim racers and tests the card with the latest sim racing titles, including rFactor 2, iRacing and Project CARS.

If you like the work he has done to produce this review, consider voting for him at Inside Sim Racing to become Fanatec community tester.

Project CARS – Bathurst Reality Check

Sun, 06 May 2012 22:05:00 GMT

Below is the newest reality check video made by DigiProst, showing a lap around Mount Panorama in a powerful open-wheeler both in Project CARS & real life.

Bathurst is among the Project CARS content instantly available to try in the latest development builds for team members. Team Membership is available for a one-time payment of 25€, entitling members to a weekly development build of Project CARS with all the latest content.

For more info on membership pricing and benefits, please check out the WMD website.

iOpener Enabled Announcement

Sun, 06 May 2012 22:02:00 GMT

iOpener Enabled gathers real-time GPS data from racing cars and transfers their position on track into a racing simulation, allowing sim racers to compete against real life racing drivers either live while the race is going on or later on in a saved racing session.

The technology was extensively tested in 2009 using hundreds of community beta testers. While first tests started out rather small with iOpener Enabled tin top racers during test sessions at Zolder, at the height of its popularity iOpener Enabled cars were even racing in a FIA GT Championship practice session, allowing sim racers to virtually join a prestigious racing series.

After the public tests had been completed, iOpener announced to be working on a dedicated iOpener game and things got a bit quiet. This changes now as Fabio Gallo, who has taken over the CEO position from Andy Lürling, has posted a new message on Facebook:

Thanks to everyone who stayed tuned during a long hiatus.

Our company has undergone major changes in ownership, governance and management, but it is still very much alive and kicking.

The iOpener Enabled technology is working exactly as intended.

We can acquire real-time data from racing cars and inject it into simulation racing games, and the results are as accurate and exciting as you would like them to be.

As the new CEO I am committed to making sure that our technology is brought to the market and can be enjoyed by avid sim racing gamers worldwide.

This will happen through a variety of tools and partners, which may include the Real-Time Racing game and portal, but certainly not be limited to it.

You can rest assured that new and visible iOpener Enabled events will take place in the very near future.

Thanks again for your interest and your patience.

I am sure both will be rewarded by exciting news going forward.

Best regards

Fabio Gallo
CEO
iOpener Media

SimRaceWay To Develop Indycar Game

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:41:00 GMT

Ignite Skill Gaming’s SimRaceWay brand has announced to be working on an official Indycar series title.

The company has signed a licensing agreement with Indycar, allowing them to create titles with all cars & tracks of both the Indycar Series and Indy Lights, not just for the current season but future years as well.

The iconic Indy 500 race is part of the agreement as well, other than that info on the new title is still rather rare. The current SimRaceWay game is based on ISI’s trusted gMotor 2 engine, it remains to be seen whether the new Indycar title will be using the rather aged engine as well.

Either way, SimRaceWay will have plenty of feedback to work with as multiple Indycar Champion & Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti will be involved in the title’s development. The Scottsman recently tested SimRaceWay’s virtual DW-12 Indycar racer that will also be featured in the Indycar title.

One detail known about the new title is that it will use SimRaceWay’s “Skillquant” technology, described as “The world’s first highly-accurate, real-time skill quantification system” that will ensure close online racing competition.

Codemasters To Concentrate On Racing

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:39:00 GMT

Codemasters have announced to focus solely on their efforts in virtual racing as the studio doesn’t have any plans to develop any non-racing titles in the future.

To go along with this decision, Codemasters have launched their new Codemasters Racing label and are planning to hire an additional 100 staff members to add to their busy development team.

While Codemasters’ racing efforts in the Formula One & DiRT franchise have proven very successful, the studio’s latest action titles such as Operation Flashpoint: Red River & Bodycount failed to succeed on the market.

Currently, Codemasters are developing F1 2012, a Formula One browser-based title as well as DiRT Showdown, the company recently extended their Formula One licensing agreement for an unknown span of years.

Part of the studio’s new focus is Racenet, a new online hub that is planned to connect players of the studio’s titles across the board, offering drivers with a community profile and the chance to win extra content.

In related news, Alan Boiston of VVV Gamer recently interviewed David Darling, the original founder of Codemasters. Darling co-founded Codemasters with his brother Richard in 1986 when the company started making games for the ZX Spectrum. Darling left Codemasters in 2007 and is no longer involved in the company’s business.

Project CARS – Previews

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:38:00 GMT

Slightly Mad Studios have released the newest Project CARS Community Gallery, showing off stunning screenshots created by the busy WMD community during the past week.

The previews show off purely in-game footage without any post processing as Project CARS offers screenshot makers plenty of tools to create stunning images, including a free roam camera and a depth of field editor.

Furthermore, Alan Boiston of VVV Gamer has released a new video of his Project CARS coverage, showing off the California Highway track that was added to the quickly-developing title a few weeks ago.

Forza Motorsport 4 – Top Gear DLC

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:36:00 GMT

Turn 10 has announced the next DLC content pack for their Forza Motorsport 4 Xbox 360 racer as the Top Gear DLC pack will be adding ten new cars to the title.

Unlike past packs, this one does contain any new race cars but solely street machinery as well as the rather exotic Ford Transit SuperSportVan.

Car List

2012 Hennessey Venom GT
1977 AMC Pacer X
2011 Ford Transit SuperSportVan
2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
1966 Lotus Cortina
1992 Mitsubishi Galant VR-4
2012 Smart ForTwo
1990 Subaru Legacy RS
2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8
1965 Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII

The Top Gear DLC pack will be available on Xbox LIVE starting May 1st, selling for 560 Microsoft Points (roughly five Euro).

Test Drive Ferrari - Overview Video.

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:02:00 GMT

An interview and overview from Italy on the upcoming game.

GT Academy Available as Free Game Download

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:34:00 GMT

Penrose Tackie, European Brand Manager for GT5, has confirmed the schedule for GT Academy 2012 and there’s been a couple of small changes…

GT Academy this year, like the first GT Academy, features a first qualifying round that takes the format of a standalone, downloadable pack. The pack is free to download from PSN, starting on May 1st and doesn’t require Gran Turismo 5 in order to play it. The pack features exclusive content and challenges that “should be a lot of fun whether you’ve played Gran Turismo before or whether you are coming to the game as a complete newbie“.

Project CARS vs rFactor – Video Comparison

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:02:00 GMT

The video shows a lap around Donington in a Formula One car in both simulations. the video nicely shows the quantum leap in terms of graphics and other aspects of sim racing, while rFactor was released back in 2005, Project CARS is a current title that is still pre-alpha and is bound to improve even further before the title’s 2013 release.

Test Drive Ferrari Racing Legends

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:01:00 GMT

The video from Gameswelt.tv features Slightly Mad Studio’s producer Suzy Wallace who talks about several aspects of the title’s development as well as her personal experience with driving Ferrari’s.

For even more insight into the upcoming title, Outcast.it has interviewed Creative Director Andy Tudor who shares plenty of very interesting details with us.

Both videos also feature plenty of gameplay footage, showing the upcoming title in action.

The title will include 51 Ferrari road & race cars that can be raced on 36 circuits including variations. You can find a shot of each car below, make sure to also check out the car list & track list.

Test Drive Ferrari will be coming to the PC, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, the release is scheduled for June 30 according to various retailers.

Nissan GT Academy 2012 Starts May 1st

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:00:00 GMT

Nissan has officially announced the next edition of their hugely-successful Nissan GT Academy in co-operation with Sony, the 2012 edition of the competition is due to start on May 1st.

Held since 2008, the GT Academy’s aim is to find talent in the virtual racing community and help them get a real racing career started. The success of the program has exceeded everyone’s expectations as all past GT Academy winners have become successful in racing with 2008 winner Lucas Ordonez even becoming 2011 International Le Mans Cup LMP2 champion.

Following a successful spin-off for American users, Nissan is now branching out the competition further as Germany and Russia get a dedicated GT Academy while other European countries remain in the main competition. With three regional competitions and one European one, GT Academy 2012 will see four winners that will enjoy the main prize – A drive in the 2013 Dubai 24 Hours race next January that will hopefully just be their first step in a long racing career.

Traditionally, the GT Academy starts out as an online time-trial competition to find the quickest racers, the GT Academy software will be available on the PlayStation Network starting May 1st. Ownership of Gran Turismo 5 is not required, everyone with a PlayStation 3 living in one of the participating countries is invited to give it their best shot. The online events will be held until June 24, the quickest drivers emerging from there will be challenged in a series of real-life meetings to further prove their skills.

To give you an idea what the participants experience there, Nissan has released a little video trailer you can watch below.