One lucky Gran Turismo fan recently had a chance to actually talk to Gran Turismo series creator Kazunori Yamauchi about all things Gran Turismo. Of course, one of the things that came up was Gran Turismo 5's release date. More from Yamauchi in the full article.

 

While a good number of steering wheel controllers have already been made for various consoles, nothing quite says style like this controller. Fantec, a German company responsible for making advanced gameware products, has designed a sleek steering wheel controller patterned from the Porsche 911 Turbo S's steering wheel for the Sony PlayStation 3 and the PC.

This leather steering wheel comes with the standard wireless USB features found in other steering wheel controllers. In addition, it actually sports force feedback controls which was initially unavailable for many PS3 games in particular.

Considering both the company's and the design's German origins, it wasn't very hard taking care of any licensing issues for the product. In any case, even if you can't get the actual car, you can satisfy yourself with this simulated feel of riding your very own Porsche in your favorite racing game on either platform.

Here's a complete list of all the features the Porsche 911 Turbo S steering wheel will be sporting:

• Original Porsche 911 Turbo S steering wheel design
• Licensed by Porsche Lizenz- und Handelsgesellschaft mbH
• Authentic metal Porsche logo on wheel
• Hand stitched leather wheel manufactured according to Porsche quality standards
• Compatible with PC and Playstation 3 (all games which support ForceFeedback wheels)
• 6+1 Speed H-pattern gear stick with realistic shifting feel
• Additional exchangeable sequential gear stick included
• Wireless pedals with + 100 hours battery life time (low battery warning on display and optional power supply cable for simulators)

You can check out the complete listing of features the Porsche 911 Turbo S wheel has right after the jump!

Fans of Turn 10's Forza Motorsport 2 for the Xbox 360 will want to look out for new downloadable content scheduled for release this weekend. The first DLC is for a 2007 SEAT Leon Cupra. This pack will be free of charge, much like the download pack you guys received last August.

The second download pack will add 10 new cars to your garage, at an expected cost of 400 MS Points. Here are the new vehicles you can expect to get in this upcoming Forza 2 pack:

• 2006 Audi R10 (#8 Audi Sport Team Joest) Prototype
• 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Hemi
• 2006 Dodge Challenger Concept
• 2006 Honda Civic Si Coupe
• 2007 Honda Civic Type-R
• 1967 Lamborghini Miura P400
• 2006 Lamborghini Miura Concept
• 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997)
• 2007 Saturn Sky Red Line
• 2007 SEAT Leon Supercup
  

Just log on to Xbox Live Marketplace come the appointed day, and these new packages should be up for grabs. That's all for the moment. We advise guys to keep alert for any related updates.

We're sure you guys have seen the screenshots and trailers for Electronic Arts' upcoming racing video game, Need for Speed ProStreet. Today, we've got some screenshots from the next gen versions of the game (PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360) and they feature six of the cars we'll be able to drive in the game.

In case you've been living under a rock, Need for Speed ProStreet is the latest title in EA's racing series. It promises to deviate from the series' original focus, arcade racing, and move closer to the racing sim gameplay. In the screenshots, we get to drool at the photorealistic graphics and the cars themselves. Here's the lineup: 1999 Nissan Skyline R34, 2006 Lexus IS350, 1989 Nissan 240 SX (S13), 2006 Acura RSX, 2006 Porsche 911 (997 Gen) Turbo, and 2006 Lotus Elise. What can we say? They're beautiful.

Anyway (before this writer drools all over her desk), we'll leave you to check the screenshots for yourselves. Need for Speed ProStreet is still scheduled to drift on the shelves this fall so you better watch out.

    

Electronic Arts' popular Need For Speed series has built its massive popularity around an arcade-style core philosophy which was more oriented with open-ended speed runs across streets than simulating the realities of motoring. With Need For Speed: ProStreet, the devs have taken a 180-degree turn and put the premium on realism than flash as this video indicates:

As seen in this video, the developers are not only overhauling the look to fit this generation of gaming, they also put on some extra effort into making the new physics engine the most accurate one in franchise history. Porsche lends them a hand and the hot cars have supplied all the data which need to be digitized.

In Need For Speed: ProStreet, players will have to race on closed tracks rather than open streets where cops await to nab you. Purists may cry foul over the changes, but let's try to calm down and let this hot-rod try and prove its worth.

  

Smokin' hot babe on an equally hot Porsche Carrera GT? That seems to be what a poster going by the name 'Neuborn' over at the CVG forums was thinking when he slapped Jessica Alba decals on his Forza Motorsport 2 ride.

Affectionately named 'Nancy', it's gonna be up for grabs from the Auction House with a starting price of 5,000 cr on Tuesday 9PM EST 'til Wednesday. Neuborn stated that this will be the only time he'll be making this paint job, so the car will be one of a kind unless someone copies it.

The ride looks pretty cool overall, and Jessica Alba was done well while showcasing her body in a bikini. Check it out for yourself, and tell us what you think.

  
 

You want cars, eh? Alright, here's a full list of race cars that you'll get to ride in Microsoft Games Studios' Forza Motorsport 2. And no, these aren't mere demo cars. These are the real things.

How many are there revving your way? There's 300+ models list, so there's no need to push and shove and create a stampede over them cars. As the list is really extensive, we just wanna point out to you some of the more obvious superstars included, such as the Gulf Team McLaren F1 GTR, and of course, the "Forza Motorsport" sponsored Risi Competizione #62 Ferrari F430GT.

To get all 300 of 'em, check out the official Forza Motorsport 2 site by clicking on the Read link below. In the meantime, here's a big chunk of 'em:

Year Manufacturer Country Car/Race Team Race Class
2001 Audi Germany #4 Johansson Motorsport R8 R1
2002 Audi Germany #1 Infineon Audi R8 R1
2004 Audi Germany #88 Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx R8 R1
2004 Audi Germany #5 Audi Sport Japan Team Goh R8 R1
2006 Audi Germany #2 FSI Champion Racing R8 R1
2003 Bentley United Kingdom #7 Team Bentley Speed 8 R1
1999 BMW Motorsport Germany #15 BMW Motorsport V12 LMR R1
2002 Cadillac United States #6 Team Cadillac Northstar LMP-02 R1
1998 Ferrari Italy #12 Risi Competizione F333 SP R1
2003 Panoz United States #11 JML Team Panoz LMP-01 R1
1993 Peugeot France #3 Peugeot Talbot Sport 905 EVO 1C R1
1987 Porsche Germany #17 Racing Porsche AG 962c R1
1999 Toyota Japan #3 Toyota Motorsports GT-ONE TS020 R1
2004 Chevrolet United States #3 Corvette Racing C5.R R2
2006 Chevrolet United States #4 Corvette Racing C6.R R2

And there's more at Full Article!

It's official, Forza Motorsport 2 will be released in Europe on May 2007, on the same date as its North American release. The 35 cars from Ferrari Lamborghini, Maserati, and Porsche are fully customizable in the game. This means that you can pretty much pimp your ride from its engine all the way to its paint job and yes, there are full body kits. Interestingly enough, after lovingly modifying your ride, the car crashes and pile-ups are wonderfully detailed.

So the long wait is coming to an end, put on your racing helmets and strap in, because Forza Motorsport 2 is coming very soon.

You can click on "Full Article" to see the complete list of Porsche, Maserati, Lamborghini, and Ferrari cars available for Forza Motorsport 2.

I'll admit it, I always thought hybrid cars were weak-ass cars with no power to speak of. And they looked weird. Imagine my surprise then, when I stumbled upon TrendPimp's feature on Toyota's FT-HS hybrid sports car concept.

  

The concept car, which was introduced at the 2007 North American International Auto Show, is touted as the replacement for the Toyota Supra, and get this: it's also being billed as "much faster than a Porsche, Mercedes AMG and any M series car from BMW." The best part? It only costs 1/4 the price.

According to TrendPimp, Toyota plans to sell the FT-HS somewhere in the mid-30K price range. The car has a read-wheel drive hybrid powertrain that aims to produce 400 horses and achieve 0-60 mph in around four seconds. To accomplish this, Toyota has combined a 3.5-liter V6 and an electric motor "in a similar manner to the Lexus GS450h." It's also got a retractable roof, which TrendPimp surmises will negate the use of the back seat when down.

No word yet on if the FT-HS will make it to production, so just check out the pretty pictures while we all wait for the official word.

Wanna see what the lovechild of Porsche and Navigon looks like? Check out the image below.

Called the P9611, the gadget you see above is a new GPS system from Navigon and Porsche. Powered by the MobileNavigator Premium software, the P9611 enhances the navigation user experience with an impressive list of "smart, intuitive category-leading features. These include superior text-to-speech capabilities, "street first" or "city first" destination entry, and predictive spelling support.

It also has actual sign text features, speed warnings, and automatic increases in navigation message volume to compensate for driving noise. The P9611 also comes with pre-loaded Zagat points of interest data.

The Navigon Porsche P9611 comes with a cool high-contrast 480 x 272 touch screen, 520 MHz Intel CPU, dual processor platform, graphics accelerator chip, 64 MB of both RAM and ROM, high sensitivity GPS receiver, and hands-free Bluetooth communications kits. For music aficionados, it also has a built-in MP3 player and high quality built-in speakers as well as a windshield cradle.

This sleek new GPS System will be available in Summer 2007 and carries a suggested retail price of US$ 899.