The PlayStation VR2 is nearly here, launching this month on February 22nd, and one of the later-announced and more exciting additions to its line-up of launch titles is definitely Gran Turismo 7.
Coming as a free update to those who already own the game, GT7’s VR mode has been confirmed as being a fully-featured racing experience with the game giving VR audiences access to its proper roster of races and cards – a big step up from the watered-down VR modes in Gran Turismo Sport on the PS4.
Previews have started to drop for the game, including one on PlayStation’s very own blog, which should naturally be interpreted with the knowledge that it was written by SIE’s own Project Manager but still gives us a nice glimpse into what we can expect later this month. Of particular note is the new VR showroom mode, which will allow players to closely inspect every single one of the game’s 450+ cars in VR.
Meanwhile, Thomas at Traxion.gg was similarly impressed by the game’s VR update, saying “Make no mistake, this is the apogee of Gran Turismo racing.”
Jordan from GTPlanet said “Now that the full game can be played in VR, it’s not just a gimmick or a technical showcase — it transforms the whole experience. The PSVR2 is a seriously good piece of hardware, and the way it provides a plug-and-play experience is worth a lot on its own.” and was surprised at just how well the game plays with the Sense VR controllers over a dedicated steering wheel (which can still be used inside VR.
IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey was particularly excited by the opportunity to sit inside the game’s meticulously-modelled cars in VR, citing his visceral reaction to the cockpit view of the DeLorean, a car he’d own himself for over a decade.
“You can be in the cockpit of the car and – so this is going to sound stupid and ridiculous and I’m okay with with that, I’m putting myself out there – having owned a DeLorean for 12 years, over thousands of hours, 50 thousand miles I drove that car, it really was like I was sitting in the car again.”
The website posted its own hands-on preview video, which is well worth a watch if you’re keen to hear and see more about what it’s going to be like taking GT7’s enormous roster of cars out on the track in VR.
The PlayStation VR2 releases on February 22nd, 2023.
We recently went hands-on ourselves with Horizon Call of the Mountain and came away very impressed by Sony’s next-generation VR headset.
