Sony's recent marketing campaign for the PlayStation 5 Pro Enhanced version of Gran Turismo 7 misled many fans, including me. I bought the upgraded console on day one and was extremely disappointed when I found out the hard way that after all the Pro Enhanced marketing song and dance, GT 7 wasn't among the titles that received the update on the console's release date, November 7. Ten days later, fans are still waiting, especially those who bought the Pro mainly for GT 7.
One of the main reasons Gran Turismo 7 isn't on PC yet is that it's a system seller. Naturally, many die-hard fans flocked to the stores to buy the new gaming hardware, hoping to play Sony's flagship racing title with the new ray-traced graphics and higher framerate.
After spending $700 in the US and 800 Euros in Europe, vertical stand and disk drive not included, many fans were understandably disappointed when they discovered first-hand that the much-advertised PS5 Pro Enhanced features were completely missing from the game.
Sure, it ran better than before due to the extra horsepower, but what was indirectly promised wasn't there at all. Why "indirectly promised?" Well, Sony's marketing machine knew exactly what it was doing when it showboated the new ray-traced graphics at every turn.
Photo: PlayStation
Digital Foundry, CNET, and other media outlets that got hands-on time with the game's Enhanced version analyzed the living daylights out of the improved visuals, which created even more hype. The blame is obviously not on them; they were just doing their jobs.
But when you put together the constant barrage of ads and presentations, it's only natural to assume the update would be there on day one, next to the other 50+ titles, including F1 24, Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown, and The Crew Motorfest. Otherwise, why put it front and center every time?
I tested F1 24 and The Crew Motorfest on the Pro, and they're every bit as exciting as the developers promised. I mean that in terms of graphics, performance, and clarity. I'm sure GT 7 will be no exception.
F1 24 has a 4K ray tracing mode, a 120 fps Performance mode, and an 8K 60 fps mode. On a 4K 120hz OLED panel, the first two modes look spectacularly crisp and gorgeous, especially in the cockpit view, where things get really immersive.
Photo: PlayStation
The 8K mode is roughly useless, given that almost no one has such a high-res display. The Gran Turismo 7 Enhanced features mirror F1 24's three modes, but the difference is that the latter actually delivered what was promised on day one.
Not to be snarky, but overpromising and underdelivering in the gaming industry has become a rising and unfortunate trend. Recently, The Crew Motorfest launched its Year 2 Pass, and while it works on most platforms, Steam users are having problems accessing their bought-and-paid-for content.
However, regarding the Pro features, Motorfest not only talked the talk but also walked the walk by delivering on what was promised. I also tried it out on the Pro, and oh, boy, is it stunning. It's now closer than ever to its high-end PC counterpart regarding crisp-clear graphics and performance.
The resolution is so good that it makes the version on the standard PS5 look blurry, like 1080p upscaled to 4K. Depending on the case, it's probably not worth paying $700 or €800 just for the exact same graphics with extra clarity. But "to each their own," as they say.
Photo: PlayStation
That being said, after you see the clarity difference between the old PS5 and the upgraded one, it's hard (although not impossible) to go back to the lower-resolution versions. This can be said about almost every Pro Enhanced game out there, especially Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Returning to the Gran Turismo 7 update, the game's producer, Kazunori Yamauchi, recently teased five new silhouetted vehicles and a possibly ambiguous message, saying, "Sorry to keep you waiting." While this brings hope, it's still unclear whether he was referring to the upcoming cars or the still-missing GT 7 Enhanced update.
People are still debating the new models, but the most common nominees, starting from the upper left and moving clockwise, are the new-gen Suzuki Jimny, '92-'96 Ford Escort RS Coswort, Mercedes-Benz W196 Monoposto, Porsche Mission X concept, and Mercedes-AMG GT (2nd Gen) or Porsche 911 Turbo S (992).
Again, these are more or less educated guesses, and arguments can be found for and against many of them. It's just taking shots in the dark until PlayStation releases an official blog post. If most of them turn out to be true, the ray-traced update will surely make them shine like never before.
Photo: PlayStation
Regarding PS VR2, Polyphony Digital or Sony didn't mention anything related to the Pro update. So far, YouTube videos showcasing the game in VR show minimal differences between the base PS5 and the Pro. With no official word yet, it's a simple matter of the classic waiting game. The odds are that nothing too serious will change on PS VR2 given the lack of publicity, but you never know what high-res rabbit the devs pull out of their hats.
To sum it all up, I'm not saying the update can't drop on the 11th day just to make me look like a fool by writing this article. What I'm actually getting at is that marketing campaigns should be more responsible and not toy around with misleading ads that make some people spend $700-$850 on a product only to discover that the thing they bought it for isn't there.
Codrin just loves American classics, from the 1940s and ‘50s, all the way to the muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. In his perfect world, we'll still see Hudsons and Road Runners roaming the streets for years to come (even in EV form, if that's what it takes to keep the aesthetic alive). Full profile
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