Kanzunori Yamauchi has spoken of a "global community" surrounding 5, the boss speaking to GT Channel on the new features enabled by the PlayStation 3.

The veteran game maker also spoke on how the console's beefy engine has allowed his team to do all manner of new things with the game.

"This Gran Turismo was going to be the first game produced for the PlayStation 3 hardware, so we definitely had to take the specs of the game to a whole new level," Yamauchi explained.

"For example, we've increased the number of cars that can run in a single race. We've also worked hard to make the driving simulation more real; for instance, we've tried to give the player more control when drifting the car. Another element is the AI, the cars that you race against. It's become much more intelligent."

Speaking of the potential inherent in the game's online modes, Yamauchi notes that "Now the community will really become global."

Gran Turismo 5 is out this year, we hope.

By Luke Guttridge