More Gran Turismo 5 Prologue online patch details

The Gran Turismo 5 Prologue online patch is out now in Japan as a cool Christmas gift to Japanese virtual racing enthusiasts, leaving other gamers from other regions in the cold. But don’t fret, since we have some details on hand about the nifty feature. Check them out in the full article!

Still drooling over the screenshots of the Gran Turismo 5 Prologue online patch from Polyphony Digital? We managed to scrounge up more information that may just prompt you to go out of your way and get your GT 5 Prologue patched (even if it’s in Japanese). According to IGN, the online races run smoothly with minimal lag, which is pretty remarkable for the first release of the online feature.

It should be noted that online races in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue have some limitations and set racing conditions depending on the tracks. For example, a beginner’s race in Daytona Speedway will have three laps, a maximum of eight players, and is limited to using only sports cars. On the other hand, a mid-level race at Suzuka will have two laps, a maximum of eight players, and are also limited to using sports class cars.

Here are the other conditions and limitations in GT 5 Prologue Day 1, as noted by IGN:

• Upper-level race event at Fuji: three laps, max eight players, using super car class
• Upper-level race event at Fuji: three laps, max sixteen players, all using Elize 111R in professional mode with S1 tires.
• Beginner’s time trial at Daytona: using middle car class
• Mid-level time trial at Eiger: using sports car class
• Upper-level time trial at Daytona: using super car class
• Upper-level time trial in London: using super car class in professional mode with S1 tires.

As for the other good stuff, virtual racing enthusiasts may be pleased to know that loading times don’t hinder the experience during online time trial races, and that gamers, after ending a race, are immediately sent back to the online menu screen to go and join another one, seamlessly.

More details and updates to come!

Via IGN