Upcoming Racing games 2016

As of 2016 there are a few racing games that are highly anticipated. Some of the games have an established history and are just expanding the franchise, while others are just entering the market.

One highly anticipated game is Gran Turismo Sport which will be the seventh installment in the Gran Turismo series. The previous games was released over three years ago for the PS3 and the next one will be the first one available for the PS4. For this game polyphony digital the developer of the games has partnered with FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile). They are a governing body for motor sports world wide, and represent 80 million road and track users from 141 different countries. It is the first game to be certified by the FIA, which gives them access to racetracks so they can be recreated.Gran Turismo is an established franchise and is known for its realistic game play, so Gran Turismo Sport should be a success and further the franchise. 

Trailer

Project Cars 2 is another highly anticipated game do to the initial success of the first installment. It will feature 50 different locations, 200+ different courses including snow, gravel, mud and dirt tracks. It will also allow you to race in different disciplines from rally to hill climbs. There is a co-op mode where you can be the driver and another player can be the spotter or co-pilot just as you would have in a rally cross race. The one thing that differentiates project cars from other games is that it is funded and created by the community. So the testing process involves the community and uses their feedback to improve or fix bugs in the game. 

Assetto corsa is a game that is already available for the PC but it will be releasing for the PS4 and Xbox in June. It is similar to Gran Turismo and project cars as it is also a racing simulator. It features a physics engine that simulates heat cycles, aerodynamic simulation, and energy recovery simulation. It also has licensed cars that are reproduced in the game with the help of the car manufacturers such as BMW, Ferrari, McLaren, Pagani . In addition the tracks are lasers scanned and include famous tracks such as Monza and Silverstone.

The future of racing games

Racing games have evolved very rapidly of the past few years in terms of graphics, controls and are very realistic. These games try to emulate the racing in the seat of a car as close as they can to the real thing. The graphics have definitely improved from the early pixelated arcade games to sophisticated games today where you can see reflections in the paint. The controls have improved as the technology has vastly improved to allow you to get the full racing experience. Their are racing wheels that you can connect to your console or pc to allow you to play the game with a steering wheel, pedals and a gear shifter.

Now their are companies that produce full cockpits including a racing seat that you can attach your racing wheel and pedals to. This usually connects to a PC so you can attach multiple monitors so you can get a surround feeling, with the left and right monitors showing in your peripheral vision. This is similar to what you would see out a real car when navigating a race track, as you would use the rear view mirror and door mirrors to navigate.

http://obutto.com/gaming-cockpits/ozone-gaming-cockpit/

To further your experience there are cockpits available that tilt and move to simulate the g-forces you experience when breaking, turning, or accelerating. This is great for drivers that want to practice since they can practice on several different tracks without going to the track and they don't have to worry about the gas or tires. It allows them to focus on improving their skills and removes all the other variables that can limit a drivers track time.

Currently these cockpits are expensive but as time goes on it should bring down the price so that consumers can afford it. They may also integrate it with a VR headset to decrease the cost and give the player a full 360 degree view which will make the experience more realistic.

Modern Racing Games 2011 - 2016

Modern racing games have evolved tremendously from the early arcade games. They have much better graphics due to advances in technology. Gameplay has evolved to allow players to race online, and become more realistic in terms of how the car handles. Gaming franchises such as Gran Turismo go to great lengths to make the experience as real as possible. They scan some of their tracks such as willow springs so they can capture all the imperfections of the asphalt. Because the game is so realistic it is possible to used by race car drivers to practice. As a result Gran turismo launched a program called the GT academy in which people around the world race around a track in the game to get the best possible time. Only the top 20 out of about 400,000 make it to the second round. This is followed by a national finals, an international race camp and then you get to race in a 24 hour race. Through this program you can go from racing a car in a game to actually driving around a real race track.

Gran Turismo 6 vs Real Life - Ascari Circuit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4SqdKrbZN8 

http://jalopnik.com/how-the-creator-of-gran-turismo-changed-the-culture-of-1506326698 
http://www.nissanusa.com/gtacademyshow/ 


Project cars developed by slightly mad studios in 2015 and was released for the PS4, Xbox one and PC. It is focused on providing a player a realistic driving experience just like Gran Turismo. The game was funded by the community and the developers unlike traditional games. But it differs in the sense that it allows you choose between different Motorsports. The game can also be played in virtual reality so you can fully immersed in the experience. The game featured 4 different modes online, solo, career, and community. It also gives you the ability to tune cars, you can change the tire pressure, ride height, down force and sway bar. It gives you infinite options to tinker with to get the right setup for the race track you are racing on.

VR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUeu5MhPxjw 
Gameplay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHIrzzPY2eA



Forza 6 was released in 2015 a full ten years since they released the original on the Xbox. The newer hardware of the Xbox one allowed features such as wet weather racing which would actually affect the cars driving. Another improvement was the lighting which allowed them to release a highly requested feature which was night racing. The physics engine was also improved to make it more realistic.

Gameplay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZBJ9sdp45M