Sony NZ rolled out the big guns to promote the launch of Gran Turismo PSP this week. Media were shepherded into an underground dream car garage full of Porsches, Audis and Astons (also known as Giltrap Prestige in Grey Lynn) to get some hands-on time with the game which released on Thursday.

Kiwi A1GP racing star Jonny Reid and Porsche GT3 Cup drivers Timmy Martin and Jono Lester were at the event, offering to play the handheld Gran Turismo in ad-hoc multiplayer mode with anyone who fancied themselves a bit of a speed demon -- or anyone who just wanted a good thrashing.

Gran Turismo's first attack at portable racing is a lot of fun, even if it does feel understandably simplified compared with the console versions. True to form, it has a huge roster of cars to buy and tracks to drive, and each car is faithfully modeled with complete specs and description. The graphics are nothing spectacular, but on the PSP's small screen it looks crisp and runs at a solid framerate. Gameplay feels somewhat less than "a real driving simulator" however, with the lack of any damage modeling allowing us to "wall steer" around one of the tighter city circuits. The physics model can be switched from regular to 'professional' mode, though, which we didn't get a chance to test.

Some photos from the event are below. Watch out for our full review of Gran Turismo PSP soon.

 

Sony has posted a U.S. TV advertisement for Gran Turismo PSP on the official PlayStation blog.

The 40-second video features a real driver racing around Laguna Seca in a Corvette ZR1 while his passenger drives the same track in the game on a PSP.

Gran Turismo PSP will be released this Thursday, 1 October, on UMD and as a free download for PSPgo buyers.

A handful of new hi-res "screenshots" from Gran Turismo PSP have been released, showing the Corvette ZR1. These pics accompany the recent announcement that the ZR1 will feature on the game's cover art. There's also a stack of renders of the car model from all angles, in blue and "metallic" grey.

 

The box cover art for Gran Turismo PSP (coming October) has been revealed, and it features GM's phenomenal 638-horsepower supercar, the Corvette ZR1, in a starring role.

The ZR1, also known as "the Blue Devil", was personally selected by Gran Turismo series creator Kazunori Yamauchi as the cover vehicle, as a way to show support for the troubled U.S. auto industry.

"With all the automotive industry in the world at a crisis, I know that North American automakers are especially in a very difficult situation, and I understand the background and the reasons behind this," said Yamauchi. "And I can easily envision these things affecting our works as well. After all, as you well know, the game Gran Turismo is a video game that grew thanks to the insight and vision of the automotive industry, and in effect nurtured by its kindness, in its very womb."

Gran Turismo is definitely coming to PSP screens in October, simultaneous with the launch of the PSP Go, Sony says. That's for PAL regions (which includes us down under) as well as North America. Japan gets it a month later.