Gran Turismo Anywhere Set for Launch in Early February

Next GT5 title update will include remote racing functionality.

Gran Turismo 5 fanatics will soon have a new way to kill time at work. Franchise creator Kazunori Yamauchi confirmed that Gran Turismo Anywhere -- a service that will allow players to issue orders and keep tabs on GT5 races via web browser or mobile device -- will launch in early February.

Gran Turismo Anywhere gives GT5 players the ability to play "team director" anywhere they have web access, controlling B-Spec races running on their PS3 by issuing orders to their driver such as "increase pace" or "pit in."

"Remote race soon, and I can say around early February," Yamauchi tweeted.

Gran Turismo Anywhere was first announced at last year's Tokyo Game Show. The web portal will also feature My Home, which includes GT5 message boards, photo sharing, and other racing-focused social features.

On the official Gran Turismo web site, Polyphony Digital provides an outline of how the system will work:

Set your "My Driver" to "Share with Friends" to enable that driver to compete with the "My Driver" of your friends on PlayStation Network (PSN) in a Remote Race. Select the "My Drivers" of you and your friends that are set public, then choose your cars. Once a race set is created the race will begin automatically. This is called "Remote Racing." After completion of the race, all "My Drivers" that participated in the remote race will gain experience. You can race your "My Drivers" against your friend's drivers in this way to gain experience.

The studio also clarified that GT5 must be running on your PS3 for Remote Racing to work, and while players will be able to get live race updates and results via text, the system will not enable live viewing of the race.

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