Forza Motorsport boasts an obscene level of realism
The game's time of day and ambient temperature affects how well your tires grip the track.
Microsoft's Summer 2022 gaming showcase included the first real gameplay trailer for Turn 10's upcoming racing sim, Forza Motorsport, the eighth mainline entry in the Forza series
Racing sims like Forza have always been on the bleeding edge of photorealism in games, and it's looking like Forza Motorsport will be bringing that and more to the classic series' latest entry.
In what might be the most "E3" quote of all time, one of the game's developers promised a "48 times improvement in the fidelity of our physics simulation." While that claim may have had me reeling at first, Turn 10 studios seems to be backing it up. I was blown away by the team's promise that Forza Motorsport's real-time time of day would affect ambient temperature, which in turn would impact how grippy the tires on your cars are.
The visuals on display are suitably gorgeous as well, with the game bringing real time ray tracing to the series for the first time. The trailer featured the return of Maple Valley, a classic track from the original Forza rendered beautifully with modern techniques. Forza Motorsport is currently scheduled for a release in the Spring of 2023.
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Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister's copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he's not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch.