The Gran Turismo Awards recognizes the best vehicles at the SEMA SHOW (Specialty Equipment Market Association) in five different categories: Best Hot Rod, Best Asian Import, Best European Import, Best Domestic Automobile, and Best Truck/SUV. After the five category winners are judged, one winner from each category is selected on performance and style by leading automotive media. From there, it falls to Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi to select the overall GT Awards “Best in Show” winner. Walking the show floor, Kazunori-san views each of the category winners and selects a vehicle that best represents the Gran Turismo brand; one that will be immortalized as a fully playable part of the Gran Turismo franchise for millions of fans around the world.

In addition to the music acts following the awards ceremony, guests will have a chance to check out the latest new features and content for Gran Turismo 5, including our recently released GT5 DLC.

For those who didn’t attend last year, here’s a look at our 2010 GT Awards “Best in Show” car, Mark Stielow’s red 1969 Chevy Camaro…

For those of you in town to attend SEMA this week, come on by with your badge to check out the awards event and a great concert. We look forward to seeing you on Thursday!

In a nutshell, the PlayStation Move Pack lets you create levels with (and for) the PlayStation Move motion controller, and it includes a set of levels built by Media Molecule to make your creative juices juicier. LBP has always been all about communities creating and sharing, so rather than show you our 200-slide marketing presentation, I’ll hand you over to Andrew, AKA Chimpanzee, creator extraordinaire and editor of the splendid Rocket Cheetah, for enlightenment…

Back in May I was lucky enough to be invited to the hallowed grounds of Mm Towers to check out the new LittleBigPlanet 2 features they were working on and hang out with some well-known Creators to see what they could do with them. We all knew that Media Molecule were working on an update to the game, introducing brand new tools which make use of the PlayStation Move motion controller, but what we saw was so much more than LBP 2 with added ‘waggle’.

15 members of the community from as far afield as the USA and France descended on Media Molecule’s Guildford studios and to kick things off we were given a brief demonstration of some of the features of the Move Pack.

Looking back, I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised by how much was being given to creators – after all, Media Molecule aren’t exactly known for doing things by halves. Aside from features that people are expecting, the Move Pack also includes a wealth of amazing new gadgets and tweaks which Creators have either been asking for forever or don’t even know that they need yet, but will soon wonder how they ever did without.

First up was the Manipulator, a power-up which can be dropped into a level to instantly enable Move gameplay. It works just like other power-ups that you’re already familiar with; It’s equipped when a player walks over it and can be removed with the power-up remover. With the Manipulator, the player aims by pointing the Move motion controller and can pick up, move around and carry grabbable objects using the trigger. It has a set range (similar to that of the grappling hook) indicated by a translucent orb around Sackboy.

The Moveinator is the PlayStation Move’s equivalent of the Controlinator. As well as all the standard buttons, it gives Creators access to all of the Move’s sensors: Gyroscopes for rotation and tilt on all and the accelerometers to detect up. down, left and right movement. Anyone who’s used the Controlinator in their levels will find the Moveinator’s circuit board very familiar. All of the outputs can be wired-up to Mover logic to allow the player to control any object directly.

Combine the Moveinator with the Move Cursor and you’ve got instant point and shoot gameplay. Just plonk one of these new logic chips down on the Moveinator’s circuit board and you’re given a reticule which you can aim with the PlayStation Move. You can customize the pointer to be any sticker you like and you can even tweak a range of options to have it change color or even switch to a completely different graphic when it hovers over specific objects.

To illustrate how some of the new features could be used, we were shown a few of the MM-made levels that’ll be included in the downloadable pack. It’s the largest piece of DLC that Media Molecule have released so far and the variety of gameplay is bound to inspire Creators to come up with even more exciting and original ideas. The main story levels consist mainly of puzzle/platformers where you play using with a DualShock or Sub-controller in one hand and the PlayStation Move in the other – a control scheme that was surprisingly easy to get used to. But the mini games are where I was really blown-away. One was a Labyrinth-style game where you had to tilt the Move to guide a ball through a maze-like track. In another, you had to use the Move Cursor to arrange objects, conveyer belts and bounce pads on a board to guide a dumb Sackbot from one side to the other.

Overwhelmed? I was. But grab a cup of coffee and take a deep breath because we aren’t even nearly done yet!

Next we we shown some of the smaller but equally pleasing new tweaks and tools. Firstly, Media Molecule have been listening and have delivered on a much-requested feature: Multipliers on Score Givers! Huzzah! You can even tweak how often the score is multiplied and by how much. They’ve also introduced Speed and Rotation Sensors which output if and how much an object is moving, which I’m sure will be music to many Creators’ ears. There’s also a new Slicer Tool. This works in a similar way to the Corner Editing Tool but allows you to pick any two points on the edge of a shape and slice it in two – a big time-saver.

Yet another new tool is the Move Recorder – a new logic chip which records the fluid motion of the Move controller. This allows Creators to give realistic, organic behavior to any object and anyone who’s used Sackbots’ “Act” function will instantly recognize how it works.

Well, that’s about it. Oh wait, no it’s not!

Just a small thing really, no big deal, it’s just that LittleBigPlanet 2 now has a freakin’ paint studio! The fully-featured Sticker Creator takes you to a whole new interface where the Move controller is your paint brush. Excuse me while I gush here for a moment but it really is no exaggeration to say that the artistic types among you will be able to create fully-fledged masterpieces with this. There’s a selection of brush types, shapes and colors to choose from and you can also change the brushes opacity, allowing you to blend several colors together to get that precise shade that you’re after. You could also take any existing sticker and use it as a brush or stamp. I used it to make a rather lovely ocean of bright yellow rubber ducks but you could of course get a little more creative with it and compose hundreds of different stickers together into something incredible

The paintings you make can then be used as stickers in-game, shared in prize bubbles or exported in high-resolution to the XMB.

With all these awesome new stickers you’ll be making, you’ll want a way to display them in their full glory in your levels. Mm has you covered, yet again, with the new Sticker Panel material. This mysterious new substance is magical; draw out a block of it in Create mode and as soon as you stick a sticker to it, it becomes completely invisible, leaving only the sticker behind. Sticker Panels behave in a similar way to the Hologram material in that it has no physical properties, can pass through other objects and can be stacked on top of one another in the same layer. However, unlike Hologram material, a Sticker Panel doesn’t affect the sticker’s color or opacity… unless you want it to of course.

Phew! That about does it for my ‘brief’ round-up of the LBP 2 Move Game Jam. It was a truly amazing to see some master Creators in action, let loose with some new toys. I really cannot wait to see what the rest of the community does with them.

A huge thank you to Spaff, Tom and everyone at Mm for making it happen and to everyone who was there on the day for letting me tap them on the shoulder every 10 minutes with a curious “Whatcha dooin’?”

The date is locked in: Gran Turismo 5 will go on sale throughout North America on Wednesday, November 24th.

That means you’ll be experiencing over 1,000 cars, including karts and select NASCAR cars, scores of tracks, the all-new Course Maker, a dynamic weather system, a robust online community, and everything else Gran Turismo 5 has to offer in less than two weeks.

Along with confirming the November 24th date, Kazunori Yamauchi, President of Polyphony Digital Inc. had this to say:

Gran Turismo 5 is an ambitious project, with challenges and complexities which have made it our version of the Apollo Space Program! When we created the original Gran Turismo back in 1997, we wanted to set a completely new precedent for the racing genre. With the technological leap onto PlayStation 3, our objective with Gran Turismo 5 was to create another great revolution which would not only satisfy our own high expectations, but would meet or even exceed the anticipation of the fans. Satisfying the loyal Gran Turismo followers is at the heart of all of our efforts, which is why it was such a difficult decision to delay the release of the game, and one which we did not take lightly. I can only apologize to everyone for making you wait so long, and I hope that when you try out the wealth of driving experiences available in Gran Turismo 5, you will not be disappointed.

Don’t forget to pre-order Gran Turismo 5 if you haven’t already to ensure your copy day one and receive a voucher for one of five free downloadable cars with a custom Stealth Model skin.

We’ll have much more on Gran Turismo between now and launch, so please stay tuned to the PlayStation Blog and the official Gran Turismo site.

The Gran Turismo Awards at SEMA recognizes the best vehicles in five different categories: Best Hot Rod, Best Asian Import, Best European Import, Best Domestic Automobile, and Best Truck/SUV. After the five category winners are judged, one winner from each category is selected on performance and style by leading automotive media. From there, it falls to Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi to select the overall GT Awards “Best in Show” winner. Walking the show floor, Kazunori-san views each of the category winners and selects a vehicle that best represents the Gran Turismo brand; one that will be immortalized as a fully playable part of the Gran Turismo franchise for millions of fans around the world.

In addition to the music acts following the awards ceremony, guests will have a chance to check out and play Gran Turismo 5 prior to launch.

For those of you in town to attend SEMA, come on by with your badge to check out the awards event and a great show. We look forward to seeing you Wed evening!

Honda will have a huge 3D Spectacolor screen installed to show off their new “Eclipse” commercial in 3D (at 46th, between Broadway and 7th), and there will be a host of other 3D content that will be showcased at the event.

Some other items to keep an eye out for:

• Exclusive musical performance by N.E.R.D. at the Honda Stage at 12:30pm located on Broadway between 42nd and 43rd Streets
• Interactive CR-Z vehicle displays
• Racing simulators for fans to play Gran Turismo 5 in 3D, featuring the CR-Z in-game
• Maxim models on site to distribute copies of the first ever 3D issue which includes a CR-Z 3D ad
• Polite in Public photo booths with 3D backdrops
• Distribution of special screen-printed shirts on-site

The event is this Thursday, September 23rd going from 10am to 6pm. Hope to see you there!

This was yet again a great opportunity to give players and families a chance to relax, get some food and drink, and play some of the latest PlayStation games including MLB 10: The Show, Gran Turismo 5, ModNation Racers and God of War III. Of course we didn’t just leave it at that. We also brought back the custom laser etching machine to carve some customized designs into PSPgos and wooden cases to provide for the all-star players. The PSPs were painted with unique all-star colors in a variety of styles, and etched with a design of the player’s choice. The laser machine went into overtime though, as the team laser etched the customized PSP boxes, a variety of notebooks, and even random guest items like phones and laptops. Additionally, Sony Electronics was kind enough to donate some equipment to also include for the players.

It was incredibly cool to see how unique each player went with their custom PSPgo design. Can you guess whose PSP this is? (Click through for the answer)

…or this? HINT: It’s not Dwyane Wade.

In addition to getting early hands-on time with the games mentioned above, the competitiveness of these guys also showed with players challenging each other to MLB 10 The Show, racing laps in GT5 with determination, and trying to tackle boss after boss in God of War III. To top it off, NBA 10 The Inside cover athlete Brandon Roy of the Portland Trailblazers stopped in to check out the games and spend some time with the various media that were in attendance. Unfortunately due to injury we didn’t get to see Brandon play in the game, but we did get to witness his skills at the various games available.

Current and former NBA players that stopped by the lounge included:

• Nate Robinson
• Brandon Roy
• Paul Pierce
• Kevin Durant
• Rajon Rondo
• Chris Paul
• Deron Williams
• Derrick Rose
• JR Smith
• Al Horford
• Taj Gibson
• Russell Westbrook
• Stephen Curry
• Dikembe Mutombo
• Patrick Ewing
• Brook Lopez
• Bruce Bowen
• Marc Gasol
• Demar DeRozan
• Ronny Price
• Anthony Morrow
• Flip Murray
• Omri Casspi
• Danilo Gallinari
• Louis Amundsen

You can see all the pictures of the players and their custom PSPs in Flickr. But we can’t possibly leave without showing off a pic of LeBron’s custom PSPgo, plexi case and kicks. Enjoy!

Two days ago, PlayStation hosted the 7th annual Gran Turismo (GT) Awards in Las Vegas, taking place in conjunction with the 2009 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show. We had some impressive entries and a fantastic turnout at the ceremony, headlined by a live performance from the The Offspring at Rain nightclub inside the Palms hotel. Kazunori Yamauchi – creator of the Gran Turismo franchise – chose a 1970 Ford Mustang from our Hot Rod category as our overall “Best in Show” vehicle, so a big congratulations to owners Todd Gartshore and Phil Koenan – get ready to see you car cruising around the virtual tracks of Gran Turismo 5!

Speaking of GT Awards winners, we got a chance to catch up with two of our past champs at the event and got their thoughts on winning “Best in Show”, but also how it feels to see (and play) your very own car in Gran Turismo, which they were able to play last night for the first time. Here’s what they had to say:

Brian Filoteo of High End Performance, Inc., 2008 winner with his 2007 Infinity G37

“Being a part of the winning team at the GT Awards was a surreal experience. We all feel very grateful and humbled by winning the most prestigious award in the automotive aftermarket industry. It’s every enthusiast’s dream to be immortalized in Gran Turismo and we are extremely honored by being one of the select few to win – can’t wait to win again! Watch out for us next year when we release our next big project. Everything we do here is for our brother JR. May he rest in peace.

Seeing the car in the game is a hair-raising experience. Immediately after walking in the award ceremony last night, we were graced with videos of our car in the game. I got goose bumps just from seeing the car driving around the beautiful virtual world of Gran Turismo. The look and feel is identical to real life and the detail captured in the game is incredible. The drive feel is also scary similar, especially the sensation of speed. Real life physics and textures are presented perfectly and really the only thing that can compare to it is actually hoping in a real car and taking a drive. On behalf of high end performance and JR Rocha I would like to thank SCEA and Polyphony Digital for the opportunity and the fulfillment of a dream. JR Rocha, this is all for you and we miss you with all our heart. Thank you again for the honor and the privilege to be a Gran Turismo Awards winner.”

Marcel Horn, President of HPA Motorsports Inc., 2007 winner with his 2007 Audi TT

“Being a GT Awards finalist is an honor in itself; to be linked with the elite of the industry and have our team’s work acknowledged by our peers amidst the vast range of impressive vehicles at the SEMA Show makes me extremely proud. The night we took home the Best in Show award, our entire team was on cloud nine. The energy level in the room was amazing as all egos seemed to be checked at the door while everyone shared in this common passion.

Having our 2004 Golf R32 appear in Gran Turismo 4 had been a highlight for our team and forever changed my view of gaming simulators. What SCEA and Polyphony have achieved with this latest rendition of the game had me questioning virtual vs reality. The incredible detail they captured brought the car to life. Driving our Audi TT at the awards party last night was one of the most liberating experiences, and I marveled at the sensation of speed and uninhibited interface with the car. I have quickly discovered a new addiction with this game—one that won’t require donations to the state patrol!”

Go here for additional information about the event and to see pictures and all of the category winners.

The Gran Turismo Awards at SEMA recognizes the best vehicles in five different categories: Best Hot Rod, Best Asian Import, Best European Import, Best Domestic Automobile, and Best Truck/SUV. After the five category winners are judged and selected on performance and style by leading automotive media, it then falls to Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi to select the overall GT Awards “Best in Show.” Walking the show floor, Kazunori-san views all category winners and selects the vehicle that best represents the Gran Turismo brand, and one that will be immortalized as a fully playable part of the Gran Turismo franchise for millions of fans around the world.

In addition to the music acts following the awards ceremony, guests will have a chance to check out the latest gameplay of Gran Turismo 5. Winners from the past two GT Awards events, the 2007 HPA Audi TT from the 2007 awards, and the 2007 high performance Infiniti G37 from the 2008 awards, will be playable in the latest version of Gran Turismo 5 at the event.

Also to help celebrate the awards and the upcoming SEMA week, we have teamed with the automotive enthusiast site Autoblog to have them give away a GT PSP entertainment pack each day the entire week (five in all) starting Monday, November 2nd. We encourage you to jump on over to Autoblog to check out the contest and try your hand at getting one of these prized possessions. Good luck!

With the World Series starting up tonight, we’d like to peer into the future a bit using the most authentic baseball simulation around, MLB 09 The Show. Utilizing the Artificial Intelligence (AI) in MLB 09 The Show, we simulated the 2009 World Series and the results were very interesting – especially if you’re from Pennsylvania. Here’s a look at the video highlights…

The series was full of ups and downs as the both clubs clawed it out to the very last pitch. The Phillies took an early 3-1 lead behind the strong pitching of Cliff Lee, but the Yanks came right back with clutch hitting by A-Rod, Jeter and Teixeira to push the series to a decisive Game 7. With the World Championship hanging in the balance, Chase Utley would become Philadelphia’s savior hammering a three-run homerun in the top of the 8th inning to seal an improbable 8-2 victory against the favored New York Yankees.

Here are some of the final stats…

Final Scores:

• Game 1: Phillies, 12-3
• Game 2: Yankees, 5-4 (10 innings)
• Game 3: Phillies, 6-1
• Game 4: Phillies, 6-3
• Game 5: Yankees, 9-1
• Game 6: Yankees, 6-1
• Game 7: Phillies, 8-2

Key Performers:

• Cliff Lee, pitcher, Philadelphia Phillies – 2-0, 12 K
• Chase Utley, second baseman, Philadelphia Phillies – 11/28, 4 HR, 8 RBI [MVP]
• Ryan Howard, first baseman, Philadelphia Phillies – 7/25, 2 HR
• Jimmy Rollins, shortstop, Philadelphia Phillies – 8/26, 3 SB

• A.J. Burnett, pitcher, NY Yankees – 2-0, 10 K
• Mark Teixeira, first baseman, NY Yankees – 7/23, 5 RBI, 1 HR
• Alex Rodriguez, third baseman, NY Yankees – 9/24, 8 RBI, 2 HR
• Derek Jeter, shortstop, NY Yankees – 8/26, 4 RBI, 1 HR

Now that the 33rd and final players have been selected (congratulations Inge and Victorino), MLB 09 The Show has simulated the 2009 MLB All-Star Game. The prediction: The National League All-Stars will win for the first time this century, 5-2.

The most authentic baseball simulation available, MLB 09 The Show’s ultra-realistic AI doesn’t predict a slugfest. Rather, MVP Tim Lincecum sets the tone by throwing two scoreless innings to start the game, striking out four batters. The game is predicted to include a number of spectacular plays, including a towering solo home run from the Yankees‘ Mark Teixeira in the 4th inning, and a key play in the 7th where the Blue Jays’ Aaron Hill is thrown out at the plate on a perfect throw from Ryan Braun. A combined bullpen effort of four strikeouts from the Padres’ Heath Bell and the Mets’ Francisco Rodriguez helps seal the win for the National League, who hadn’t won an All-Star game in its last 12 attempts.

MLB 09 The Show is the top-rated baseball game available. Is it accurate? You’ll find out this Tuesday!