In keeping with the theme, here are a few words from Mick Hocking, Vice President for Liverpool, Evolution and London studios, on where he thinks gaming will be in 2048. Mick is largely responsible for the creation and development of such series as WipEout, MotorStorm and SingStar, and is well placed discuss where we have been and, crucially, where we are heading.

At gamescom you appeared as part of a panel looking at the shape of gaming in 2021. The latest WipEout game is set in 2048; what will gaming be like then?
Mick Hocking: Well the pace of change is already so fast. Just look at the advances from PSP to PS Vita. In just seven years we have added touch screens, cross play, next-gen graphics, dual analogue sticks. I mean seriously; that’s pretty incredible.

At gamescom I talked about the potential of mixing stereoscopic 3D with augmented reality. I can see a point where home headsets will become a real possibility. They’ll be lightweight, with high resolution screens and tracking sensors too. Possibly even these headsets’ screens will be transparent, so players can see the real world as well as augmented reality stereoscopic 3D at the same time. So you can have a fully immersive experience, a partially immersive one, or an augmented reality experience with this one device.

And what about portable gaming?
Mick Hocking: Well if we stick with the headset idea, I see no reason why once such technology became established in the home, it couldn’t be modified for portable use. I was playing Heavy Rain recently and thought that the AR technology that Norman Jayden uses to solve cases could be amazing if applied to gaming. Everyone who has played that game remembers the scene when he gets given that pokey office and uses the AR glasses to completely modify the way he sees the world around him. One minute he’s underwater, the next he’s on the surface of Mars, then he’s above the clouds in a stunning mountain vista. Imagine if, by wearing a set of similar glasses, or even some kind of contact lens you could completely transform wherever you are – on the bus, in the park, wherever – into a completely immersive and interactive game world.

What will 2048 bring in terms of software rather than hardware? What types of games will we be experiencing on the portable consoles of the future?
Mick Hocking: Well, I really hope that we’ll still be making WipEout games!

What I do think you’ll see are games that increasingly blur the lines between the gaming and real-world environments. PS Vita is already doing this in a few ways. The front and rear cameras are used to put game objects in a real world setting on-screen, Reality Fighters is a launch title that really shows off this capability. Also the “near” functionality allows you to collect virtual items by passing by real-world locations where PS Vita users are, or have been. Fast-forward 30 years and think back to the AR- style technology we discussed and imagine the possibilities. Even when not actively playing a game you could look around you and spot gaming items, characters, perhaps even entire ‘levels’ to interact with.

I see it this way: Thirty years ago when the only real handhelds were the Game & Watch kind, the kind of power and gaming experience that PS Vita is offering would have seemed impossible. In the future, technology is going to allow game designers to create experiences that are limited only by our imaginations.

What did you think? Pretty cool, no? What’s really interesting about WipEout 2048 and the direction the team at Studio Liverpool took with it, is that it takes place in the not too distant future and serves as a precursor to the events that take place in the original WipEout on PS one. And because of that it differs from WipEout experiences in the past.

Races are now multi-tiered – one minute you’re barreling through the busy streets of Nova State City and the next you’re scrambling for first place up the side of a building. The world in which WipEout 2048 takes place in is grittier than what’s come before it simply because we’re entering into it when the sport is still at a nascent stage.

Teams are finding their feet, sponsorship is there – yet not as rife as it is in later seasons – and there is a lot of money at stake on the part of investors desperate for the sport to succeed and capture the world’s imagination. Not to mention competition from rival sports hankering after audience numbers and, in turn, capital. It’s raw; it’s real (ish) and its WipEout like you’ve never seen it before.

So, there you have it – a quick glance of the streets of Nova State City and motorsport metamorphosis in the year 2048 with Graeme and Lee. Let us know what you think of it in the comments, and in the meantime have a look at the clean version of the intro below presented just as it is in the final game, winging its way to you in a little over a month on PlayStation Vita.

If there’s any game series that’s synonymous with PlayStation, it’s Wipeout. This fast-paced combat racer has appeared on every single PlayStation console, and now it’s preparing to make the jump to PS Vita with Wipeout 2048. We recently interviewed producer Michael Pulst, who gave us a tour of the new control options (front and rear touchscreen as well as motion controls), gameplay refinements, and multiplayer support between PS Vita and PS3. Read on for highlights from our interview.

PlayStation.Blog: What are longtime fans likely to notice first about Wipeout 2048 on PS Vita?
Michael Pulst, Assistant Producer: We’ve made the tracks a little bit wider. Wipeout has always been known for its intense, hardcore racing; in the past games, you were not only fighting the other players but you’re also fighting the track. It was so hardcore that it actually turned some people off. It was a barrier to entry, and the team recognized this. By making the tracks a bit wider, you’re able to concentrate more on the race and fighting off the other players.

But because Studio Liverpool has been making Wipeout for years and years, they understand its core gameplay extremely well. So even though it’s a little bit easier in terms of its difficulty curve, this is very much Wipeout to its core.

PSB: Tell me about the tiered racetracks. How many paths are there on the tracks in Wipeout 2048?
MP: Not only do we have multiple vertical levels on some tracks, we have multiple track paths. In one of tracks, Sol, you’re racing down a skyscraper — it’s extremely fun. At one junction, you can either break to the left or the right; if you go left, you’ll get six speed pads before you reconnect with the main path. If you go to the right, you pick up items and weapons that might let you take out the racers who took the left path. So it adds a bigger strategy because you can choose your approach. If you suck at taking tight, twisty turns, you’ll learn to take alternate routes that tend to be less direct but offer speed pads or item pickups.

PSB: Have there been any tweaks to item pickups or weapon functionality?
MP: In previous Wipeout games, there was one item pickup pad that offered both offensive and defensive items. In 2048, the item pads are split up between offensive and defensive, so you can be a bit more strategic. If you’re in first place, you can focus on picking up items that are useful to you.

PSB: Wipeout 2048 uses almost all of PS Vita’s hardware functions. Tell us how 2048 taps into PS Vita’s hardware.
MP: For starters, we support the motion controls — you can tilt to the left or right to steer. I like steering this way at times, particularly in the cockpit camera view. The thing with motion controls is that they’re extremely accurate, which can be a double-edged sword at times. But I guarantee that by the time you take the third lap in the game, it’ll click.

We also support the rear touchscreen for acceleration, while the front touchscreen is used for firing and regaining ship energy. What’s great is that we support hybrid control schemes, so if you’d rather use the X button for acceleration, you can. You can use any combination of tilting, buttons, and touch to control the game. We don’t force you into one specific control scheme.

PSB: And how does PS Vita’s camera tie into the multiplayer mode?
MP: We support up to eight players online. When you begin the race on PS Vita, the game takes a photo of your face. At the end of the race, your face gets beamed to all the other players — kind of a glory moment!

PSB: Perhaps the most technically impressive feature is the crossplay support with the PS3 version of Wipeout HD Fury. What are my options in terms of crossplay?
MP: Not only will PS Vita players be able to play 2048 with other PS Vita players, they will be able to play Wipeout HD against PS3 players using Wipeout HD tracks and ships. And the number of PS Vitas and PS3s doesn’t matter for crossplay. It can be seven PS3s and one PS Vita, seven PS Vitas and one PS3, or any number in between.

There are so many people who own Wipeout HD, so you get immediate access to that community and you can experience tracks and a gameplay style that’s unique. When you’re playing Wipeout HD cross-play on PS Vita, you are able to use motion controls and touchscreen features as well, if you like.

The game focuses on the birth of Anti-grav racing and the Liverpool Studio team is keen to focus on how the architecture of the futuristic city shapes both look and gameplay. I caught up with Graeme Ankers and Stuart Tilley out in the sunshine between presentations.

It’s fantastic to see a new WipEout game on its way, particularly one that is looking to take the series in a new direction. We already know that it will support cross platform play allowing Vita and PS3 players to go head-to-head online and I’ve just learned that the soundtrack – a vital ingredient in the WipEout DNA – features new remixes of Underworld and Leftfield tracks from the original game, as well as a new track from Deadmau5.

Can’t wait!