George ‘Carbo’ Houvardas takes the chequered flag in the Gran Turismo digital drive-off
Fast car fantasy becomes handheld entertainment reality on the world’s newest PlayStation® device – ‘PSP®go’
SYDNEY, 1 October 2009 – This morning, racing car driver Grant Denyer, gadget fanatic Tom Williams and rev-head ‘Carbo’ from Packed to the Rafters, George Houvardas, took part in the ultimate digital drive-off challenge to mark the launch of Gran Turismo® on PSP® (PlayStation® Portable).
Car lover and GT fanatic, Houvardas, was the first to take the chequered flag in today’s race, following a fast paced digital hot lap of the legendary Californian Laguna Seca circuit in a Lamborghini. His nimble fingers and astute hand-eye coordination ensured Houvardas handled the Gran Turismo challenge on PSPgo with skill, precision and grace, all the way to the finish line.
“The boys put up a good fight, but in the end, my hours of dedicated circuit training, clearly paid off,” said George. “Being able to play GT on my PSPgo wherever I am, whenever I have a spare 10 minutes, makes the time I have to hand around on set or in studio a whole lot more fun! The real winner today though is my charity, The Australian Children’s Music Foundation, who gets to reap the rewards of my winning driving skills!”
Alongside the real life versions of the virtual cars they were racing in the game, Grant took to the course in a Mini JWC Coupe, George in a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder and Tom in a Lotus Exige Cup 260. PSPgo in hand, they took to the circuit with speed and power, racing neck and neck for the majority of the track.
Then, as Grant took the lead in the final lap, the boys battled the breaks until George crossed the finish line in first place. The boys celebrated in true racing style with the spray of a magnum bottle of Champagne.
While George walked away with the glory and bragging rights, it was his charity of choice, The Australian Children’s Music Foundation, that won the real prize, thanks to a donation from Sony Computer Entertainment Australia.
Having won the digital drive-off, George threw open the challenge to all GT fans; “Unleash your inner racing car driver and enjoy the fast paced thrill of the ultimate driving simulator feel of GT on PSP.”
The arrival of Gran Turismo on PSP coincides with today’s launch of the new smaller, lighter, digital-only PSPgo. Consumers who purchase and register a PSPgo between 1st and 10th October 2009 will receive a free copy of Gran Turismo (valued at $79.95) via PlayStation®Store. See www.playstation.com.au for full redemption details.
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Notes to editors:
Both Gran Turismo for PSP, and PSPgo launch globally today, October 1.
About Gran Turismo
- Gran Turismo franchise is available exclusively on PlayStation
- This is the first time it has been designed in its portable format for the PSP
- Developed exclusively for PSP by the internal team of designers and engineers at Polyphony Digital, Gran Turismo is built for optimal performance and fun racing excitement on the portable platform
- Gran Turismo for PSP features more than 800 vehicle models from the world’s top manufacturers and 35 tracks, most with alternate layouts including famous world circuits, city courses and other environments
- Available both on UMD® and as a digital download from PlayStation Store, Gran Turismo is now available on PSP-3000 and PSPgo
- RRP $79.95
About PSPgo
Moving apace to meet the needs of today’s digital consumers, PSPgo innovates to bring you the entertainment power of PlayStation, in a stylish new portable design. Lighter and smaller than before, with an easy sliding display panel, PSPgo has no UMD or disc drive and is designed to be compatible with downloadable content, freeing up the space in your pocket.
Use it to show your photography portfolio, store your favourite music, watch films and TV and play games downloaded from PlayStation Store, all thanks to 16GB of internal flash memory. This storage space is also expandable via a Memory Stick micro slot.
PSPgo also features clock and calendar modes, Skype functionality and benefits from the free content management software, Media Go, allowing users to manage digital content on their computer and download new software and applications for use on the go.
The new design makes the PSPgo 43 percent lighter than the existing PSP and enhances the portable entertainment experience with maximum connectivity options via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. PSPgo also boasts an impressive 3.8 inch colour screen, giving users the best view of their games, movies and images.
PSPgo launches from 1 October 2009, and will sit alongside a range of new colours for PSP-3000 (including Mystic Silver and Radiant Red). Providing more choice for consumers in a style-focused, innovative and premium product, PSPgo is designed for pocket-sized, quality entertainment on the go.
RRP $449.95