Microsoft has revealed the new Forza Motorsport and it is utterly gorgeous, making full use of new technologies like raytracing to make one of the most stunning racers around. But the additions are more than skin deep.
As part of its Xbox and Bethesda Showcase, Microsoft revealed the latest entry in its more sim-focused racing series Forza Motorsport. It’s dropped the numbers from its title, reflecting that it’s a new era for the series on Xbox Series X.
As well as a trailer for the racing game, which you can watch below, developer Turn 10 Studios broke down some of the key advances of this entry.
The most obvious changes are the graphical advances. Turn 10 is using raytracing in Forza Motorsport to convey details such as cars reflecting the paintwork of other cars, and photogrammetry and 3D rendering to create hyper-realistic environments and vegetation.
However, another big advance is the new dynamic time feature. As you race you will see the time of day change, the sun going down and shadows growing longer. This has a visual change, with things like race lights turning on and, in the track we were being shown, which loops around a carnival, the lights of the Ferris wheel turning on.
But it’s not just a visual change, as the sun goes down, so does the ambient temperature, which means the surface of the track cools, and that has an impact on your car’s grip. It’s a subtle but important change to how you’ll face, especially when you combine it with the dynamic weather and new ability to change your tire composition and fuel mix.
There look to be a lot more in-race decisions you can make from previous games, and that’s a significant change.
You can see more about it in the gameplay demo:
Microsoft confirmed all the games in its showcase will be playable in the next 12 months so while we didn’t get a release date for Forza Motorsport we won’t have to wait too long.
