Microsoft has unveiled the new Forza Motorsport and it's absolutely stunning, making full use of new technologies like ray tracing to make it one of the most impressive controllers out there. But the additions are more than skin deep.
As part of its Xbox and Bethesda showcase, Microsoft has unveiled the latest entry in its more simulation-focused Forza Motorsport racing series. It removed the numbers from its title, reflecting that this is a new era for the series on Xbox Series X.
Along with a trailer for the racing game, which you can check out below, developer Turn 10 Studios has outlined some of the major trailers for this entry.
The most obvious changes are the graphic advances. Turn 10 uses ray tracing in Forza Motorsport to convey details like cars reflecting paint from other cars, as well as photogrammetry and 3D rendering to create hyper-realistic environments and vegetation.
Yet another big advance is the new dynamic time feature. As you run, you'll see the time of day change, the sun set, and the shadows lengthen. It has a visual change, with things like the running lights turning on, and on the track they showed us, which revolves around a carnival, the lights on the Ferris wheel turn on.
But it's not just a visual change, as the sun goes down so does the ambient temperature, which means the track surface gets colder and that affects your car's grip. It's a subtle but significant change in how you'll get by, especially when you combine it with dynamic weather and the new ability to change your tire composition and fuel mix.
There seem to be a lot more mid-race decisions than you can make in previous games, and that's a significant change.
You can see more in the game demo:
Microsoft has confirmed that all the games in its showcase will be playable within the next 12 months, so while we don't have a release date for Forza Motorsport, we won't have to wait too long.