GT5 Functionality Update 2.0 detailed, releasing October 11

The contents of Functionality Update 2.0 to Gran Turismo 5 have been detailed by Sony and Polyphony Digital, and it looks as though the free update will include interior views in standard cars, and the ability to save progress during endurance races.

The update will also include a package consisting of of 11 NASCAR 2011 vehicles, improvements to the weather settings with the ability to adjust the weather from the start of a race to its finish, and even Photo Travel Mode updates.

Load times have been shortened, an improved menu response and user interface has been implemented, car physics simulation is improved with a further evolved A.I., new features in the Online Lounge were added, and the game will now support Logitech's G25/G27 steering wheels.

"The coming Gran Turismo 5 Spec 2 update is an update that contains the feedback from the users playing GT5 online every day," said series creator Kazunori Yamauchi. "We have added cars such as the newest NASCAR race cars, but many of the updates are those that improve usability and expand the field of game play.

"I believed from the initial release of Gran Turismo 5 that it would be the users that would make the game grow thereafter, and we added things like interior views for the standard models because there was a lot of request for it from our users. You could say that this update is the shape and form of GT5 that was created through the opinions of our fans."

Additional DLC for GT5 is also in the works, and will include new vehicles, tracks, and other new content, all of which is to be announced at a later date.

Functionality Update 2.0 drops on October 11, and those in the US who have yet to purchase the game should note the game's price has been dropped to $39.99.