Gran Turismo 6 News: Teaser Released, New cars, New Tracks Revealed [VIDEO, PHOTOS & REPORT]

After months of speculation, Gran Turismo 6 is finally formally announced by Sony and Polyphony Digital execs today. Marking the 15th anniversary of the Gran Turismo franchise, the press conference was held at Britain's historied Silverstone racing circuit.

According to Polyphony, Gran Turismo 6 will be available on PS3 for a holiday 2013 release date. As development for GT6 began in 2010, the game will not be designed for the upcoming PS4 platform that will also be unveiled late 2013. While many doubt the potential of a video game that is made on an outdated, outgoing console, Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi assured fans that GT6 will not disappoint:

"It is amazing to think that it is 15 years since we first released Gran Turismo. Things have changed a lot since then and now Gran Turismo 6 is a further evolution of my dream. We're pleased to deliver GT6 to PlayStation 3 as we have a very loyal community on that platform.

"However, we have refactored the game to make it very flexible and expandable, with a view to making many future developments. I am very pleased with everything about the new game and the new additions, but the launch will be only the beginning for GT6. The game will continue to develop throughout its life. I already have many ideas for things I want to achieve in the next 15 years of Gran Turismo!"

Over a span of 15 years, Gran Turismo has not only become far and away the most successful racing simulator title on Playstation, it's 70 million unit sales number worldwide makes it the most successful Playstation franchise, period.

Keeping the status quo, Polyphony once again promises to offer "new levels of authenticity" in the upcoming Gran Turismo 6. First, Polyphony tapped tire manufacturer Yokohama and suspension company KW Automotive to revamp the Gran Turismo physics engine. Expect GT6 to boast a new suspension and kinematics mode, tire model, and aero model.

Next, beyond improvements in video game graphics and physics engine, Polyphony will offer many new cars and tracks for Gran Turismo 6. GT6 promises as much as 1200 cars at launch as well as additional models to be availabe as DLC in the future. What's more, the upcoming Gran Turismo 6 will feature seven new locations as well. In total, the game will feature 33 unique tracks and 71 different track layouts. The new tracks will be further bolstered with an improved track track maker.

While Gran Turismo used to offer an unmatched virtual racing experience, many games in the past couple of years have begun to match, if not surpass the franchise. Turn 10's Forza Motorsport for XBox boasts an extensive car customization system that allows a near infinite number of variations. Gran Turismo responds to the challenge for its latest iteration:

"Several thousand aerodynamic parts and custom wheels will be available for almost all cars," writes Sony, "and players can personalize their own custom cars in game to the greatest ever level possible."

Beyond its pursuit for authenticity, Polyphony has also built a new "compact" game engine to power GT6, which will offer a wide spectrum of inprovements including an improved home menu, quick response, and shortened loading times also allow for greater flexibility to expand the game via downloadable content and improve connectivity between it and other devices, including smart phones, tablets, and even PC. Polyphony promises greater focus on social and community functionality than any Gran Turismo in the past.

Finally, the biggest and most underrated project behind Gran Turismo is GT Academy.

"Not least of these is GT Academy, collaboration with Nissan to unearth real racing driver talent that first ran in 2008," said a Sony spokesperson. The game promises 2013 will be the biggest year for GT academy yet. Entry to this year's talent search will be available by playing the Gran Turismo 6 demo, available in July.

Stay tuned as we learn more about Gran Turismo 6 at E3 later in June. In the meantime, don't miss the stunning Gran Turismo 6 teaser, gallery, and the preliminary car list below!