Steering and Handling:
It's standard Gran Turismo feel really. It's going to feel like GT6. This should not come as a surprise to anyone. Each iteration of GT has always been steady improvements over the last iteration, and this is no exception. The biggest change I noticed is each car handled very distinctively, rather than copy and pastes. Not to mention how some cars that were horrendous to drive in GT6, have been completly transformed. The GT-R GT3 being a prime example. The positives are that because it's Gran Turismo, (for the most part) it's very easy to just hop in and drive and set hot laps with great pleasure. Thundering through Brands Hatch in a vast array of GT3 machinery with these new physics, I had a huge amount of fun.
Unfortunately in the most recent update, Group 3 cars especially allowed you to handle comical slides in a very unrealistic manner. Whilst, yes I expect some leniancy, nor do I expect sheer brutallity like Pcars' toss of a coin style, the line has to be drawn somewhere. I put this down to the tyre model, which I will admit is a huge improvement over the terrible GT6 tyre model. The road cars take a very long time to get used to, especially if you're used to big, grippy slicks. Rear drive road cars are oversteer deluxe and mid engined cars like the Evora are almost impossible to drive fast for anyone less than highly skilled. The FF Group 4 cars were on occasion disgustingly overpowered, to the extent where a full lobby only consisted of Sciroccos and Meganes. And they're terrible to drive, suffering the very odd torque steer wheelspin effect due to the power. I can't properly describe how it feels because the force feedback is almost non existent. Speaking of...
Wheel vs Controller:
The game so far supports a huge catalogue of wheels and devices. I was using the T300, and it automatically made full used of all the buttons. The game felt very natural and you didn't need a Masters degree in mechanical engineering to set up the force feedback (I'm looking at you Pcars). But that's where the positives end. The feedback, especially from v1.08 onwards, was a complete joke. The cars feel weightless, and only when you ride the kerbs, slide the front tyres too much, or get some oversteer (which in my mind makes no sense) did the wheel react noticeably to the car behaviour. Which is a shame because I was full of praise of the FFB in 1.07, but 1.08 feels very numb. Even GT6 with a G27 felt heavier than this. I was using maximum settings too, and if this is how it is going to be on release, there will be a lot of angry wheel users. That said, ironicaly enough on the Oval circuits, it's the opposite, the wheel does feel heavy, and goes light when going on to the banking. Much better.
For controllers, it is good news. It's not Gran Turismo if it is inaccessible to controller users. That's one thing a lot of people forget when comparing GT to other games, compromises have to be met in ordee for both parties to be happy. Pcars and AC are borderline unplayable on a controller (aside from some freaks of nature), while F1 and GT are easily accessible. Ian Bell has been quoted on GTPlanet that Pcars 2 will be much easier in a controller. I hope he's right, but I digress. Once again, it feels like GT6. No shocker there. With the improvements of the DS4 controller though, it is a very nice feeling in your hands. The L2/R2 flippers are extremely precise, along with the steering with the left stick.
@razor4797, probably the best controller user ROOZ has ever seen, popped around my place a few times and had nothing but praise for the feel on the controller. More fun on the wheel, but no advantage. He did say though it is a bit harder than GT6 due to the new physics but after getting used to it, it should be no problem at all.
Online Stability:
A real turn up for the books, the lobbies in GTS over GT6 are poles apart. Remember when we had to leave and rejoin 100 times because people couldn't see each other? Or when the lobby would crash for no reason? Remember when the lobby hung because people joined at the same time? I entered about 100 races over the course of the beta and not once did any of these oddities happen. A sigh of relief, I hear them! The overall lag compensation improved day by day during the beta and soon enough, it was safe to race alongside a lobby full of Japanese drivers without fear of being lag punted despite the Ping being up near the 200 mark. In a typical ROOZ lobby, providing the host is reliable, I am confident we will see clean rooms 99/100 times. The only glitches I noticed was the grid being randomised on rare occasions, but that's something I'm sure will be ironed out, which it was as the beta progressed. I really do think ROOZ events on GTS will be great successes.
Graphics and Sound:
GT has always had utterly gorgeous visuals, but this is just unbelievable, the colours and fidelity, my oh my I cannot wait to take photos on this game. Visually stunning at every single screen, frame drops were a rarity even in cockpit cam, I can't even imagine how it will run on a PS4 Pro. One of the greatest looking games I've ever played. The sounds are in my opinion, vastly improved. Most of the cars sound great and much more real. The crackling of the downshifts and pop off of the exhausts, while occasionally may seem OTT, but you cannot love hearing it. It's utterly brilliant. Turbo sounds are spot on, and the gear shift sounds are brutal. It's what people have asked for for nearly 20 years and yet there's still complaining, I don't get it. I'm very keen to hear the other cars once the game is released. The pre race music is fantastic too, a soothing symphony of synthsised bliss. Menu music is hit and miss, as it has been since GT5.
New Additions and other things:
I really like how the RA menu actually functions in this game. Brake Bias, TC, ABS are all easy to adjust on the fly. The RA menu can also be used to compare split times, a 360 radar and Fuel Mapping. Not quite as good as F1 2016, but a superb addition nonetheless. The fuel mapping for race cars adds a whole new element to the races, and will play a factor in race strategies. Tuning is very much the same. However, GT6 exploits wont work. Instead the key is so lower the front ride height and maximise rear right height. A terrible flaw. You can still do the stupid transmission flip, which is completely unacceptable. Load times are short and menus are easy to navigate. Being able to clear the cache from the lobby itself is a very nice addition too.
Overall, I am really looking forward to this game. It makes up for the inadequecies of GT6 and serves as an easily accessible platform for sim racing. To snub your nose at it I think would be very naive considering the racing GT has provided ROOZ over the years has been second to none. Many of us here yearn for the return of the "glory days" (first 3 or so seasons of Div 1 GT6 for those wondering), and I truly feel this game could be the catalyst for it, providing enough of us give the game a chance. When the racing is this good, it would be foolish not to give it a try.