This preview was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content.

Perhaps the game with the most buzz for the PlayStation Portable coming out of the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo was Gran Turismo 4 Mobile, this is because Polyphony Digital confirmed that they weren’t bringing a new version of the game but instead transferring the widely popular and graphically amazing fourth game in the series to the upcoming handheld.

From what the media have been told by series producer Kazunori Yamauchi, Polyphony has transferred the fourth installment over completely to the handheld. This hopefully means we’ll see all 500 cars and 50 tracks that’ll be included in the console version. There has been rumor swirling that you’ll be able to connect the two games and perhaps transfer data between them; this would be a tremendous advantage to selling both versions of the game and allow players to continue their game on the road.

Gran Turismo 4 Mobile’s graphics look just as good as the PlayStation 2’s so far and it has already been confirmed that it will do more than its console counterpart by offering WiFi capabilities. This is especially good news for Gran Turismo fans that were disappointed by Polyphony pulling out the online option for the console because finally players can race against another person.

Overall, I think there are two major questions concerning Gran Turismo 4 Mobile. First, is the fact that the game is so graphically impressive that it will wear on the already low battery. From what we know, the more graphically intense games cause the battery to run down faster and this would be an even greater drawback if it sinks below the two hours play time.

Another question and perhaps even more important is the fact that Gran Turismo 4 for the PlayStation 2 continues to get delayed. Right now the game is confirmed for March close to the PlayStation Portable’s potential launch. The problem with this though is that if the fourth edition of the game continues to get delayed, this will most likely negatively affect the Mobile version and could mean Gran Turismo 4 gets delayed even later. There is still some time and currently both versions are on schedule, so Sony has plenty of time to answer questions as we get closer to the PlayStation Portable launch.

There is no question that Gran Turismo 4 Mobile will be a must-buy when it releases for the PlayStation Portable. Polyphony Digital never lets anything than the highest quality racing title to come out, so you shouldn’t expect anything less with this latest incarnation. The graphics are far superior to almost every other game that is coming out for the handheld and then when you include the addition of WiFi play, Gran Turismo 4 Mobile is certainly setting itself up to be one of the most sought after games for the PlayStation Portable handheld.