August 1^st, 2007 (1:38pm) - Codemasters today announced that DIRT™ will launch this September for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. Thanks to a spectacular damage system, gamers will experience the game’s high impact moments through detailed visuals, force feedback steering wheel functionality and a top-spec audio system exclusive to the format. Additionally, a new DiRT damage video with producer commentary is now available for download from: www.codemasters.com/dirt or to view online at www.youtube.com/codiesgames.
DIRT takes traditional rally and turns it into an exhilarating thrill ride through a massive range of off-road racing experiences on gravel, mud and dirt, right across the globe. In any mode, on any surface, the car handling is sublime, the physics system thrillingly accurate, and the damage effects are devastating.

Driving DIRT’s damage system is Codemasters’ proprietary game engine, Neon. Delivering the most detailed vehicle and environment damage effects, the soft body damage system replicates perfect deformation on any vehicle from any impact - from a paint scrape to a roof crumpling to the roll cage. Entire wheel and spring tire sections can rip off and spoilers and bumpers can snap into separate pieces. Each individual car is modeled to a fine degree of accuracy, with car specific weak points and strengths, ensuring that they will break, bend, warp and disintegrate realistically and in fantastic detail.

Neon also provides for a totally destructible environment thanks to dynamic physics on track objects. Crash into a wall at speed and it will smash into its individual bricks and stones, branches will snap off trees and go flying onto your opponent’s windscreen and signposts and other roadside objects can be knocked flying from the force of an impact.

For racers who want to feel the force of an impact, DIRT supports a range of force feedback steering wheels. Every bump in the road, every loose rock and every inch of shifting gravel is represented by subtle vibrations and resistance forces as your vehicle’s tires interact with the track surface. All effects are dictated by the game’s physics and, when a vehicle collides with rough ground or another car, the resulting forces make for a grip wrenching experience.

DIRT will also be compatible with many wheels originally purchased for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. Wheels are fully configurable from action assignments to steering linearity, dead zones and saturation.

Players will also hear the impact thanks to an advanced audio system. On the PLAYSTATION 3 system, one 3.2 GHz SPU vector co-processor is dedicated to audio and delivers 7.1 and 5.1 surround sound.

DIRT is coming this September for the PLAYSTATION 3 system, and is rated "E" (Everyone - Alcohol Reference, Mild Language, Mild Violence) by the ESRB. For more information on DiRT, get up to speed with all the latest by visiting the official game website located at: www.codemasters.com/dirt.