New Forza 4 details emerge

Forthcoming racing sim sequel Forza Motorsport 4 is looking to give Gran Turismo 5 a serious run for its money in the realism stakes, judging by new details direct from developer Turn 10.

According to a MSN Autos feature, the developer is going to impressive lengths to ensure the driving experience is as true-to-life as possible.

Apparently the studio has "modeled tire-related properties, such as weight transfer" and studied "proprietary performance data" from tire manufacturer Pirelli in an attempt to more closely replicate how tires deal with different racing conditions.

Turn 10 also rented out each track that appears in the game for exacting analysis. Staff shot "terabytes worth of video and photos" and traced the "inside, middle and outside portions of the road surface with a commercial-grade GPS system."

This information then allowed the programmers to spot "road crowning, tiny changes in camber, or angle, and other anomalies with subcentimeter accuracy."

Not only that, but the studio will also be capturing its own audio in order to isolate the intake, exhaust and engine sounds from each vehicle that appears in the game.

A few details slipped out regarding Kinect functionality too. As previously revealed, you'll be able to walk around your vehicle and stick your head inside to check out the interior.

If you've got Kinect switched on while driving you'll be able to shift your driver's perspective by leaning to one side or the other, helping you peer around the car in front or a curve in the road.

It all sounds mightily impressive, but there's still no announcement as to when we'll be able to climb into the driver's seat for a closer look. The Xbox 360-exclusive still has a vague Autumn 2011 release window.