The 66th season of Formula 1->ke190 is now very much a thing, with the second round of the world’s top open-wheel competition scheduled to take place in Malaysia this weekend. To complement this, Codemasters has announced the release of its official video game slated to drop sometime in June.

The new racer brings with it lots new features and updates, including a total revamp of the EGO game engine, to deliver better graphics and handling physics. The engine, transmission, aero, fuel tank, force feedback, suspension and tire physics are all recreated to a new level of realism.

To help capture the atmosphere of a race weekend, F1 2015 uses a “broadcast-style presentation” for the Championship Season mode, the new Pro Season mode, Quick Race and Multiplayer. Voice recognition allows players to interact with the engineers to request things like weather updates, tire status, tire selection and aero changes. 

All of the cars, drivers and tracks from the 2014 season will be offered as bonus content, complete with the updated handling model and 2015 features. 

“The handling is a vast improvement from our previous games,” said Game Director Paul Jeal. “In particular our new tyre model is a superb step forward towards realism, letting you explore where the limit is and allowing you to instantly feel much more connected with the car. You can now experience the changes in grip caused by temperature changes, wear, car set-up, debris and weather conditions.”

F1 2015 will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. 

F1 2015

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We didn’t really like Codemasters’ F1 2014. Reviewer Christian Moe said it was “little more than a re-skinned version of the 2013 edition, but with less content, and less reason to continually play,” giving it a final rating of 65/100.

By comparison, this newest release should be fantastic. Not only is it available on the next-gen consoles, but the reworked engine looks stellar, and the addition of the 2014 content is a great mea culpa from Codemasters. Updated handling, additional game modes and new features are the kinds of things I like to see.

In particular, I find the voice recognition extremely interesting. Yelling into your mic for more front wing as you come into pit is the sort of immersive gameplay element that makes titles like this shine. Hopefully, the real-life F1 season will be as equally attention-grabbing.