As long as Polyphony Digital continues to release and refine Gran Turismo titles, simulation racers will always have a hard time competing on a Sony console.

With Rennsport, developer Competition Company is looking to separate itself from the leader of the pack by creating a cross-platform sim experience that’s geared heavily towards the eSports crowd.

The driving is solid for the most part; steering feels responsive on a controller and there's a satisfying weight difference between cars. It’s not as performant as it could be with a wheel, but that could be down to the peripheral used for review (Logitech G920).

Overall, cornering feels good, skirting the line between arcade feel and precise simulation. Difficulty is generous and there's a healthy suite of assist options.

Performance is impressively smooth at speed, with very little drop off in the online races we took part in. It’s a shame that almost every other audio and visual aspect is lacking.

Tracks created for the game are impressive, like a showcase course shaped like the Rennsport logo. Real world tracks, however, look like they were pulled from the last console generation.

Constant texture pop-in issues plagued our races and an unsightly temporal anti-aliasing effect burned a shadow of our car into the tarmac in chase view.

Frankly, despite doing the racing part well, the release version of Rennsport feels unfinished from a presentation standpoint.

Audio isn’t much better, with engine sounds that don’t feel distinct enough, especially when stacked up against the painstaking detail of PlayStation's leading racer.

This title’s capacity as an eSports platform is evident when hitting the tarmac for the first time, being faced by a HUD plastered with frame rates and packet info. Mercifully, this is highly configurable, though the detailed display does have utility.

There’s a heavy emphasis on precise adherence to track rules, with any serious infringements invalidating a lap in the blink of an eye. Racing standards are ruthless and feel more unpredictable than that of Rennsport’s nearest console peer, Assetto Corsa.

Finally, as much as this is a multiplayer experience, there's single player content too. Though, the solo championships are so bare-bones as to almost not warrant a mention.

It remains to be seen whether Rennsport can find its place among the other eSports racers. But as a console motorsport experience, it can’t compete.