After all the fuss, the delay only turned out to be 3 weeks.

That's right PS3 racing sim fans, Gran Turismo 5 has got an official release date - 24 November - which is 21 days late on the original planned 3 November date.

"Gran Turismo 5 is an ambitious project, with challenges and complexities which have made it our version of the Apollo Space Programme", said Kazunori Yamauchi, president of Polyphony Digital Inc.

"When we created the original Gran Turismo back in 1997, we wanted to set a completely new precedent for the racing genre. With the technological leap onto PlayStation 3, our objective with GT5 was to create another great revolution which would not only satisfy our own high expectations, but would meet or even exceed the anticipation of the fans.

"Satisfying the loyal Gran Turismo followers is at the heart of all of our efforts, which is why it was such a difficult decision to delay the release of the game, and one which we did not take lightly. I can only apologise to everyone for making you wait so long, and I hope that when you try out the wealth of driving experiences available in Gran Turismo 5, you will not be disappointed".

Yamauchi kept his promise of a pre-Christmas release at least.

The complete list of cars featured in the game has also been revealed, with over 1000 motors, including the Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce, the Lexus LFA and the McLaren MP4-12C, all on board.

The full track list was also announced, including the option to race at famous circuits such as Nurburgring and the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

So, just to confirm, Gran Turismo 5 is out for the PS3 on 24 November.

Xbox 360 fans can console themselves, and get their racing sim fix, when Forza Motorsport 3 Ultimate Edition hits the shops 6 days later.

The release is the complete award-winning racing title collection, including all previously released game add-ons, bringing the total car count to 500 and offering more than 100 track configurations.

And what's more, it's just £19.99 at Game.