F1 2014 and new-gen F1 announced... but there's a catch

New-gen F1 is just out of DRS range...

If you were expecting the first new-gen showing of F1 and Codemasters' EGO engine with the announcement of F1 2014, you'll be sad to hear it's not happening quite yet. But the good news is you won't be waiting another whole year for it. New-gen F1 will be coming to PS4/Xbox One and PC 'earlier than usual' in 2015, with the current-gen versions (and a PC version of them) coming this year on October 17 in Europe and October 21 in the US.

The earlier-than-usual release for F1 2015 (which is what I'm assuming it will be called, though its name is unannounced) means that new content can--and will--be delivered digitally as the real-life season unfolds. So expect real-world championship standings/leaders in your game's season mode.

But that's for the future. For now, current-gen F1 2014 promises all the rule changes and mechanical differences from the real sport (which are considerable after the biggest upheaval in regulations in recent memory), plus the new Sochi Autodrom track in Russia and the return of Austria's Speilberg circuit, which has been off the roster for a decade. Bahrain will also feature a day/night transition effects as the weekend gears up for 2014's spectacular night race.

There will also be a new 'Very Easy' difficulty option, plus a new feature that recognises a player's skill automatically and tunes the game difficulty to match. If you live and breathe F1 (figuratively), you can still choose your own options to give yourself a decent challenge.

There's currently no mention of the 'classic' content that made last year's game so memorable, but it's still early days. The screenshots on the following slides look spectacular, so click on through to see how the game is shaping up. And don't worry, the new-gen version will be here sooner than it feels.