Seems odd to be releasing it this late, why bother? Surely it would have been better for SCEE to have been more decisive in the first place, if they though it could weaken the brand before surely it's a little too late now? Feels more like a defensive move against the XBox's current dominance of the driving market.

I don't know, I agree that this could be far too late to release it, not only is it not finished code and releasing that unfinished cose so close to release may be a mistake. It might also kill of alot of hype surrounding the game for some people.

But on the other hand, I welcome the release, I'm still undecided on whether I'm buying the full version or not. I might just buy this to see what its like.

Well its an evolution of GT3, its not a new concept. Its just a cynical way of squeezing more money out of consumers. Obvioulsy its gonna work.

I will buy GT4, but then (for some reason) I already know exactly what its gonna be like. In the meantime I'll spend my money on TOCA 2.

The "Limited Release" is a bit cynical.

Limited to ensure interest in it
Limited so that even if it doesn't sell that many, it still sells out
And limited so it doesn't negatively impact the sale of the full product too badly.