DriveClub Update: Cars, Replays, Possible PS Plus Edition

The next big update for Sony's technical issue-plagued racer DriveClub is coming soon, and while new cars and the ability to save replays are cool and all, the real nugget is hidden in the details: the long-delayed free PS Plus version of the game may be coming soon after all.

GameSpot has all of the details on this DriveClub update, which includes vast improvements to the overall experience as well as some new cars to take to the streets. The new cars coming include the free Peugeot Onyx Concept car and a Lamborghini Pack featuring four high-powered Lamborghini cars available on the PlayStation Store.

Along with patch notes (see below), Evolution Studios also provided a list of improvements coming after this new update hits, which clues us in on the progress of the PS Plus Edition of DriveClub. Our top bullet on the list is "continual server upgrades: to keep improving online stability and performance for all current players and to enable the release of the PS+ Edition and DRIVECLUB companion app."

Once the server is fully upgraded then the free racing can begin, but we won't know for a while when that will be. Our guess is probably sometime in June, during a big game convention of some kind.

The full patch notes are as follows:

Adds Replays to the game for all Single Events and Tours. You can now save a Replay at the end of any single player event and view it later from the Replays section.
Photomode can be used from within a Replay at any point.
Introduces a new Driver Level 50 reward: You can now unlock the Ferrari 599XX Evoluzione for your Garage!
Refines Drift Mode scoring to increase the points scored for momentum, control and staying on the track.
Adjusts the drag reduction when veering off road, so that accidentally leaving the track slows you down more gradually.
Adjusts the drag penalty on world collisions, to remove the possibility of gaining any advantage after colliding with a wall.
Adds the option to control screen brightness in-game (new Display Option).
Adds the option to change the volume levels on individual SFX channels (new Audio options in Settings).
Adds the option to make the AI opponents in a Single Event drive in the same car as the one the player chooses.
Adds the option to select factory paint jobs for AI opponents (new Display Option).
Removes the voicechat icon for any player you have chosen to mute in Multiplayer while you are driving.
Adds new categories for downloaded Livery Packs within the Bonus Designs in Customization.
Adds status information about friends playing DRIVECLUB to the Social Hub.
Immediately centers the camera view behind the car automatically whenever you reset to the track.
Adds support for live streaming via Twitch and Ustream while playing Multiplayer.
Improves the atmospheric visual effects further by improving heathaze and introducing mirages, which are visible on the road when light is refracted by hot air.
Includes more minor bug fixes, performance improvements and usability tweaks