When the Colin McRae series hits next-generation consoles with DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road, it will be the debut of an entirely new proprietary game engine known as Neon. This game engine has been built from the ground up over the past 18 months to recreate realistic car handling, along with extremely detailed vehicles and environments. DIRT will include more than 40 licensed cars divided into 12 categories including 2WD, 4WD, RWD and classics. Colin McRae's prototype R4 and Travis Pastrana's Subaru Impreza will also be featured in the game.

The Neon engine enables developers to model air movements. Codemasters says the cars in the game will create an "air rush wake that will have an effect on everything it passes, and will also generate a real-time slipstream." A detailed damage model is also a big feature. The developers say that the effects are so realistic, you can even wrap your car around a tree in a serious crash. DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road is scheduled to hit stores in 2007 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.