The Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo is apparently more than just a virtual fantasy.

The great thing about the digital world is that you can do just about anything with the right programmer.  A little bit of code and your latest Mario Brothers game allows you to drive upside-down. But when it comes to the long-running Gran Turismo series, the goal has been to craft something as real as possible, from the look of the cars to the way they perform “on track.”

And with the new Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo, the maker is broadly hinting that its latest entrant into the PlayStation driving franchise might eventually become a case of life imitating art.

The Concept 2020, it says, “gives hints as to how a supercar of the future might look.” There is, of course, a yawning gap between saying this “is” a look at a future Nissan supercar and a more waffling “might be.” But it’s not all that much a stretch to connect a few dots to see how this virtual concept could be the missing link between today’s Nissan GT-R and the model that might follow.

The maker joins a growing list of automakers who have come up with entries for the 15^th anniversary game, dubbed Gran Turismo 6. Some, like the latest Vision racer from BMW, are relatively modest tweaks on already existing performance cars. Others, like the Volkswagen Extreme GTI Roadster Vision Gran Turismo and the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo, push both the design and performance envelope to the extreme.

(Click Here to check out the VW Extreme GTI Concept.)

Nissan isn't revealing specs for the Concept 2020, but if it's based on the next-gen GT-R it could be a hybrid touching 800-horsepower.

The Nissan Concept 2020 falls more into the latter category. The maker previously developed several Gran Turismo digital racers in cooperation with Red Bull Racing – which is sponsored by Nissan’s luxury arm, Infiniti.  This project, however, was an entirely in-house effort, with the front-drive, 2+2 penned by “a team of young designers” at its London studio.

“The model was considered to have so much potential that it has benefited from input from an advanced engineering team based at Nissan Technical Centre in Atsugi, Japan,” the maker noted.

Unlike some of the other Gran Turismo entries, Nissan is not providing hard specs for the Concept 2020.  VW, for example, tells us its GTI Roadster is powered by a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 pumping out 503 horsepower and 491 pound-feet of torque, more than enough to char the digital pavement. The engine is mated to a 7-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission intended to deliver F1-quick shifts. A modified version of the VW 4Motion all-wheel-drive system maximizes grip.

(Click Here for a look at the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo supercar.)

Perhaps we should look at the 2015 Nissan GT-R as a starting point for the Concept 2020? If so, that would translate into a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V-6 making 545-horsepower through a 6-speed dual clutch gearbox. Or perhaps the numbers are more in line with the rumored 800 horsepower some anticipate for the 2016 remake of the GT-R which is expected to use a high-performance hybrid drivetrain.

(F1 legend Michael Schumacher leaves hospital, but long recovery likely. Click Here for details.)

PlayStation owners will be able to download the Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Grand Turismo next month. But that isn’t the end of the story, Nissan hints.

“As a specialist in automotive design in three-dimensions, Nissan believes that the real-world is ready for the NISSAN CONCEPT 2020 Vision Gran Turismo,” it teases, coyly adding, “Watch this space…”