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Epic happy to wait for "massive leap" in next-gen console performance

S

shinobi602

Member
Epic Games' vice-president Mark Rein has confirmed that the company has been in talks with Sony and Microsoft to help "shape" the next-generation of consoles, adding that he's happy to wait until next-gen hardware can offer "a massive leap in performance and capabilities than get something today."

"If you're talking about the console you plug into the wall at home, I think that needs to be a really big jump," said Rein talking to VideoGamer.com at Develop about next-gen hardware.

"I think it needs to be a really good justifiable, 'Oh my gosh, look what you can do now that you couldn't do before'. And to do that at a reasonable price it just takes time.

"It's going to come out whenever it comes out," he continued, "and again, the whole do it right versus right now thing, I'd much rather get a massive leap in performance and capabilities than get something today."

Rein added that the firm's GDC 2011 Samaritan demo, which showed a cyberpunk peacekeeper battling thugs in a gritty city street, "was a demo to show what we think the consoles should... what we would like the next gen consoles to be able to do.

"In determining what the next consoles will be, I'm positive that [Sony & Microsoft are] talking to lots and lots of developers and lots of middleware companies to try and shape what it is. We've certainly been talking with them and we've been creating demonstrations to show what we think.

"And obviously the Elemental demo, same thing. We're certainly showing capability if they give us that kind of power, but so is everybody else."
Click to expand...

When asked what next-generation consoles could offer over the current generation besides a leap in power, Rein added:

"Well if you were asking me to make a little crystal ball prediction, I think you're already seeing the console manufacturers making leaps and bounds in the services they provide on the console.

"For example, you've seen Sony make lots of improvements. They added lots of new entertainment related things and new features to the XMB; cloud services and things like that. Same thing with Microsoft: they now have cloud saves and Hulu and that awesome NBA stuff they showed. They're just layering and layering on really cool services already, so I think that you will see a big improvement in services.

"The new consoles will do something even more profound with that than they do today. I think you're seeing them getting ready for that, slowly creeping up a little bit to a point that when they get hardware that has new capabilities they will take advantage of them. And then I also think we will get a big bump in graphics capability and memory and the things that we need to push our games forward."

But despite the possibilities offered by next-gen consoles and Unreal Engine 4, Rein says that Epic is still "grateful" to see Microsoft support Xbox 360 almost seven years after launch.

"We're very happy with the state of the console business with Xbox 360," he said. "We've made successful games on it. Gears of War 3 did extremely well as you saw and Gears of War: Judgment is fantastic. So I don't really have anything negative to say about what they've done [with prolonging the console cycle].
Click to expand...

http://www.videogamer.com/xbox360/g...ive_leap_in_next-gen_console_performance.html
 
BigTnaples

BigTnaples

Todd Howard's Secret GAF Account
Same here.


Although it will piss me off to no end if I have to see all my 2014 games be created for 2005 hardware...
 
B

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
I guess that's good news for Nintendo? Their console wont be already outdated next year. :lol
 
S

Sid

Member
i'd like that too,wonder how much can sony and ms can pack in their next gen boxes to truly attain a massive leap over current gen,i mean gears 3 looks great to me and that's running on very old hardware
 
S

Sianos

Member
This is now a Wii U thread? WHO KNOWS?

I want to see Epic make a PC exclusive utilizing its full power. Come on Epic, a platform with all the power you want is right here! They can downport it to the next consoles in a few years. Appeals to everyone!
 
Z

zomaha

Member
Projectjustice said:
After 7-8 year generation cycle, anything would be a massive leap.
Click to expand...

Would you consider games like Witcher 2 and Crysis on Ultra high-end PC's a "massive leap" over what is available on 360?

It's a leap, sure, but a "massive" leap? I don't think I would call it that. I want bigger and better. I can wait.
 
BigTnaples

BigTnaples

Todd Howard's Secret GAF Account
zomaha said:
Would you consider games like Witcher 2 and Crysis on Ultra high-end PC's a "massive leap" over what is available on 360?

It's a leap, sure, but a "massive" leap? I don't think I would call it that. I want bigger and better. I can wait.
Click to expand...

Those games running on a high end PC do not look as good as a next gen game would look running on a next gen console equivalent of a mid-ranged PC.




The Witcher 2 and Crysis were still designed at heart with old hardware in mind. Both for older PC's the game has to be able to run on, and the inevitable console versions the devs wanted to make.


We have yet to see a game developed solely for advanced hardware, because that hardware does not exist by itself currently. If you think that Crysis 2 or the Witcher 2 come close to maxing out the hardware of my or any other high end PC you are kidding yourself.
 
B

Barack Lesnar

Banned
marc^o^ said:
He also confirms Unreal 4 games can be ported to Wii U:

http://www.videogamer.com/news/unreal_engine_4_games_could_be_ported_to_wii_u_epic.html

I'd rather see exclusives using this engine though.
Click to expand...

The next few sentences he kind of implies it would be quite scaled down:
"I'll state that I don't think it's our intention to bring Unreal Engine 4 to Wii U, but Unreal Engine 4 is going to be supremely scalable.

"We'll run on mobile phones and on a wide variety of things, so if a customer decides they want to port an Unreal Engine 4 game to Wii U, they could. But Unreal Engine 3 is a really good fit for that platform."
Click to expand...
 
I

i-Lo

Member
*waits patiently for StevieP to say how it's not going to happen and we are expecting too much*

On a more serious note, I agree that the next gen needs to be above and beyond to be a purchase that can be justified. I think the crux of the matter is this: It's not like they can't do it right now albeit with greater power consumption and heat. The real issue is being able to sell them at a reasonable price w/o gouging a hole in either the consumer's or manufacturer's pocket.
 
R

RoboPlato

I'd be in the dick
Shikoro said:
So, 4GB of RAM for the PS4?
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I thought too. Sony have pretty much said they're not launching as early as Microsoft and I'm pretty sure all the "need more RAM" comments were directed at the PS4 based on rumors about that and the next Xbox.
 
M

Meatvillain

Banned
On the one hand I can wait, but on the other I'm not sure about putting up with a couple more years with a crop of stagnant franchise entries ala Gears of War Judgment (not to say I'm completely dismissing that game, but it looks like more Gears of War).
 
Danny Dudekisser

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
Sid said:
why?
Click to expand...

Diminishing returns. It's going to cost Sony and MS ton of money for them to put together a console that's as much of an upgrade as Epic seems to want. And I think even Sony learned that you can't price a console at $500-600. So either they take their biggest losses ever on new consoles, or they build a slightly upgraded box that's on par with PCs from a couple years ago.
 
I

i-Lo

Member
iamshadowlark said:
But unreal engine 3 is a really good fit for that platform. Lol.

Anyway, maybe 2014 for the consoles?
Click to expand...

I am certain we'll be seeing them sometime in 2014.

The thing is though, if it comes out before Q2 2014 then we'll be seeing the next E3 light up with all the next gen bonanza. However if it does come out around Q3-4 then it makes me wonder whether it'd be wise to have the Next gen E3 conference in 2014 itself.

Chacranajxy said:
Diminishing returns. It's going to cost Sony and MS ton of money for them to put together a console that's as much of an upgrade as Epic seems to want. And I think even Sony learned that you can't price a console at $500-600. So either they take their biggest losses ever on new consoles, or they build a slightly upgraded box that's on par with PCs from a couple years ago.
Click to expand...

"slightly upgraded box". lol
 
J

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.
NSQuote said:
This is now a Wii U thread? WHO KNOWS?

I want to see Epic make a PC exclusive utilizing its full power. Come on Epic, a platform with all the power you want is right here! They can downport it to the next consoles in a few years. Appeals to everyone!
Click to expand...

That boat left with Unreal.
 
Fredrik

Fredrik

Member
zomaha said:
Would you consider games like Witcher 2 and Crysis on Ultra high-end PC's a "massive leap" over what is available on 360?

It's a leap, sure, but a "massive" leap? I don't think I would call it that. I want bigger and better. I can wait.
Click to expand...
I can't even see the difference in games like that so for me it's no leap at all, and if that is "next-gen" then I can definitely wait a few years more if that's what it takes to impress me more.
What impress me is great art direction, and realistic body, lip sync and facial animation combined with great acting and mocap. If games keep trying to be movies then the devs need to get the movie aspects right hefore upping the texture and particle quality etc. Uncharted series, upcoming Last of Us, LA Noire, Heavy Rain, and anything Andy Serkis touches, is what has impressed me the most so far.
 
G

GDGF

Soothsayer
Heavy said:
The next few sentences he kind of implies it would be quite scaled down:
Click to expand...

That's what most people who knew what they were talking about were saying since the beginning.

A large portion of the board was adamant that the Wii U wouldn't be able to handle UE4 in any form.
 
S

stuart

Banned
I don't mind when the new consoles come out. I'm worried the higher cost of producing super detailed graphics will mean even less imaginative games than usual.

The Wii has shown with the best games library of this generation (along with the DS for handhelds) that power doesn't count for anything. The greater power of the Xbox/PS3 has just been used for shinier FPS games, rather than anything innovative in gameplay.
 
I

i-Lo

Member
stuart said:
I don't mind when the new consoles come out. I'm worried the higher cost of producing super detailed graphics will mean even less imaginative games than usual.

The Wii has shown with the best games library of this generation (along with the DS for handhelds) that power doesn't count for anything. The greater power of the Xbox/PS3 has just been used for shinier FPS games, rather than anything innovative in gameplay.
Click to expand...

what?
 
Represent.

Represent.

Represent(ative) of bad opinions
stuart said:
I don't mind when the new consoles come out. I'm worried the higher cost of producing super detailed graphics will mean even less imaginative games than usual.

The Wii has shown with the best games library of this generation (along with the DS for handhelds) that power doesn't count for anything. The greater power of the Xbox/PS3 has just been used for shinier FPS games, rather than anything innovative in gameplay.
Click to expand...

Ugh.
 
S

shinobi602

Member
stuart said:
I don't mind when the new consoles come out. I'm worried the higher cost of producing super detailed graphics will mean even less imaginative games than usual.

The Wii has shown with the best games library of this generation (along with the DS for handhelds) that power doesn't count for anything. The greater power of the Xbox/PS3 has just been used for shinier FPS games, rather than anything innovative in gameplay.
Click to expand...

Derp.
 
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