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[ClovingWestbrook]

Epic: 'If next-gen consoles aren't bleeding edge, Apple will beat them'
Unreal Engine dev reveals it's "constantly pushing" platform holders

Epic Games has revealed it's "constantly pushing" platform holders to make their next-generation consoles as advanced as possible.

Meeting with Epic's always well-spoken VP Mark Rein at GDC this week, CVG highlighted the growing concern among gamers that next-gen consoles could turn out to be technically underwhelming - especially with Wii U's reportedly modest specs and the next Xbox rumoured to be utilising a year-old graphics card.

The affable Unreal Engine exec assured us that, just like it did with Gears of War and the Xbox 360, it's "constantly pushing" platform holders with stunning demonstrations like its Samaritan demo, in an attempt to persuade them to make their next-gen platforms as "bleeding edge" as possible.

"Don't worry. We are absolutely every day [pushing platform holders]," Rein told CVG. "This is why we did Samaritan and why we're doing a really high-end demo in the room here. We really are pushing these guys, because if they don't, Apple will go right past them."

In 2006 Rein revealed Epic cost Microsoft $1 billion with an impressive Gears of War prototype, which persuaded the platform holder it should include increased 512MB of RAM inside the Xbox 360.

In a move that harks back to the persuasive Gears demo, Rein called Epic's Samarian demo its "love letter" to hardware manufacturers, emphasising the studio's passion for high-end gaming.

"We really like the big screen, home console experience and we really like iPad gaming. We like all these gaming experiences and we don't think consumers want them to go away.

"The only way they're going to go away is if they don't stay true to what they are. The console gaming experience is about delivering something that's way out past the bleeding edge and subsidising it through the software royalty model - just like Apple does with the phones. It's not that much different."

He added: "That's the console gaming model, and if you don't do that - if you don't stretch just far enough, you don't just have enough of a difference to make people want to take the leap with you... it all falls down.

"Now, I don't think that's going to happen - I think the console guys are going to blow us all away. But as you say, we're on them.

"There's no end in sight for what we can do with unlimited technology. So we're always going to be pushing and I'm sure we'll be pushing for more than is possible to give. But yes, we feel that's kind of our duty. That's what Epic is here for.

"Not everybody in the games business is going to use our technology and that's OK. But if we can help the games business as a whole then we help the people that use our technology, we help ourselves, we help consumers.

"So for us that's something that we work very, very hard on. That's something that I'm personally involved in. [Epic founder] Tim Sweeney is really the guy at the front of the ship, but I'm rowing right behind him. We're constantly contacting these guys and constantly pushing them."

Epic showcased its next-gen Unreal Engine 4 demo behind closed doors at GDC, adding that it hopes to showcase the tech publicly later in 2012.

Very interesting

 

[BlazingDarkness]

ClovingSteam Apple thread

Nope.

 

[Fire Walk With Me]

If he isnt right I probably wont be buying a console ever again. The concept is already outdated to me.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Obviously they are on them, they want them all to use their shit.

 

[Genesis Knight]

I feel like Epic is my champion or something in the hardware space, between this and their (now-legendary) Gears 1 demo to Microsoft.

 

[agidot]

"We really like the big screen, home console experience and we really like iPad gaming.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Good, if there isn't a strong reason to jump to a new console then I'd rather stick with what I have right now

 

[Oddduck]

Doesn't matter how powerful PC's are. Consoles and handhelds will not die as long as exclusives are made for consoles and handhelds.

The fanbases of those exclusive franchises will always buy those consoles/handhelds to play the next installment of a popular series that they can't play on PC.

 

[Lazy Jones]

What is a console guy?

 

[Derrick01]

I feel like Epic is my champion or something in the hardware space, between this and their (now-legendary) Gears 1 demo to Microsoft.

Yeah but it's too bad so much of the industry wants to regress in the opposite direction, both in terms of power and the types of games that are made.

 

[King of the Potato People]

Just like Perfect Dark Zero blew us all away.

 

[KorrZ]

Thank you Epic. I know I can count on you guys to make Samaritan a reality for next gen consoles.

 

[Ken Masters]

He's dead on, consoles have to be bleeding edge tech otherwise it will be blown away by smartphones in a few years


Most people don't understand that the rate of tech growth for phones and tablets is only to grow

 

[rdrr gnr]

Doing the Lord's work.

 

[Atomski]

Remember when Epic made cool PC games.. like Unreal 2k4.

 

[shinobi602]

I am so ready for next gen. Blow us away console "guys"!

 

[Oddduck]

The number of people who will drop $600 on cutting edge console hardware is becoming smaller and smaller every generation.

 

[Lazy8s]

From what I've learned about the next consoles, Apple may just blow past them faster than the manufacturers expect.

 

[Gahiggidy]

Nintendo makes consoles. And they're run by guys.

 

[subversus]

this will end well.

 

[Derrick01]

The number of people who will drop $600 on cutting edge console hardware is becoming smaller and smaller every generation.

Interesting data you came up with considering this gen was the only one with a $600 console.

 

[.la1n]

Remember when Epic made cool PC games.. like Unreal 2k4.

Just keep twisting the knife...

 

[east of eastside]

I'd rather have very decent, but not so expensive or bleeding edge tech (in terms of efficiency, yes) and be blown away by gameplay and game design innovation afforded by a console software development business model that isn't an obstacle to risk taking. Thanks anyways, Epic.

 

[whitehawk]

The number of people who will drop $600 on cutting edge console hardware is becoming smaller and smaller every generation.

Except for the iPad which still blows my mind.

 

[subversus]

Interesting data you came up with considering this gen was the only one with a $600 console.

that showed that the number of people who want to drop 600$ on a new console is very small already.

 

[Fire Walk With Me]

Interesting data you came up with considering this gen was the only one with a $600 console.

neogeo was around that wasnt it? In real terms closer to $1000 in todays money or more.

 

[KorrZ]

Interesting data you came up with considering this gen was the only one with a $600 console.

Not to mention I'd argue that with tablets and smartphones regularly being over $500 these days people are becoming much more used to spending that much on a nice piece of tech. Especially considering consoles are becoming powerful media centers.

 

[codhand]

Bolding of text is worse than usual.

 

[Maxrunner]

I still dont follow how Apple is goig to "pass them". with what an ipad ? really??how does the gpu in the ipad compare to next gen consoles???not following.

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

Bolding of text is worse than usual.

=P

 

[Oddduck]

Not to mention I'd argue that with tablets and smartphones regularly being over $500 these days people are becoming much more used to spending that much on a nice piece of tech. Especially considering consoles are becoming powerful media centers.

Yeah but consoles are still considered toys...toys for adults...but still toys. Iphones and Ipads are not considered toys in our society. Not everyone wants to spend $600 on a toy.

For $600 you could probably make a better PC than whatever will be inside of that "cutting edge" game console.

 

[Vic]

Except for the iPad which still blows my mind.

He did said shelling money for gaming consoles.

BTW, the Epic folks do sound desperate to make sure the next-gen consoles will be cutting edge. What gives?

 

[Lothars]

He's dead on, consoles have to be bleeding edge tech otherwise it will be blown away by smartphones in a few years


Most people don't understand that the rate of tech growth for phones and tablets is only to grow

Disagree, Phone and Tablets will hit a plateau because things like battery life need to improve substantially before they have a chance of being comparable to the newer consoles that will be released.

The reason they have grown so much techwise is they had a long ways to go now they are starting to become equilvent techwise to consoles that are 7 years old.

 

[ElNino]

Interesting data you came up with considering this gen was the only one with a $600 console.

I'm pretty sure I paid more than $600 for my 3DO. ;-)

 

[trw]

I think he is exaggerating the hardware side of things, although that is expected since it's his passion. Even if both Microsoft and Sony would release a console that's less subsidized and more in line with what we think WiiU is going to be people will still buy consoles. People just don't want that kind of experience on a smartphone. It's not just tech that drives sales, if it were everyone would just be playing pc games and don't bother with consoles at all.

 

[Derrick01]

neogeo was around that wasnt it? In real terms closer to $1000 in todays money or more.

No idea. I was thinking strictly of the serious competitors and even Sony with their $600 console which is still pretty expensive today managed to pass what, 60 million sold?

 

[guldakot]

Remember when Epic made cool PC games.. like Unreal 2k4.

You are not a nice person at all

 

[Oddduck]

Interesting data you came up with considering this gen was the only one with a $600 console.

How did that $250 price tag work out for 3DS? Gamers assumed that the people who spend 400-500 bucks on an Iphone would shell out tons of cash for a 3DS or Vita. That's not happening. And it wont happen for consoles.

 

[Hari Seldon]

Both console gamers and pc gamers win if the console hardware is cutting edge. We all lose if it goes the casual cheap route.

 

[Keyouta]

Steam box will blow us away.

 

[SpinningBirdKick]

The hardware with the best hard specifications isn't going to win the next generation.

The winning platform will be the one figures out why Apple's app store became so popular and Xbox live arcade failed in comparison.

It doesn't matter how great the hardware is. If titles fail to sell on the platform, developers will jump ship very quickly.

 

[hey_it's_that_dog]

neogeo was around that wasnt it? In real terms closer to $1000 in todays money or more.

I'm pretty sure I payed more than $600 for my 3DO. ;-)

If the PS3 sold better than those two, then the original claim about "fewer and fewer people willing to buy a console for $600" is still unsupported by data.

 

[Rollo Lawson]

next gen is going to be very interesting. a lot of folks are going be dragged into it kicking and screaming...i can see it now

The hardware with the best hard specifications isn't going to win the next generation.

The winning platform will be the one figures out why Apple's app store became so popular and Xbox live arcade failed in comparison.

It doesn't matter how great the hardware is. If titles fail to sell on the platform, developers will jump ship very quickly.

no its going to be the hardware that physically best fits people's lifestyles combined with the software (read: real games) that people want

 

[Fire Walk With Me]

No idea. I was thinking strictly of the serious competitors and even Sony with their $600 console which is still pretty expensive today managed to pass what, 60 million sold?

I'm with you I'm with you. I dont think the $600 barrier to entry is quite what it was when the ps3 came out. When it did consoles were still just game machines and nothing more.

I think with the advent of Richy Rich Newell's Steam popularity more people are considering pcs. With Apple products, other smartphones and the rise in poc gaming use I wouldnt want to be in charge of marketing the next wave of consoles. Scary horizon for those guys.

 

[Agent Ironside]

Both console gamers and pc gamers win if the console hardware is cutting edge. We all lose if it goes the casual cheap route.

Absolutely, the capability of the consoles determines how a PC game is going to look/be in most instances. You have rare PC exclusives, but few and far between.

If you look closely, being at the end of this generation, really the only differences between console -> PC games is resolution and AA.

 

[Codeblue]

I think he is exaggerating the hardware side of things, although that is expected since it's his passion. Even if both Microsoft and Sony would release a console that's less subsidized and more in line with what we think WiiU is going to be people will still buy consoles. People just don't want that kind of experience on a smartphone. It's not just tech that drives sales, if it were everyone would just be playing pc games and don't bother with consoles at all.

This was going to be my response as well. It's been shown generation after generation that platforms live and die by games and not tech.

I get what Cliff is saying, but consoles don't need to be bleeding edge.

 

[Jasper Avenue]

Next gen consoles could come out at $500-$600 and they would still fly off the shelves. I'm ready to pay as long as the tech is there.

 

[Dave Long]

These guys sell a game engine. Never forget that when Rein talks.

 

[ElNino]

If the PS3 sold better than those two, then the original claim about "fewer and fewer people willing to buy a console for $600" is still unsupported by data.

I was agreeing with you. I was only pointing out that I paid more than $600 for a 3DO to show that the PS3 was not the first $600 console.

 

[Boogdud]

BTW, the Epic folks do sound desperate to make sure the next-gen consoles will be cutting edge. What gives?

Optimizing engines is hardz. Throw hardware at it!