Hi everyone!
All that tech talk and discussion of what a console can achieve, the "special hardware" included in PS4 and XBO and what not made me remember how the custom chips of the Amiga had been pushed for years to deliver visuals and effects you thought were never possible on that platform.
In about 2008, when the trophy update was coming, the demo scene production "Linger In Shadows" had been published as an interactive experiment on PSN. Yeah, the port was kinda weak, the interactivity was low and you had almost no idea what was going on anyway, but hell, it was a demo turned into an interactive video.
Now, new hardware arrives and everyone talks about how to push the limits already, GPGPU, hUMA and all that stuff barely someone understands anyway...
... so why not have some programmers show us what is possible?
Wouldn't it be cool to have indie, hobbyist or even pro programmers show off what they are able to squeeze out of the hardware? Those productions could be published for free, or maybe even paid (donations? Tied to PS+? Etc.) in a subsection of the PSN store and XBL marketplace.
While demo scene productions on PCs are cool, it is way more interesting to see the results on a non-upgradeable platform.
Also, I want to remind that demos are not only tech showcases, but also art. The console games industry should show more support to new and upcoming talents this way.
Imagine having the real-time demo of "The Dark Sorcerer" by Quantic Dream at home!
Thoughts?
Update for more awesome:
All that tech talk and discussion of what a console can achieve, the "special hardware" included in PS4 and XBO and what not made me remember how the custom chips of the Amiga had been pushed for years to deliver visuals and effects you thought were never possible on that platform.
In about 2008, when the trophy update was coming, the demo scene production "Linger In Shadows" had been published as an interactive experiment on PSN. Yeah, the port was kinda weak, the interactivity was low and you had almost no idea what was going on anyway, but hell, it was a demo turned into an interactive video.
Now, new hardware arrives and everyone talks about how to push the limits already, GPGPU, hUMA and all that stuff barely someone understands anyway...
... so why not have some programmers show us what is possible?
Wouldn't it be cool to have indie, hobbyist or even pro programmers show off what they are able to squeeze out of the hardware? Those productions could be published for free, or maybe even paid (donations? Tied to PS+? Etc.) in a subsection of the PSN store and XBL marketplace.
While demo scene productions on PCs are cool, it is way more interesting to see the results on a non-upgradeable platform.
Also, I want to remind that demos are not only tech showcases, but also art. The console games industry should show more support to new and upcoming talents this way.
Imagine having the real-time demo of "The Dark Sorcerer" by Quantic Dream at home!
Thoughts?
Update for more awesome: