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New Unreal Engine 4 Screenshots Appear

This is what you can expect out of next-gen console hardware. Welcome to the future.

Tech publication Wired has obtained a fresh set of screens from the graphics engine Epic Games is preparing for the next round of consoles, as well as interviews with Epic technology master and co-founder Tim Sweeney and design director Cliff Bleszinski.

"There is a huge responsibility on the shoulders of our engine team and our studio to drag this industry into the next generation," Bleszinski told Wired. "It is up to Epic, and Tim Sweeney in particular, to motivate Sony and Microsoft not to phone in what these next consoles are going to be. It needs to be a quantum leap. They need to damn near render Avatar in real time, because I want it and gamers want it—even if they don’t know they want it."

Stay tuned for the July issue of Game Informer, coming to a mailbox (or inbox) near you as E3 kicks off next month, where we drop some next-gen details of our own.

[via Wired]

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Comments
  • Can't wait for E3 now. Just how close into uncanny valley will video games get though?
  • EPIC
  • Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather developers focus on what made games so great. Ocarina of Time doesn't have good graphics compared to today's games, but its music and world design make it one of the best experiences even today. Pokemon is another example that uses creature design and music to excel. Games with great graphics are nice, but it's just dressing. And there's no point in fancy dressing if your main course is hard to swallow.
  • the screens looked great. The most impressive I thought was the final screen of the snowy mountain. It's just insane
  • maybe from a technical stand point this is insane, but coming from a common fool, this looks ok. if this would be gameplay, then that detail is insane. if this would be used for cinematics or something of the nature, is it really that much of a step up? even if it is, the human eye can only capture so much detail so fast, would it be noticed?

    i'll stick with the idea that they need to wait out a few more years for next gen consoles. wasn't ps3 supposed to last like 10 years lol?! will we even be able to get this detail out of the graphics card the next xbox will be using? i'm a pc fan and have come to think consoles are a joke in a sense, but i still love the exclusives consoles offer and i don't think the current generation of them has been fully exhausted at this time, as well as the graphics they have to offer.
  • Mod
    The real test will be motion capture animation of both body movement and facial expression. Getting the eyes and mouth right, and fluid body language, will do more to advance the tech then anything else. Consider Quantic Dream's recent Kara video.
  • I am not blown away with what is shown (edit: just quickly glanced at the images. It looks really good though. Just need to see it in motion). I guess recent Pixar movies have spoiled me at what is possible with CG imagery.

    But I am glad new consoles are coming within the next few years.
    I will graduate college late next year and am learning 3D modeling, animation, ect. so this just means more exciting job opportunities for me.

    As an artist I don't want to be restricted to old technology. As a consumer I don't want to see outrageous console prices. As a nerdist I feel the need to express my opinion at GameInformer.com
  • I think people forget too quickly that when the nes, snes, megadrive etc came out they were really rather powerful - mode 7 blew my mind after a childhood playing a zx spectrum with 48k memory! Whatever my reservations about Cliff Bleszinski's taste in games I'm really excited to see what talented folks in this wonderful industry come up with next. Bring it on.x
  • Wow, that looks amazing!

  • I'm actually unimpressed with these shots. The PS3 still has a sizable amount of juice left in it, developers are just to lazy to work with the CELL.
  • The screens looks great! I hope that's how they look in gameplay and not just the cinematics. Excited to hear more at E3 to hear more details.
  • looks alright I guess, I'm sure the "next gen" will be a gradual build up, like when the 360 first got games like prey and halo 2, it looks tons better now

  • I'll admit. they look really good, but in no way am I blown away. To be honest, I was never expecting to be blown away. This is what I considered the natural next step forward to be. Definitely an upgrade, but nothing earth-shattering.

  • not impressed. seen better this gen.
  • "Stay tuned for the July issue of Game Informer, coming to a mailbox (or inbox) near you as E3 kicks off next month, where we drop some next-gen details of our own." Is no one else excited for whatever info is going to be revealed soon? i thought sony and microsoft said there wouldnt be any new console info this year.?
  • I can't help but think, "Dafuq? These graphics don't look like anything new."
  • It is awesome that developers are finally pressurizing Microsoft and Sony to make high end hardware that won't be demolished by PCs only a year in the console's cycle. PS3 and Xtoy360 were good but man they fell behind WAY TOO FAST

  • Mmmm, im not impressed by the pics....perhaps the mountains one was awesome, but....still.....not so next generation as i expected.
  • These screenshots look fine and all... but if the main focus of the next generation is going to be graphics yet again, its going to be a long few years. Games have become stagnant over the last generation, with far too many companies going for the "safe" choice of just copying something thats been done before and spending all their effort of the graphics side of development. I would much rather see developers use the power of next generation system to improve gameplay, instead of just making clones of games from the past generation with better graphics. Call of Duty for example is getting really boring after all these years, and a "next gen" COD with nothing but better graphics won't change that.
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