Unreal Engine 5 has been revealed with a live tech demo using the PS5, and it looks like this breakthrough in game development tech could be a huge boost for upcoming games.
The Unreal Engine, developed by the team at Epic Games (who also make Fortnite), is a suite of tools that game developers can use to build games. The new version is called Unreal Engine 5 and it looks amazing.
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During the latest Summer Game Fest video hosted by Geoff Keighley, the team from Epic Games showed off their next-gen version of the Unreal Engine that will help developers make the most of next-gen hardware capabilities.
If you're wondering what went down in the stream and what this means for your games going forward, keep reading for all the essential info on Unreal Engine 5...
Unreal Engine 5 trailer is utterly gorgeous
Epic Games shared the first footage of the Unreal Engine 5 in action during the aforementioned live stream, and you can watch the truly stunning video below if you haven't seen it yet!
This video shows Unreal Engine 5 running a tech demo on a PS5 dev kit, with the visuals outputted through a HDMI cable, so this a truly accurate depiction of what graphics could look like on the PS5.
Unreal Engine 5 Lumen explained: lighting in games is getting a major upgrade
Various members of Epic Games staff showed up in the live-stream to explain the new Unreal Engine features.
One new feature, called Lumen, will make lighting in PS5 games better than you've ever seen in a game before.
Dynamic global illumination will mean that developers bounce lighting from numerous sources off items in real-time.
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Unreal Engine 5 Nanite explained: next-gen graphics will have more detail than ever
"Art that just works" is something that Epic wants to offer with the new Unreal Engine.
Using a feature called Nanite, developers will be able to drop film-quality assets straight into games without having to downgrade them at all.
Developers will be able to create images, characters, levels and environments using billions of triangles. There will be detail down to the pixel, meaning you'll get some of the most detailed graphics ever on PS5.
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Unreal Engine 5 will also improve sound
Sound field rendering is another awesome feature on offer with Unreal Engine 5. Developers can now record and playback spacial audio with stunning detail on PS5.
PS5 3D Audio has already been confirmed for the PlayStation 5, and this hardware feature looks like it will work wonderfully with Unreal Engine 5 to help developers create amazing soundscapes.
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