Will the PS5 be BETTER than PC? - TalkLinked #7

The video analyzes Unreal Engine 5’s demo, focusing on how nanite and lumen shape the future of asset detail and lighting in games, and what that could mean for PS5 versus PC gaming. The hosts explain that the Unreal Engine 5 tech demonstration showcased cinema-quality assets being imported directly into real-time scenes, with nanite handling dynamic level of detail to render billions of triangles efficiently. They discuss how this promises to remove manual workflows like creating multiple levels of detail and normal or light maps, enabling much more detailed worlds with fewer developer steps. The conversation touches on the limitations and caveats of the demo, such as the room’s rocks and plants being relatively simple assets compared to the claimed cinema-quality statues, and questions whether foliage and dynamic elements will scale similarly. They also compare the demo’s performance on the PS5 and speculate about how well such tech would translate to next-gen consoles and PC hardware, including bandwidth and storage considerations. Throughout, they balance enthusiasm for the potential of nanite and lumen with skepticism about marketing hype, noting that Unreal Engine 5 won’t be broadly available to developers until mid-2021 and that real-world games may not look dramatically different at first glance. The hosts explore how PS5’s storage architecture and 3D audio tech could influence future game development, while acknowledging that there are still significant constraints like asset sizes, SSD bandwidth, and the practicalities of delivering terabyte-scale movie-grade assets on consoles. The discussion closes with reflections on developer accessibility and engine economics, highlighting Epic’s move to offer Unreal Engine 5 free until a game makes a million dollars in revenue, which could accelerate adoption, and they joke about evolving controller designs and the ongoing console war as launch windows approach. The hosts also address the broader takeaway: even if the top-line demo isn’t a guaranteed leap in visuals, the efficiency gains and workflows could raise the bar for many future titles while the underlying tech gradually becomes mainstream on both PS5 and PC platforms.

Topics · technology · video games · hardware · console wars · unreal engine 5