The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are going to have a major impact on the games industry when they finally release, and it appears that some developers may need to revamp some aspects of development in order to keep up. Such is the case with the Epic Game's Unreal Engine, which apparently had to be updated to take full advantage of the PlayStation 5's SSD.
Just a few weeks ago, Unreal Engine 5 revealed a PS5 tech demo showing what the engine was capable of on the new hardware. Visually, it was incredibly impressive, with beautifully detailed environments and a host of impressive lighting effects. However, to take full advantage of that new power afforded by the PS5's SSD, parts of the Unreal Engine had to be re-written entirely.
Speaking to VG24/7, Epic Games VP of Engineering Nick Penwarden complimented the PlayStation 5's hardware, stating, "The PlayStation 5 provides a huge leap in both computing and graphics performance, but its storage architecture is also truly special." Penwarden went on to say that "the ability to stream in content at extreme speeds enables developers to create denser and more detailed environments, changing how we think about streaming content. It’s so impactful that we’ve rewritten our core I/O subsystems for Unreal Engine with the PlayStation 5 in mind."
The upgrades to the SSD may seem like marketing babble, but it affords developers a shocking number of new opportunities. In fact, it could change how video game level design is approached, overhauling how players think of games. If used to its full advantage, players could see shocking changes to video games across the board in ways that are difficult to imagine. With how stunningly beautiful graphics can be now, it's hard to imagine things improving more, but that may soon be the reality.
However, economic hardship wrought by a variety of global factors means that there will be a longer transition period from the current-gen consoles to the next generation ones. Sony and Microsoft have remained adamant that the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 won't be delayed due to coronavirus, but outside factors, coupled with reduced availability, will likely lead to lower demand for the consoles.
That does have some implications for next-gen. Sony will have PS5 exclusives at launch, unlike Xbox, which is taking a more cross-generational approach — though Xbox does still believe in console generations. For Sony, that may mean lower sales, but for those that do opt-in, PlayStation 5's SSD may be revolutionary.
Epic Games owns and licenses Unreal Engine.
Source: VG24/7