The Future According to Epic's Tim Sweeney

Clouseau · **The Future According to Epic's Tim Sweeney -** 05-09-2012, 20:01 | posts: 180

http://gamasutra.com/view/feature/16...epics_tim_.php

"...So having all of the things that you expect from the game industry as a whole and the best that's been done elsewhere, and to bring that together on a console platform is really important. We saw with the current generation, we went from consoles as a little fixed, TV connected device to an online network of gaming devices where you can play with your friends over the internet, get updates, even watch movies on Xbox 360.

We love that, and I think a huge portion of the business opportunity in the next generation is extending that concept even further forward. So this is a mainstream computing device that hooks into all of your social circles as well.

Number two is raw performance. The thing that separates consoles from FarmVille is the fact that consoles define the high-end gaming experience. When you look for the best graphics available in the whole game industry today, you look at Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and those games are the best out there, bar none. And so the big opportunities for future consoles is to bring that to an entirely new level by delivering a dramatic increase in raw computing power.

We measure that in floating-point operations per second, and now we talk about teraflops -- trillions of floating-point operations per second. What we want is as many teraflops as is economically possible to deliver to consumers, because that enables us to create the best quality experience as possible, and that will drive people to buy a new machine. That's a big challenge with a new console -- that you reset your install base from millions and millions of what you have today with current consoles back to zero. Then you have to convince everybody to buy the new hardware.

To do that you need awesome games that provide a level of graphical fidelity that people have just not seen or even imagined previously."

This guy is smoking something I hope he does not share with anyone else; needs to wake up and realize desktops exist and leave consoles in the dust.

PhazeDelta1 · *Last edited by PhazeDelta1; 05-09-2012 at 20:31.*

Quote:

The thing that separates consoles from FarmVille is the fact that consoles define the high-end gaming experience. When you look for the best graphics available in the whole game industry today, you look at Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3

What credibility he had just went in the sh!tter with that comment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clouseau

This guy is smoking something I hope he does not share with anyone else; needs to wake up and realize desktops exist and leave consoles in the dust.

For the most part. Considering console gamers outnumber pc gamers 100/1, we will get sloppy seconds on ports 99% of the time.

Damien_Azreal · 05-09-2012, 21:00 | posts: 3,452 | Location: Kansas, USA

They don't need to "leave consoles in the dust" but they do need to realize that PC gaming hasn't gone anywhere.
That there still is a large community on the PC that enjoy playing games.

Xendance · 05-09-2012, 21:37 | posts: 5,287 | Location: Funland aka Happycamp aka Finland

Quote:

Originally Posted by Firestorm

What credibility he had just went in the sh!tter with that comment.

For the most part. Considering console gamers outnumber pc gamers 100/1, we will get sloppy seconds on ports 99% of the time.

You aren't serious, are you?

Yes, on the farmville - high end 3d gaming spectrum, consoles are in the high end (with PC). The defining aspects of "high end gaming" are found in both: console and PC environments. You don't need to get butthurt because of that and say "he lost his credibility"

One of the major hurdles in making games is to have the proper tools to make them. Epic has always strived to support as many platforms as possible and the functionality that is in UE 3 SDK is awesome. There aren't many game engines and toolsets that allow you to port your game onto PS 3 and/or Xbox 360 with a push of a button.

Clouseau · 05-09-2012, 23:28 | posts: 180

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xendance

You aren't serious, are you?

Yes, on the farmville - high end 3d gaming spectrum, consoles are in the high end (with PC). The defining aspects of "high end gaming" are found in both: console and PC environments. You don't need to get butthurt because of that and say "he lost his credibility"

One of the major hurdles in making games is to have the proper tools to make them. Epic has always strived to support as many platforms as possible and the functionality that is in UE 3 SDK is awesome. There aren't many game engines and toolsets that allow you to port your game onto PS 3 and/or Xbox 360 with a push of a button.

Main thing you missed was the fact the tard said "...for the best graphics available in the whole game industry today, you look at Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3"

You raise a valid point that the software used to "port" the game to console is amazing but the graphics still to today are under utilized on desktops and laptops. If they spent half the time optimizing the games for pc that they spend on for consoles, the console market would shrink by a noticeable amount. Main issue is that with that much coin earned on subpar consoles, I would blind myself too but would never come close to stating that consoles have the best gaming graphics period.

Other side of the coin, if his staement is true, then we all have been duped by both AMD and Nvidia for dishing out so much for their cards when a sub $100 card is all that is needed. Which then means PT Barnum's statement "...A fool and his money are soon parted." rings true for us as well.

Reciprocity · 05-09-2012, 23:29 | posts: 176 | Location: Tampa, FL

One simply cannot write off Sweeney because of an interview comment he made, he was probably thinking strictly about game consoles in that context when he made that remark and certainly understands (like anybody else involved in the gaming community) that PC's inherently offer more raw horsepower than console systems.

Sweeney is one of the few true development Gods out there, his work is top notch and he is a mastermind on the order of Carmack, Meier, and Williams in my opinion - those guys are in a league of their own and deserve utter respect for the sheer work and dedication they've put into the gaming world during their careers. Without them, we'd probably still be living in the dark ages.

Bashing him because he made a comment about consoles...baffles me, but to each their own like anything else I guess.

The Chubu · 05-10-2012, 01:44 | posts: 2,534 | Location: Look out!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Firestorm

What credibility he had just went in the sh!tter with that comment.

One doesn't "just" takes out the credibility of Tim Fcking Sweeney when talking about game development like that.

Its like going to Miyamoto and say to him "Platformers? Pff... What would you know about that?"

PhazeDelta1 · 05-10-2012, 01:53 | posts: 9,314 | Location: 90° N

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clouseau

Main thing you missed was the fact the tard said "...for the best graphics available in the whole game industry today, you look at Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3"

Thats why i quoted that specific sentence. Everything else was spot on, more or less.

@ everyone else.

I am very well aware of his accomplishments in the gaming industry. But with his standing in said industry, comments like that shouldn't be made. Just my $.02

Damien_Azreal · 05-10-2012, 03:54 | posts: 3,452 | Location: Kansas, USA

While Tim does some amazing things technically with the Unreal Engine, it doesn't take away from the fact that his and Epic's view on the gaming market are completely skewed these days.

I respect the work Tim does on the engine. But, his views on the industry... and his ideas and views on PC gaming and console gaming and go right to hell.

Denial · 05-10-2012, 12:34 | posts: 6,348 | Location: Above Earth in a Big Rocket Ship

The problem with these companies and PC Gaming is that they don't know how to make money on it. Epic wants to create a 8 hour experience and sell it for $50. In the mean time I have more hours than that logged into league of legends and I don't even like it and I payed nothing for it. When your competition is using a free to play model or selling their games at $10 on steam for the same experience length, of course you're going to go somewhere else.

Does Tim Sweeney know that PC gaming has the best hardware and graphics capabilities? Of course he does, he's stated before in interviews that it does. He just doesn't believe it's worth developing the types of games Epic makes on it.

PhazeDelta1 · 05-10-2012, 12:39 | posts: 9,314 | Location: 90° N

Hopefully his attitude will change about that when the new consoles roll out.

Denial · 05-10-2012, 13:05 | posts: 6,348 | Location: Above Earth in a Big Rocket Ship

Quote:

Originally Posted by Firestorm

Hopefully his attitude will change about that when the new consoles roll out.

Why would it change? If anything it's going to be more solidified. The pricing scheme consoles use isn't changing any time soon, unless steam gets on more systems and becomes widely adopted.

I mean if you were in the business trying to make money, what would you rather target, the 200M PC gamers who are used to paying $10 or nothing for their games, or the 200M Console gamers who are forced to pay $50 for their games.

It's a no brainer. Console games are easier to develop due to standards and dev kits. They are also cheaper to develop for and they yield the developer more money overall. The only thing we can hope for as PC Gamers, is that the next generation consoles are X86 based and use DX11 cards - that way the standards between console and PC games are way more strict and easier/cheaper/better to port.

PhazeDelta1 · 05-10-2012, 14:11 | posts: 9,314 | Location: 90° N

That's what I mean,t for development purposes. Hopefully with the new hardware, we wont get as many crapy ports.

Year · 05-10-2012, 14:23 | posts: 11,657 | Location: ♫

i'll tell you how the future is going to be Tim Sweeney..

it's going to be cold.. and grey...and it's gonna last you for the rest of your life.

MrH · 05-10-2012, 14:23 | posts: 1,530 | Location: UK

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clouseau

Number two is raw performance. The thing that separates consoles from FarmVille is the fact that consoles define the high-end gaming experience. When you look for the best graphics available in the whole game industry today, you look at Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and those games are the best out there, bar none.

Err, what? Even the biggest console fanboy would never claim consoles have the best graphics, how about we compare BF3 on PS3 to BF3 on my PC?

ibitato · **Memory**: 4x2GB@1080 5.5.5.15 5:6

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrH

Err, what? Even the biggest console fanboy would never claim consoles have the best graphics, how about we compare BF3 on PS3 to BF3 on my PC?

they don't because they can't

I'm playing a buch of games on a 32 TV , with a Xbox Controller and my lappy (not even my gaming rig!)

I'm having the same game experience then console gamers (let kinetics and stuff aside) with better graphics, more options, can play mods and adjust settings in terms of neccesity

beat that.

SerotoNiN · 05-10-2012, 19:43 | posts: 618 | Location: Chicago

With their success this current generation, it seems like everyone at epic suddenly became a know it all. It's tiring hearing them dictate what the future needs.

quaker3 · 05-10-2012, 21:02 | posts: 560

i can tell you what i discovered today.. Because im only pc gamer its only by a chance of luck that i noticed there is such game called "Monster Hunter Tri"

And this game would kick consoles so hard if it would be dx11 pc only exclusive..
Too bad its for wee only and it still looks amazing despite wii enormous hardware hindering.

Xendance · 05-11-2012, 14:42 | posts: 5,287 | Location: Funland aka Happycamp aka Finland

Quote:

Originally Posted by SerotoNiN

With their success this current generation, it seems like everyone at epic suddenly became a know it all. It's tiring hearing them dictate what the future needs.

You don't even know who Tim Sweeney is, do you?

Clouseau · 05-11-2012, 19:24 | posts: 180

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xendance

You don't even know who Tim Sweeney is, do you?

It does not matter what he has accomplished. Becuase he is who he is, his views carry weight. Does not matter what he has said in the past. The past is the past. If his current views are that the best graphics are only to be found on xbox360 or PS3 then he is pissing down our backs and calling it rain. What do you think this current statement says about the descrete gpu market. Here is another thing you need to take into consideration: If the UE4 engine is too advanced for any console platform, what was it created on?

I do not care who he was. It matters who he is.

ScoobyDooby · 05-12-2012, 00:15 | posts: 5,260 | Location: BC, Canada

Quote:

The thing that separates consoles from FarmVille is the fact that consoles define the high-end gaming experience. When you look for the best graphics available in the whole game industry today, you look at Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and those games are the best out there, bar none.

.. I stopped reading right here.

I understand that he's gonna tout the console side of the industry obviously, but when you say stuff this blatently wrong and all your credibility goes out the window, why even bother being interviewed after that point.

Stupid man is stupid.