Yesterday we got out first real look at what the PlayStation 5 is capable of, via the first ever showcase of Epic's Unreal Engine 5 in action. The fully playable tech demo, which was running in real-time, is pretty jaw-dropping. We watched a lone explorer navigate some stunningly realised ancient ruins, with lighting and terrain that looked as close photorealistic as I've ever seen from a game.
If you happened to miss it yesterday and are wondering what all the fuss was about, you can check it out below. Alternatively you can drink it in via this link right here.
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While tech demos tend to set the bar pretty high, there can be no denying that this display has really got people talking about what the PlayStation 5 can do. Even Epic Games CEO and founder Tim Sweeney had some glowing things to say about Sony's upcoming console after the Unreal Engine 5 reveal.
Speaking to IGN, Sweeney explained that its the PS5's SSD (solid-state drive) that really helps the console stand out. When Sony architect Mark Cerny revealed the PS5 specs back in March, the SSD was very much the star of the show.
Many developers at the time praised its potential for enabling faster loading times, which in turn could lead to larger environments and more detailed open worlds.It would seem Sweeney and the Unreal Engine 5 demo have confirmed this potential.
"[The PS5] puts a vast amount of flash memory very, very close to the processor," Sweeney explained. "So much that it really fundamentally changes the trade-offs that games can make and stream in. And that's absolutely critical to this kind of demo. This is not just a whole lot of polygons and memory."
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"It's also a lot of polygons being loaded every frame as you walk around through the environment and this sort of detail you don't see in the world would absolutely not be possible at any scale without these breakthroughs that Sony's made."
While Epic won't comment on any hardware differences between the PS5 and Xbox Series X, Sweeney did say that the PS5's storage architecture is far ahead of "the best SSD solution you can buy on PC today." He added that it's "really exciting to be seeing the console market push forward the high-end PC market in this way".
We've yet to see any actual games for the PS5, but the Unreal Engine 5 demo has me confident that sequels to titles like Marvel's Spider-Man and Horizon Zero Dawn are going to be unbelievable. Let's hope Sony doesn't keep us waiting much longer, eh?
Featured Image Credit: Epic GamesTopics: PS5, epic games