Epic Shows Off Unreal Engine for iPod

[Greg Tito]

Epic Shows Off Unreal Engine for iPod

Epic exhibited a version of its Unreal Engine 3 for use on the third generation iPod Touch and iPhone 3GS.


Unreal isn't just for the big dogs anymore. Anandtech [http://www.anandtech.com/gadgets/showdoc.aspx?i=3695] met with Epic's Mark Rein and played a modified Unreal level on a much smaller platform. The engine uses a virtual thumbstick in the lower left corner of the iPod when it it is held horizontally. Looking and aiming is controlled by dragging a cuticle on the screen and you can fire the weapon you are holding by tapping the gun in the lower right corner of the screen. This short video shows surprisingly smooth and graceful gameplay.

The demo uses OpenGL ES 2.0 so the engine does not work on older generation iPods and only functions on the iPhone 3Gs. Epic is not making the engine platform specific, however, Mark Rein said that they plan on showing a demonstration on a different mobile as early as Consumer Electronics Show in January.

The demo is just that, the recently announced Unreal Development Kit does not include any support for the portable engine yet. It is just one of many projects that Epic is working on to bring its engine to the portable market.

While I don't think I'm going to go out and buy an iPhone just to play Unreal, it is great to see a hefty game engine being developed for the open portable computer market. If more "hardcore" games are released there with this engine, it's possible that consumers will begin to veer away from closed systems like the DS or the PSP and start playing more games on their phones. With new 32nm chip technology coming down from Intel, it's also possible that we'll see a smartphone becoming as powerful as an Xbox 360 in 3 to 5 years.

I just want to know when I'll get my tricorder.

Source: Anandtech [http://www.anandtech.com/gadgets/showdoc.aspx?i=3695]

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[hazabaza1]

Wow, that looks smooth. Pity that in big gunfights, it'll probably get insanely hard due to the fact that the controls could get awkward. Still, might be something to try out once the games start getting released.

 

[AceDiamond]

Personally I think it's an awesome technical achievement although it is hilariously impractical due to the control issues, which again I feel is one of the biggest problems regarding games on the iPod.

 

[Jared]

That would certainly be intresting to say the least...I would give it a go though, lol

 

[Cherry Cola]

I wonder what RAKK will say about this.

Seems a little impractical. Actually, very impractical.

 

[j0z]

That is awesome but it looks like it would be hard to control, especially in firefights.

 

[Donrad]

those controls look like they will get very awkward.
that shit wont fly!
unless.... they change the control scheme

 

[Optimus Hagrid]

If the third Unreal engine is based on the original, maybe somebody will port Deus Ex to the system

 

[lvl9000_woot]

I wonder what RAKK will say about this.

Seems a little impractical. Actually, very impractical.

....like mounting a railgun to a toaster?

 

[Frenger]

Wish I could get a strategy game on my Ipod Touch, like Elite, Civilization or something similar.

That would be great... yeah.

 

[Cherry Cola]

I wonder what RAKK will say about this.

Seems a little impractical. Actually, very impractical.

....like mounting a railgun to a toaster?

No, that is too awesome.

More lie mounting a fork to a toaster.

Less awesome, just about as impractical. And stupid.

 

[ProfessorLayton]

That actually looked surprisingly good. But I would expect nothing short of excellent graphics from Epic.

I don't know why it has to be a shooter, though. Wouldn't just about every other genre make more since for a control scheme like that? Like RTS, RPG, sidescroller, beat-em-ups, racing, or just about anything else would work like a charm, but shooters... not so much.

Spoiler: Or I don't know, something like...

[img=Professor Layton!]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61TYK2sZjVL.jpg[/img]

This?

 

[zombie711]

We all saw this comming after portal was ported to the ipod.

 

[Woodsey]

Is it me or did that look amazing? (In both frames and graphics.)

 

[Leaper]

Looks extremely good, as if you would be playing Unreal Tournament 3 on low settings

Either way, as people mentioned before, for fast paced shooters it would be quite hard to properly implement all controls, but of course games made with UE doesnt have to be shooters.

And also, if game company knows how to create proper games they examine all possible problems about the platform before even starting game creation process.

 

[cheese_wizington]

So now my ipod touch's bottom left corner will be around 200 degrees ?

Sweet.

 

[The DSM]

Anyone remember the days when a phone used to be a... you know....Phone?

And I cant see you being able to get amazing games out of the controls and small screen.

 

[Shru1kan]

So now my ipod touch's bottom left corner will be around 200 degrees ?

Sweet.

You could use it for defense in a crowd. Burn the kiddies!

These controls are always awkward. Ive played on the virtual joystick and it just doesn't seem to work.

 

[samsonguy920]

Cue more people walking into lightpoles and into traffic unawares. That alone will make this new feature amusing.

 

[Soulwolf]

The Sixth Sense as seen on http://blog.ted.com/2009/03/sixth_sense_demo.php is like a simple tricorder. It can scan products and give you information on what it is, who someone is and what they do and their interests.