In an interview this week with Develop, Epic Games Vice President Mark Rein talked extensively about his belief that the future of gaming will soon be taking a turn toward mobile platforms rather than the stationary consoles that are popular today.
Epic’s Unreal Engine 3, the base technology for hundreds of console and PC games, is currently being revised by the company to a version that will be compatible with iOS devices. They predict that the graphics in mobile phones & tablets will soon meet, and eventually exceed, the quality of the Xbox 360 or PS3.
“We’re going to see really powerful smaller machines emerge – they will be more powerful than a 360. To Epic that’s where our interest lies,” Rein told Develop. “We’re not interested in simple 2D games or games for the original iPhone or 3G; we want to bring high-quality, high-fidelity triple-A games to mobile.”
The device that he envisions won’t strictly use a multi-touch input, as some have predicted, but will use a combination of touch, motion-sensors, and wireless controllers for maximum versatility.
“It will have… technology like Kinect built right in,” Rein says. “Imagine walking into a bar with some friends, propping it up on the table and playing games like Dance Central or Kinect Adventures anywhere you go. Then when you get home that same device will use technology like AirPlay or wireless HDMI to connect to your big screen, you’ll pick up a wireless controller, or use your phone as controller to play games like Gears of War.”
And of course, the device will take care of all your gaming needs in addition to surfing the web, storing your media, running apps, and everything else the iPad currently does.
While I do have my doubts, Rein’s predictions do sound impressive. Would you give up your gaming console for a portable tablet that does it all? Let us know in the comments.
