Unreal Engine 4.16 Adds Support For Nintendo Switch

[kcarbotte]

Epic Games released Unreal Engine 4.16, and the feature list includes new tools for 3D artists and performance enhancements for mobile and console developers. UE 4.16 also introduces full-featured support for the Nintendo Switch.

Unreal Engine 4.16 Adds Support For Nintendo Switch : Read more

 

[AgentLozen]

I remember the next generation Unreal Engine demo from a few years ago. I'm talking about the dystopian future one with the guy fighting robots in a dark city. That demo was incredibly impressive for the time. Many modern PC graphics functions weren't being used because every game was still being built on the X-Box 360. It was nice to see a big company like Epic go all out showing us the potential for next generation 3D graphics.

Unreal Engine 4 has become publicly available since then. I thought that would mean we would see a swarm of ultra detailed next generation games come about. Instead, there are tons of games with TBD release dates waiting to finish development.

What I'm saying is that even if you began development on a Nintendo Switch title in UE4 TODAY, it wouldn't bear fruit for another two or three years at the very earliest. Even still, it's really cool to see that the Switch now officially has support for UE4.

 

[kcarbotte]

I remember the next generation Unreal Engine demo from a few years ago. I'm talking about the dystopian future one with the guy fighting robots in a dark city. That demo was incredibly impressive for the time. Many modern PC graphics functions weren't being used because every game was still being built on the X-Box 360. It was nice to see a big company like Epic go all out showing us the potential for next generation 3D graphics.

Unreal Engine 4 has become publicly available since then. I thought that would mean we would see a swarm of ultra detailed next generation games come about. Instead, there are tons of games with TBD release dates waiting to finish development.

What I'm saying is that even if you began development on a Nintendo Switch title in UE4 TODAY, it wouldn't bear fruit for another two or three years at the very earliest. Even still, it's really cool to see that the Switch now officially has support for UE4.

That's not entirely true.
developers will be able to quickly and easily bring their existing work over to the Switch platform.
Projects that are nearing completion or part way through development could decide to support Nintendo's platform without a full engineering team.

 

[beoza]

Now if Nintendo will hire the person who's been making Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the Unreal Engine. They've already done a lot of work and what they have done looks really good. They could re-release the game on the Switch.

 

[jeremy2020]

wouldn't adding support for the switch just mean they need an old version of the engine from several years ago? 😉

 

[AgentLozen]

wouldn't adding support for the switch just mean they need an old version of the engine from several years ago? 😉

Har har.

Part of Unreal Engine 4's appeal is it's scalability. You can design a game that uses every bell and whistle available but also demands a modern $1500 PC. However, it also gives you the tools to build a game that will still run on lower class hardware.

You can design a game from scratch in UE4 for the Switch. It may not compete visually with the PS4, but you'll have complete access to all of the most modern tools that UE4 offers.

I understand you were just being facetious tho 😉

 

[David_6502]

he may have been facetious but there is a grain of truth. Mhyrvold once said "Software is a gas. Software always expands to fit whatever container it is stored in." - That container in this case is the high end PC ecosystem and really people who have to make games for XB1, PS4, Switch or even phones have to do a lot of extra work to pare it back down. Just look at the Gears of War XB1 post mortem and note that they wrote their own rendering system.