The Future, Through the Eyes of EPIC

2011-03-09T12:50:00.000-08:00

So here it is, the future according to EPIC. This is a picture generated by the guys behind Gears of War and Unreal tournament, showing their guess at what next-gen should look like. The screenshot above show's off some of the newest improvements EPIC has made to the Unreal Engine, and it's looking pretty damn good.

Unreal has been behind a lot of very pretty games for this generation of consoles, and I don't think many will argue with that. The problem I've had however, has been with the netcoding for online multiplayer in many of these games. Bullet lag has been a rampant problem in a bunch of Unreal-powered games. Gears of War, Rainbow Six Vegas 2, and Turok, just to name a few. Let's hope that they take their time and get it right with the next Unreal.

What are your opinions on EPIC's view of the next generation? Are you impressed? Personally, I'm happy with the graphical improvements, and I'm hoping the next generation of games will be about improved AI, and added depth throughout games.

Welcome!

2011-03-08T08:54:00.000-08:00

Hello, and welcome to the ribbon cutting of Techxter, a brand new one-stop gadget, games, and gear blog. My goal with this blog is to provide you with the latest news, concisely, and with none of the fluff that wastes your coffee break.

To start things off, I'd like to talk about Microsoft's entry into the motion controlled gaming world, Kinect. I'm not interested at all in it's applications in the gaming world. While it might be valuable in social gaming, it really shines in it's less conventional uses. From controlling robots to Minority Report-style computer controls, Kinect has shown it's worth in more ways than anyone expected. Despite the fact that it's been out only a few months, there have been many ideas popping up from creative developers all over the world, showing more promise and generating more excitement than anything game studios have churned out. Sorry Kinectimals, but Kinect's greatest uses are the ones it was never primarily made for. Microsoft may have unknowingly struck gold with this idea, in a way the Wii and Move can't compete with. I'm imagining a world where PCs ship standard with Kinect-like sensors replacing or augmenting mice, and let me tell you, it's one badass world.