PS4 TECH DEMOS

PS4 TECH DEMOS

 Three of gaming’s best and brightest show off what the PS4 can do with fancy visual tech


 QUANTIC DREAM

“We are now only limited by our imagination.” That’s the reality of PS4’s power, a point visibly proven by the Heavy  Rain creator David Cage as he showed off an almost creepily realistic next-gen facial tech. The old man (in the demo, not Cage) looked alive, eyelids blinking believably over a face taut with individually-moving muscles underneath. “You can see soul, just looking into his eyes. You can imagine who he is, without him saying a word.” PS4 is set to usher in a new era of character development thanks to tech powering every last fl icker of emotion in characters’ faces, like LA Noire with extra realism.

MEDIA MOLECULE

PS4’s power allows for creativity, not just shiny graphics. That was the clear message from LittleBigPlanet creator Media Molecule, who dubbed PS4 ‘the creative console’ before unveiling a litany of tools as proof of their claims. Alex Evans demoed a Move-powered 3D sculpting tool, allowing players to craft insanely intricate models with Sony’s glowing motion stick. These were then controlled in real-time to make live theatre/musical mash-ups. It’s solid proof of how PS4’s power, combined with the vast array of tools like Move, PS Eye and DualShock 4, can fuel wild creativity to create something beyond mere graphical ability – eye candy for the soul.

PANTA RHEI (CAPCOM)

A dragon unleashes a firey whirlwind, ripping through a desolate cave while an armour-plated warrior shifts uneasily behind a rock. It’s a scene we’ve seen in games before, but never like this. Powered by Capcom’s new Panta Rhei engine, Deep Down shows a level of exorbitant depth, from the individual spines on the insanely-textured beast, to the gorgeously lit faces full of expression. Even lighting is a huge leap forward, bouncing around columns in a believable way, casting alternate shades of light and dark around the room. It’s an engine natural, organic and impressive in both macro and micro details, an exciting portent of PS4’s future.