Do you like Epic Games? Sure you do. Do you want them to make games for the Wii? Well tough. At the moment the Wii just isn't powerful enough to handle the Epic's Unreal Engine, according to Mark Rein, VP of the company.
Rein recently spoke about the difficulties of porting the engine to Nintendo's machine:
You'd just be stretching it too thin; I just don't see it as worthwhile. But you know if Nintendo comes out with a Wii 2 or a Wii HD, and it's got a couple more processors and a little more memory and better graphics, then yes we'll be on it.
I'm not saying there's no interest in being on as many platforms as possible, but it's just that you have to be on the ones you're good at. We're a very high-end engine, and we have the best tools and awesome visuals and great physics. It's more likely the platform will rise up to meet us than we'll go down [to customise our technology for it].
The question is does Nintendo even need to try and compete with MS and Sony's higher tech as they are vastly outselling them at the moment? The Wii is technically behind and seems happy to stay there, so Nintendo has no need to rock the boat at the moment. Why would Nintendo want to jump out of their safety zone, you might ask?
Still, it would be nice for The Conduit to have some worthy FPS competition, don't you think?
[source cubed3.com]
Comments 36
Thats why I have a PS3!
Epic made the Unreal engine right?
Technically they COULD use an old version of it on the Wii if they really needed to, considering FPS are more engaging on the Wii. Unfortunately noone is making them for the Wii, I guess making a new engine is just too much to ask for.
Maybe High Voltage should lend their engine to a few devs who can do a lot more with it
Nintendo is so safe with everything they do, I bet it's 2011 until we get a more powerful device and this is sad because my iPhone has more graphical features then my Wii.
That's why I have Wii! seriously thought if they Unreal guys have their way they'd add NOTHING but shooters on Wii, which would be unnecessary
@BrickleBrack
"Nintendo is so safe with everything they do, I bet it's 2011 until we get a more powerful device and this is sad because my iPhone has more graphical features then my Wii."
They weren't playing it safe at all. What you're missing is the fact that releasing the Wii was an enormously daring gamble that paid off quite well for them. The Gamecube was very powerful graphically for its generation, and going on to make another standard console with stronger specs would have been the safe thing to do, not what they actually did, which was to put the competition over power aside and release a system that bet its entire existence on the success or failure of the new IR / motion controls. Sony and Microsoft were the ones who played it safe this gen, by sticking to the same gamer demographic and the same basic setup, just with more power as expected.
@MattL
You're not the only one, I agree with everything you said.
I dont care about HD graphics, and care less. What I would like to see is more power, Wii backwards compabaility, Motion + for both Nunchuck and WR for a wii2
Well, by 2011 or 2012, just about everyone will have HD displays and a more powerful system from Nintendo will be a no-brainer. Of course, the question is whether they actually intend to produce a new system at all, or stick with the Wii... which isn't showing any signs of slowing down. Nevertheless, there is no doubt in my mind that Nintendo's next system will support HD and probably larger storage media as well (like blu-ray or a similar proprietary format from Nintendo themselves). By 2012, I'm guessing standard def will be a thing of the past.
Oh man... I was quite the Unreal/Epic fan back in the good times, but I quit on them since the Unreal Engine 3. Way over my head. I was hoping for a Wii version of Unreal Championship 2. You know, the Unreal Tournament game using swords and all on the old XBox. It was really good, but the XBox controller controls were absolutely aweful. But the Wii would be a perfect fit for both shooting and sword fighting. It's perfect. And the Unreal Engine 2.x would run smooth on the Wii. No need to downgrade the brown-color thingy they call Unreal Engine 3. And the Wii could use a cool game like that, so why not? And something similar to UC2 on the Wii is an absolute no-brainer, I wonder, why Epic still haven't made it.
And Nintendo doesn't need to upgrade to HD. There's no need for HD graphics on the market, it's overshooting. Most customers don't even have a HD TV and most of those who can afford one, don't care too much about high end graphic shooters and still stick with the Wii. And making HD games and hardware is much more expansive. It's arrogant and ignorant of Epic Games to say something like Nintendo should rise up to them, because they are part of a shrinking market and not Nintendo.
As for me, I had my good times with the old Unreal games. They were awesome, but back then Epic had more standards than just "the best possible graphics". An Unreal game on the Wii would have been really nice, but oh well. Can't have everything...
NO NEED FOR HD! No HD means cheaper price tag on everything, Nintendo's more about gameplay and having fun than graphics or resolution, etc, that is why the DSi has such low end cameras, if the thing had 2 high quality cameras, it would cost more than a PSP. Nintendo is doing just fine, just some more focus on downloadable content especially on the DSi IMO.
The final line of this article urks me to no end (one of the two Conduit-haters on NLife), but I digress.....
Anyways, I personally don't care if EPic games comes to the Wii or not. To borrow the words of a very wise chemist:
"I bought a Wii for new experiences, not N64 games with fancy brown graphics."
That quote is win
Still, it would be nice for The Conduit to have some worthy FPS competition, don't you think?
Competition at the bottom? Sure.
Do you want them to make games for the Wii?
Uh, no?
I'd rather them make good games.
I would like to have HD on my Wii, but Nintendo does not need to do that. They know what they are doing and realize that graphics aren't everything. Just get rid of the shovelware and improve the Virtual Console and there will no reasons not to buy a Wii.
I also want a HD Wii...I am ready for it, come on Nintendo give it to us!
You took the words out of my mouth SSB Fan1999. An HD Wii sounds like a good thing but with the economy the way it is and some news sources talking about slowdowns in videogame sales now isn't the time for an HD Wii. I'm sure you all remember the horrible sales of the HD-DVD equip that Microsoft came out with to compete with Blu-Ray.
graphics really don't, how do i say, tickle my pickle??? no... well anyways maybe i'm just getting to old... eh...
Gah, now your quoting me here too, Bahamut?
Anyway, I don't really like any of the games that use the Epic engine. It is technically impressive, but the style just generally strikes me as incredibly ugly. Personal preference, sure, but idiotic comments like this one don't help to change my mind.
@bbb: You bet your ass
@Alex: Couldn't agree more.
As I see it, HD and Epic games can wait till the next gen Nintendo console.
Epic? You mean as in EPIC FAIL! Seriously, I have more respect in Shia LeBeouf's opinion than in Mark Rein's; the tool who makes tools. He's flip flopped his opinion numerous times and comes across as unprofessional. Wouldn't it be easier to say Wii is not a feasible platform for our technology then ramble on about how much Wii sucks in general?
I sorta agree with Alexsays about the Conduit, lol. But somehow I doubt he's even played it. He's probably like that chick on the news who slammed Mass Effect for it's lesbian scene.
For all you know I WAS the chick on the news who slammed Mass Effect for its lesbian scene.
Way I see it, they are still full of crap. Even if they want to support the HD consoles; they still didn't support the Gamecube, and wasn't it a beefy system at the least?
"t's more likely the platform will rise up to meet us than we'll go down"
HA! yeah sure! Nintendo is doing well without them so I don't think they are THAT important.
Red Stell actually uses Unreal Engine 2.5.
480p is Standard Definition? I dont think so.
If there were suddenly a little button that said "Push for HD" discovered on the backs of all the Wii's out there, anyone saying he wouldn't push it is either a liar or an idiot.
Sure doing more with less is noteworthy and admirable, but imagine what more Nintendo could do with more.
Epic games, I'm trying to think of anything they've done that I was interested in. That Quake clone sure as hell wasn't one. In fact even FPS games I've enjoyed in the past used the Quake engine rather than the Unreal one.
I suppose if the engine was ported that might make for other ports, but I don't think that's necessary when HVS have made a suitable engine should anyone want to license it. Given they've apparently sold 300000 copies of The Conduit worldwide they may get some custom...
Why not play the superior versions (to the console ports) on PC - everyone has one of those.
@20 "Mark Rein; the tool who makes tools."
That's brilliant
Rubbish.
Last gen they had the chance with the gamecube... What did they say? Too childish.
Now they're asking for a powerful console.
most definitely next gen, IF wii hd comes, they will have even MORE excuse.
If they really want to, there's a way... If not, there's an excuse!
sheeesh Gameplay is everything!
imagine a game with superb graphics but all you do is throw rocks
Its no big loss.
Nintendo Wii games are generally far superior for gameplay and innovation...so they need to "get real"
@Sean_Aaron: I Agree id Tech 4 was awesome and 5 is gonna be sick and I can't wait for Doom 4, Doom 3 is one of my favorite games ever. The only games I came to love on the unreal engine is Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas and well one of my favorite games now that is Xmen Origins: Wolverine. I still haven't been able to play the Conduit yet but will as soon as I get around to buying it.
@ #6. warioswoods
The Wii is a Game Cube with IR/ Motion controls. Nintendo is famous for selling you the same console but with small upgrades. Is this bad? I don't know. Would I like more power as a developer so you can play better games? Yes. As someone with a large HD TV do I want Nintendo to be in Hi -Def? HELL YEAH!!!
And also keep in mind that Nintendo is doing so well because they are getting Moms and little sisters to play yoga games. I think this is wonderful, but my Mom could care less about Mario. She is not a gamer and she thinks the Wii is a exercise machine.
I LOVE HOW EPIC LIVE IN THERE OWN FANTASY WORLD
e[pic stop making buggy engines and generic fps games with 10 year old gameplay THEN NINTENDO WILL TALK ouch i love being so dam smart
mark rein is an assshole he talks constant bs
cube uk magazine or official nintendo magazine (cannot remember witch) did an artical on the guy after he embaressed him self and epic games at a games thingy were nintendo were talking ds and revolution before wii released
he twisted everything nintendo were saying then looked about the room expecting everyone to be giggling and agreeing with him ONLY TO SEE EVERYONE ELSE WAS NOT AMUSED
nintendo were talking interaction innovation 3d motipon gaming in ur living room and gaming with ur family etc
MARK REIN BLURTED OUT something like THATS STUPID THATS LIKE GAMING WITH UR EYES CLOSED his rant didnt even make sense he was doing this the whole time and acting as tho he was right and nintendo was wrong
he acted like a drunk at a wedding and noone was amused his rants made no sense
and he thought he looked spo smart doing it aswell
the staff from ether cube uk or official nintendo mag were there CHANDRA official nintendo uk editor can back me up here he was there
they did an article about it and refered to mark rein as yogy bear and every rant of non sense mark did they referanced it with yogy bear jokes
mark rein is a liar a fantasist and is expressing nothing more than his own jelousy at nintendos domination
epic are nothing compared to nintendo nintendo could buy out there ass 100000 times over epic love to think they actually matter
wii has proven they dont matter one little bit
I dont see the relation between Epic's Unreal Engine and HD, I'm pretty sure it is not dependant on resolution but on raw power of the sytem (CPU power and RAM), oviosuly once the engine can at least run, then you might have a game with more or less polygons for the characters and more or less graphic resolution.
It is like most PC games, you have minimum specs which are usually required to run the game with minimum graphic settings, but the games are not just visuals only. How many games with simple graphics cannot run on a Wii simply due the required resources by the game AI? Or the AI would be so stupid that the game would be simply not worth playing. Or the ammount of RAM to handle a large maps (terrains, islands, scenaries) without accessing the DVD from scene to scene, independently of how good looking they are.
How about Jill of The Jungle for WiiWare? >_<
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