Unreal Engine 3 will power next-gen games for Apple's Mac OS X

Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
Epic Games has released a new version of its Unreal Development Kit Beta that includes a preview of Mac OS X support for the toolset that will help power the next generation of Mac gaming.



The game developer announced the release of its September 2011 UDK Beta, the free edition of its Unreal Engine 3, earlier this week.



"The development process is virtually identical for games to be run on the Mac platform, but the packaging and deployment process does require some additional steps," the company wrote on its website.



Epic touted the dramatic increase to "every UDK game's potential user base" that will come as a result of the forthcoming Mac support. The latest beta is available at udk.com/download.



The new UDK Beta also includes multi-display support for iOS, via either HDMI cable or Apple's AirPlay standard. After seeing strong interest in its "Epic Citadel" tech demo, the developer released a version of the UDK adding support for iOS last year, with one executive for the company calling it Apple's mobile OS "the priority for now."







The finished product from the original iOS tech demo, "Infinity Blade," went on to become an instant hit, bringing in millions of dollars in revenue for the company. Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs has called the iOS version of the Unreal 3D environment "remarkable."



"Infinity Blade has been a runaway hit with customers around the world and we couldn't be more excited about our success on iOS devices," Epic Games vice president and co-founder Mark Rein said in July.



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 26
    Apple is not going to start taking Mac gaming seriously until we stop calling 4+ year old technology "next generation" when it finally comes natively to OS X. The stakes aren't as high as when you couldn't Boot Camp, but it's pathetic that we still have to do this now that our hardware is comparable. Now, if only Apple would start using upgradeable GPU's in iMacs.
  • Reply 2 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TheSecretBarn View Post


    Now, if only Apple would start using upgradeable GPU's in iMacs.



  • Reply 3 of 26
    I hope this will lead to Apple extending more options to Mac gamers, and thus offer more GPU upgrade options (esp. on the not higher-end model, e.g. maybe on the 21" iMac, and not only the 27").
  • Reply 4 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post






    It's not necessarily as crazy as it sounds. Alienware has done it in laptops for years, and it's really the only component that seriously holds back the iMac as a serious gaming machine. Most people want their desktops to last for more than a few years, and it sucks when your brand new $1500 iMac comes with a last-generation graphics chip that you're stuck with for the life of the product.



    I know I'm a pretty niche user, but I would love to not have to maintain a separate Windows tower for gaming.
  • Reply 5 of 26
    when are they going to make more games based on infinity blade??
  • Reply 6 of 26
    Gaming will never be worth a crap on mac in comparison to windows. yeah we can get by wth sub par performance or games rnning great when the hardware way outclasses them. but coming to running optimal we'll always have to use windows. until apple takes opengl seriously and keeps it up to date, ati and nvidia provide newer graphics drivrs. and we don't get graphics card 1 year behind. ATI 7000 about to ship for PCs, and what's mac doing? waiting on 6000 series cards to hit mac pros.
  • Reply 7 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TheSecretBarn View Post


    Apple is not going to start taking Mac gaming seriously until we stop calling 4+ year old technology "next generation" when it finally comes natively to OS X. The stakes aren't as high as when you couldn't Boot Camp, but it's pathetic that we still have to do this now that our hardware is comparable. Now, if only Apple would start using upgradeable GPU's in iMacs.



    The article says it will power the next generation of Mac games, it doesn't say the technology itself is next generation.



    That said, it is. This is a BETA release for the UDK. What is being reported here is that, from the September release, the UDK will have Mac support, thereby bringing the Mac Unreal Engine up to the same modernity as the Windows one. From September onwards a developer will be able to create their game once and repackage it for both the Mac and the PC using the very latest build of the engine. The likes of Batman: Arkham City, Gears of War 3 and Mass Effect 3 will all use the Unreal Engine.
  • Reply 8 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MysticalOS View Post


    Gaming will never be worth a crap on mac in comparison to windows. yeah we can get by wth sub par performance or games rnning great when the hardware way outclasses them. but coming to running optimal we'll always have to use windows. until apple takes opengl seriously and keeps it up to date, ati and nvidia provide newer graphics drivrs. and we don't get graphics card 1 year behind. ATI 7000 about to ship for PCs, and what's mac doing? waiting on 6000 series cards to hit mac pros.



    It'll never happen. There is less and less money in PC gaming. In many shops here in the UK the PC game section has been reduced to a token shelf in the corner. Consoles have won that battle. They're cheaper, more accessible, have more consistent hardware and require a fraction of the customer support as a result.



    The 6 year old Xbox 360 and 5 year old PS3 still get prime billing when a new game comes out. Are PC versions of games really showing 6 years of advancement over consoles? Categorically, the answer is no. It's ever diminishing returns and who knows what the next generation of consoles will bring.



    Yes there are hardcore gamers who'll always spend 2-3k on a new gaming PC, but they are ever more niche. iMacs just aren't aimed at that market and never will be. These goliath gaming PCs are becoming a little absurd outside of the professional gaming circuit.
  • Reply 9 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cutykamu View Post


    when are they going to make more games based on infinity blade??



    I don't know but I don't remember seeing this in the Epic Citadel demo They're obviously still developing it.



    http://www.udk.com/elements/img/Sep-...laySupport.jpg
  • Reply 10 of 26
    What is that blue round thing at the crotch of the monster in that image? Did he fart?
  • Reply 11 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tylerk36 View Post


    What is that blue round thing at the crotch of the monster in that image? Did he fart?



    No, it's simply a blue ball. Worse when you have two.

  • Reply 12 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MysticalOS View Post


    Gaming will never be worth a crap on mac in comparison to windows. yeah we can get by wth sub par performance or games rnning great when the hardware way outclasses them. but coming to running optimal we'll always have to use windows. until apple takes opengl seriously and keeps it up to date, ati and nvidia provide newer graphics drivrs. and we don't get graphics card 1 year behind. ATI 7000 about to ship for PCs, and what's mac doing? waiting on 6000 series cards to hit mac pros.



    ATi doesn't exist. The AMD Cores are considerably different than the traditional ATi cards before the merger.
  • Reply 13 of 26
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jonamac View Post


    It'll never happen. There is less and less money in PC gaming. In many shops here in the UK the PC game section has been reduced to a token shelf in the corner.



    I think you're mistaking the move to digital distribution with a lack of money in PC gaming. Try telling Blizzard, Valve or Zynga that there's a lack of money in PC gaming. It's a market that's evolving and expanding.
  • Reply 14 of 26
    tipootipoo Posts: 1,141member
    Are games under OSX still performing like they have a graphics card one generation older than it is, when compared to Windows? Or has that been fixed somewhat?
  • Reply 15 of 26
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    The assumption here from many, and understandably so, is that the graphics hardware is always the sticking point. I wonder if a paradigm shift in the programming side may come in the near future that creates a quantum leap in performance without relying on ever more powerful hardware. It seems to me there has been this game of catch up for thirty years (no pun intended). Every computer I ever owned or tried out (and I owned a dealership so had access to anything, Mac or PC) was always just not quite powerful enough to get the best out of whatever latest game or flight sim software companies came out with unless you changed out the graphics system. Even then they never lived up to the promise and yet another graphics card would come out a few months later. I often wondered if the graphics card companies were actually colluding (and financially rewarding) with game card companies so between them they ensured no games would not reach their full potential thus spurring sales of ever faster graphics cards.
  • Reply 16 of 26
    Apple has never taken gaming on the mac seriously, and I doubt they are going to start now.
  • Reply 17 of 26
    s4mb4s4mb4 Posts: 267member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post


    The assumption here from many, and understandably so, is that the graphics hardware is always the sticking point. I wonder if a paradigm shift in the programming side may come in the near future that creates a quantum leap in performance without relying on ever more powerful hardware. It seems to me there has been this game of catch up for thirty years (no pun intended). Every computer I ever owned or tried out (and I owned a dealership so had access to anything, Mac or PC) was always just not quite powerful enough to get the best out of whatever latest game or flight sim software companies came out with unless you changed out the graphics system. Even then they never lived up to the promise and yet another graphics card would come out a few months later. I often wondered if the graphics card companies were actually colluding (and financially rewarding) with game card companies so between them they ensured no games would not reach their full potential thus spurring sales of ever faster graphics cards.



    of course they do. so does Intel with its CPU's. that is how they ensure their product lines stay relevant. If we could actually buy what Intel has "currently" designed but not yet released, we would not need to upgrade our machines for 10 more years.

    Intel and AMD have technology designed today that probably will not be released until 2015!!
  • Reply 18 of 26
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by s4mb4 View Post


    of course they do. so does Intel with its CPU's. that is how they ensure their product lines stay relevant. If we could actually buy what Intel has "currently" designed but not yet released, we would not need to upgrade our machines for 10 more years.

    Intel and AMD have technology designed today that probably will not be released until 2015!!



    My point was the software maybe deliberately crippled with that advance knowledge when it need not be. Not that the software is unable to perform fully. Perhaps all it would take is for a gaming company to program to give 100% with current technology. That might mean a company like Apple owning a really high end gaming company ... Now that would be sweet
  • Reply 19 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TheSecretBarn View Post


    Apple is not going to start taking Mac gaming seriously until we stop calling 4+ year old technology "next generation" when it finally comes natively to OS X. The stakes aren't as high as when you couldn't Boot Camp, but it's pathetic that we still have to do this now that our hardware is comparable. Now, if only Apple would start using upgradeable GPU's in iMacs.



    The dark horse here is Unreal Engine 3 full-spec eventually coming to iPad and AppleTV. I just got my Xbox360, having gotten sick of the PC gaming scam. I won't go into my long tirade about PC gaming here.



    But suffice to say experiencing the Xbox360 personally, it's nice and all that, but Apple could easily storm the console market with an iOS A6-powered chip. The A6 should be able to do PS3-level, Unreal Engine 3-esque graphics.



    We're so close. Just an example. The PS3 unit is huge and has 5-year-old technology in it. The Xbox360 Slim is refined but the noise from playing a game from disc is horrendous. Installing to hard disk seems to be the only way to sanely enjoy a game. But the Xbox360 interface is quite smooth, gaming experience decent because it's a standardised platform.



    Does the above look like something Apple could re-invent? Quite possibly.



    But even if the AppleTV never becomes a gaming console, the iPad is so close to meeting "enthusiast" gamer demands. I'm playing Alan Wake now (soon, as soon as I get off this thread) and I would love to be able to hook my iPad up to the HDTV, play it a little, then unplug and take it on my travels... The ultimate game console should be both portable and HD-big-screen capable.



    Soon. We're close. Forget Mac OS X, iOS console-quality gaming is around the corner.
  • Reply 20 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nvidia2008 View Post


    The dark horse here is Unreal Engine 3 full-spec eventually coming to iPad and AppleTV. I just got my Xbox360, having gotten sick of the PC gaming scam. I won't go into my long tirade about PC gaming here.



    But suffice to say experiencing the Xbox360 personally, it's nice and all that, but Apple could easily storm the console market with an iOS A6-powered chip. The A6 should be able to do PS3-level, Unreal Engine 3-esque graphics.



    We're so close. Just an example. The PS3 unit is huge and has 5-year-old technology in it. The Xbox360 Slim is refined but the noise from playing a game from disc is horrendous. Installing to hard disk seems to be the only way to sanely enjoy a game. But the Xbox360 interface is quite smooth, gaming experience decent because it's a standardised platform.



    Does the above look like something Apple could re-invent? Quite possibly.



    But even if the AppleTV never becomes a gaming console, the iPad is so close to meeting "enthusiast" gamer demands. I'm playing Alan Wake now (soon, as soon as I get off this thread) and I would love to be able to hook my iPad up to the HDTV, play it a little, then unplug and take it on my travels... The ultimate game console should be both portable and HD-big-screen capable.



    Soon. We're close. Forget Mac OS X, iOS console-quality gaming is around the corner.



    I know you don't want to go into a tirade, but pc gaming isn't a scam. It's just hurt by consoles.



    It's a shame, but it's the truth, BUT, so long as developers what to come out with games that have cutting edge technology, they'll need to go with PC first (unless console had just been released.)



    I think PC gaming is dying, but there's enough enthusiasts to keep it going. Dammit i hate consoles lol
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