Since 2018, industry talk has inevitably turned toward next-gen systems. PS5, Xbox Series X, and the potential competition have been on everyone’s minds. Endless speculation about SSD drives, teraflops, and backwards compatibility have dominated the headlines. Yet few have talked about how new games will actually look.

自 2018年以来，业界的讨论不可避免地转向了下一代系统。 PS5，Xbox Series X和潜在的竞争已经在每个人的脑海中浮现。 关于SSD驱动器，万亿次软开关和向后兼容性的无休止的猜测占据了头条新闻。 但是很少有人谈论新游戏的外观。

With the COVID-19 pandemic throwing a wrench in the usual media cycle of 2020, details have been nearly absent regarding the next-gen systems. Even so, the feeling was that this generation wouldn’t make the same visual leap as previous ones. Graphics have typically been the touchstone that gamers use to identify why they want to upgrade to a new system.

在2020年通常的媒体周期中，COVID-19大流行使人们大吃一惊，因此下一代系统几乎没有任何详细信息。 即便如此，感觉还是这一代人将不会像以前的一代发生视觉上的飞跃。 图形通常是游戏玩家用来确定为什么要升级到新系统的试金石。

With each successive generation, those visuals have crept closer to photo-realism, seemingly leaving less room for improvement. Thus, gamers have been cautioned to expect less difference than usual between a late current-generation game and a “launch window” next-gen title. That was until this week, when Epic threw the cover off their new tech.

在每一代产品中，这些视觉效果都更接近照片写实感，似乎没有太多的改进空间。 因此，已经警告游戏玩家，期望在当前最新版本的游戏与“启动窗口”的下一代游戏名称之间的区别比平常少。 直到本周，Epic才揭开了他们新技术的面纱。

The reveal of Unreal Engine 5, which debuted running on PS5, caused a bigger stir than was perhaps expected. The collective shrug generated by the Xbox Series X third party showcase earlier in the week was one reason. The other was really just how good the tech demo for the engine looked. The impressive video, narrated by Epic’s architects, showed off two new systems that drive the tech.

首次在PS5上运行的虚幻引擎5的曝光引起了比预期更大的轰动。 本周早些时候Xbox Series X第三方展示柜产生的集体耸耸肩是原因之一。 另一个实际上是引擎技术演示的外观如何。 由Epic的建筑师讲述的令人印象深刻的视频展示了两个驱动该技术的新系统。

Go watch it, we’ll wait for you.

去看吧，我们会等你的。

下一代图形 (Next-Gen Graphics)

The first of these systems is called “Nanite”, and it is responsible for much of the leap in graphical fidelity evidenced in the video. Put simply, it has reduced the size of the polygons which make up every visible element in a game. These polygons are so incredibly small as to be imperceptible to the eye. The result is on-screen objects looking just like their real life counterparts.

这些系统中的第一个被称为“ Nanite ”，它负责视频中显示的图形保真度的大部分飞跃。 简而言之，它减小了构成游戏中每个可见元素的多边形的大小。 这些多边形是如此之小，以至于眼睛无法察觉。 结果是屏幕上的对象看起来就像现实生活中的对象。

Back in gaming’s nascent 3D era, polygons were so large that a character’s arms and legs looked like a few triangles stuck together. Think about Cloud (shown here), the main character in Final Fantasy VII, released originally in 1997 on PlayStation.

回到游戏初生的3D时代，多边形是如此之大，以至于角色的手臂和腿看起来像是几个三角形粘在一起。 想想Cloud( 最终展示)的故事(此处显示)，该游戏最初于1997年在PlayStation上发布。

Now, compare that to the character model shown below, all smooth skin and realistic fingers. The difference is striking to say the least. Even more realistic are the grass, rocks and pebbles on the floor of the cave. This is where the true potential of Nanite really shines through. The realistic look of those pieces is due to the near-microscopic polygons the tech can create.

现在，将其与下面显示的所有平滑皮肤和逼真的手指模型进行比较。 至少可以说，这种差异令人惊讶。 更现实的是洞穴地面上的草，岩石和卵石。 这是Nanite真正的潜力真正发挥出来的地方。 这些作品的逼真的外观是由于技术可以创造出近乎微观的多边形。

Imagine what will be possible when developers have 3 or 4 years experience with which to learn and master this technology.

想象一下，如果开发人员拥有3到4年的学习和掌握该技术的经验，那将会发生什么。

动态照明 (Dynamic Lighting)

The other system on display in the tech demo is called “Lumen”, responsible for this next level of dynamic lighting. What we see in real life is truly dynamic, coming from many directions and sources all at once. It moves and bends and bounces across all surfaces. Game designers have struggled to recreate this same effect for years, with varying degrees of success.

技术演示中显示的另一个系统称为“流明”，负责动态照明的下一个级别。 我们在现实生活中看到的是真正动态的，同时来自许多方向和来源。 它在所有表面上移动，弯曲和反弹。 多年来，游戏设计师一直在努力创造相同的效果，并取得了不同程度的成功。

In past generations, the light in a scene would be painted on, for lack of a better term. That means the “light” is actually part of the background, put there when the scene is rendered. It won’t change no matter what happens during that part of the game. This technical limitation lowers the sense of realism and immersion for the player, and potentially limits what action can happen during the scene.

在过去的几代人中，由于缺少更好的术语，所以会在场景中绘制灯光。 这意味着“光”实际上是背景的一部分，在渲染场景时放在背景中。 无论在游戏的那一部分发生什么，它都不会改变。 这种技术限制降低了玩家的真实感和沉浸感，并可能限制了场景中可能发生的动作。

With the Lumen system, however, what was on display was truly dynamic. The video shows the light source changing places, directions and angles, with the environment responding immediately and in realistic ways. The developers talk about how it ‘bounces’ across the surfaces, casting realistic shadows as if they were shining a flashlight across the landscape.

但是，通过流明系统，所显示的是真正的动态。 视频显示了光源改变位置，方向和角度的过程，环境立即以逼真的方式做出响应。 开发人员讨论了它如何在表面上“反弹”，投射出逼真的阴影，好像它们在整个景观上照着手电筒一样。

In a scene like the one above, older tech would struggle to show light in appropriate ways. Parts of the statues facing away from the light may have glowed with the same intensity as those parts directly next to the source. With Unreal Engine 5, the light is shown in the appropriate places, and with accurate intensity. Reflected light flickers believably across the room, in real time, as the source moves.

在上述场景中，较旧的技术很难以适当的方式显示光线。 雕像的背离光线的部分可能以与紧邻光源的那些部分相同的强度发光。 在虚幻引擎5中，光线会以正确的强度显示在适当的位置。 当光源移动时，反射的光线实时在整个房间内闪烁。

While most players won’t care about perfectly lit textures, I’d wager they care about hiding in realistic shadows. Maybe turning up the flame on an oil lamp illuminates a hidden door across the hall. Dynamic lighting affects all parts of the experience, in ways we probably can’t imagine yet.

虽然大多数玩家不会在乎完美照明的纹理，但我敢打赌他们会在乎隐藏在逼真的阴影中。 也许调高油灯上的火焰照亮了整个大厅的一扇隐藏的门。 动态照明会以我们可能无法想象的方式影响体验的各个方面。

The tech must be seen to be appreciated, but then, isn’t that the point?

必须看到技术被赞赏，但是那不是重点吗？

不只是图形 (Not Just Graphics)

As an aside, I found the most impressive tech in the demo was that involving the sound. Throughout the beginning portion of the video, the cave is quaking and rocks are falling around the player. You could hear the crack of each rock and pebble as it hit the floor. It was even possible to discern the size of the rock from the sound it made. The designers said they had recorded audio in real caves, and the new tech made it possible to input that data directly into the gaming experience

顺便说一句，我发现演示中最令人印象深刻的技术是涉及声音的技术。 在视频的整个开始部分，洞穴都在震颤，而岩石则掉落在播放器周围。 您会听到每块岩石和卵石撞击地板的破裂声。 甚至有可能从发出的声音中分辨出岩石的大小。 设计师说，他们已经在真实的洞穴中录制了音频，而这项新技术使将数据直接输入到游戏体验中成为可能。

With the investment that Sony has made into 3D sound technology on the PS5, it’s clear that audio will be a focal point for their next-gen efforts.

通过索尼在PS5上对3D声音技术的投资，很明显，音频将成为他们下一代努力的重点。

There’s a feeling that, finally, the curtain has been pulled back on the next generation of gaming systems. Locked down gaming fans have been desperate for any scrap of news, making this cycle unlike any other in gaming history. With Sony rumored to be preparing PS5’s big reveal for late May or early June, the race is about to begin in earnest. Who will eventually win is the greatest of all mysteries, but it will doubtless be fun to find out.

最终，人们感觉到下一代游戏系统已经拉开了帷幕。 被锁定的游戏迷迫切希望获得任何新闻消息，这使得这一周期不同于游戏历史上的其他任何周期。 有传言称，索尼将为5月下旬或6月初的PS5大展做准备，这场比赛即将开始。 谁将最终获胜是所有谜团中最大的谜底，但找出答案无疑会很有趣。