Unlimited Detail - The NextGen graphic technology

I can see Unlimited Detail working on hardware designed specifically for it (atomic based gfx card?), but that would mean marketing for a very small market that is already dominated by current gfx cards designed to render by the polygon, or using a multi GPU card which is absurdly expensive for most people. Perhaps the concept could work for a future console with custom hardware but for the way the current PC functions, it seems impractical.

@ L.Spiro: Do you think the atom based rendering could work for a console developed specifically for it?

Isn't AMD planning to put GPUs on the CPU in one of the next generations? That might be the first step in widening that bottleneck. But it looks like my estimate on how long it might take is too optimistic.

In 4 years? Isn't it time for the next generation of consoles?

Haven't they already done this with the Fusion CPU's?

On dedicated hardware I could imagine the rendering speed (and only that) going up to 60 FPS, maybe higher.

But I am skeptical about his animation system. He claims to have one. If he isnt showing it off, that means either:
#1: it looks too crappy (like the system I proposed before),
#2: it is extremely slow,
#3: or it is too difficult to make animations (bad toolchains etc.)

If it is #1, dedicated hardware wont help. If #2, dedicated hardware may still not be enough, at least yet. And if #3, no one would develop for it anyway.



So it depends on how you define work. From a purely technological standpoint, maybe yes.
From a marketing standpoint, no. As a developer, I wouldnt make a game that could only run on one platform.

If this is the future of gaming, it will be a very, very slow transition.


L. Spiro

A friend just posted this video:

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/08/ ... _interview

It's long interview that shows the engine running in real time on a freaking laptop. Earlier versions with a couple of animations are also shown. Check it out, it's ~40 min but well worth it imo. It's real people. Go stand in the corner of shame Notch!