Square Enix Luminous Next-Gen Engine Shows What PS4/Xbox 720 Graphics Will Look Like

New screens show off the various effects that Square Enix's next-generation engine, Luminous, is capable off.

[Dwalls1171]

Squarenix sucks now, all I want to see is kingdom hearts 3 dont show me anything else

[3-4-5]

With Next Gen, it's the little details that will be the most noticeable.

* Having more people on screen at same time while still being highly detailed

* More realistic lighting and animations

* More colors to use....more so different ways of using them really.

* More things happening at once.

* FPS games will become more challenging,...Better graphics makes it easier to hide amongst the highly detailed backgrounds.

* More detailed main characters will being us close to their world than ever before.

* Everything will be better, but not in the way you think it will

* This gen was about the big things, next is about the small details that are scattered everywhere.

[Jason143]

can just say direct x 11 :)

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

"FPS games will become more challenging"

doubt it.

But I would love to see next gen rpgs, horror games and batman.

[Kevin ButIer]

I don't mind to keep current gen graphs if they add 60fps/1080p/bigger and more open worlds/smarter AI and bigger multiplayer options.

[showtimefolks]

looks sweat so people still believe this could be achieved on the wii-u?

next gen starts with ps4 and next xbox just as this gen was between ps3-xbox360 for actual gamers

[slapedurmomsace]

@showtime

Your opinion is just that, an opinion. The Wii U is a next gen console. That's a fact by definition, but it's been months since people knew the Wii U CPU was just an upgraded Gamecube CPU, and it only has 1 gig of usable Ram for games, regardless of what the GPU may or may not be. To keep beating that dead horse that the Wii U isn't as powerful as systems that haven't even been officially announced serves what purpose? To get an empty 30 agrees on a website full of people you don't know? It really is a damn shame people can't enjoy these machines for what they are. The Wii U is the canvas that Miyamoto creates his art that millions love. The xbox really is a FPS/sports game machine. The controller is about perfect for those genres, and the PS3 is an all around machine that excels greatly at 3rd person/actions games, but does all genres fairly well, and has the widest array of exclusives.
As far as the this gen starting with the 360/PS3, you obviously don't remember those launches, cause if that's the case, this gen didn't start until a year or 2 after both of those machines were released because there was't but 3 games to play on them at first either. Gamers play on all platforms, not just what YOU like. I miss the days where friends would bring NES/SNES/Master systems/Genesis over to the friends house to play the games others couldn't, now every moron with an opinion/keyboard gets to continue the bull crap of dividing our community

[DigitalSmoke]

This is one way to look at it.

Uncharted in a wide open free to move landscape is now possible to.

[MaxXAttaxX]

I think it's about time we start getting characters with hair that doesn't look plastic or straw, especially on female characters.

And better animations too.

[plaZeHD]

I think The Last Of Us has already perfected realistic animations and AI.

[GuyThatPlaysGames]

@KevinButler . I have a Panasonic 60" with an extremely high refresh rate. It makes Battlefield 3 fun in what seems to be 60fps. All the games I play on it, it ups the framerate.

[tubers]

Wish I could find the old article where carmack said there's gonna be a point of diminishing return with the graphics advancement.

[mochachino]

Square-Enix has published some of my favourite games this gen:

Sleeping Dogs
Dues Ex

[sobekflakmonkey]

Dunno why anyone disagreed with you, Deus Ex:HR and Sleeping dogs are amazing games.

[Theangrybogan]

Just cause 2 also

[Simon_Brezhnev]

I liked Nier highly underated.

[slapedurmomsace]

I love how people disagree. You must be lying, those weren't you favs, you forgot to mention uncharted, or infamous, or killzone..or...or..the last of us, or whatever game Sony hasn't announced yet that will be solid gold..maybe even agent.

[DOMination-]

Its because people here still can't get over the multiplat FF even though the game would have sucked regardless (imo)

Those Eidos games have all even good with TR still to come. I really hope for a next gen Dues Ex remake. Probably my fondest game plus i think it myes sense to revisit it after the events of HR. I think the IP is in good hands, they can pull it off.

[mechlord]

You cant really brag about them PUBLISHING something... they should have DEVELOPED a kindgom hearts game for the home consoles, that fateful VsXIII FF, some Dragon Quest.... yes, they put out Nier and some others, but still

The PS3 and the XBOX are amost 7 years old, how much games they have developed, for those consoles? thats the real issue.

[MaxXAttaxX]

Square-Enix has published better games than they have developed this gen.

@slapedurmomsace
Don't be such a fanboy.

@DOMination-
He never even mentioned FF. So your comments makes little sense.

[slapedurmomsace]

@nathanexplosion...for real man? You didn't notice that sarcasm that was dripping out of literally every single word? I was poking fun at the ps3 unpaid mascots that seems to have a 24 hour watch over the site.

[MaxXAttaxX]

Yeah, you sure made that obvious.

[Qrphe]

Just the top of my head they gave us The Last Remnant (GENIUS game) and TWEWY (which I'm sure many will attest to its quality).

[WitWolfy]

Dont know if your sarcastic about TLR.. That game was broken beyond belief... One thing is for sure, SE sure didnt know how to fully utilize the UNREAL engine without making the game lag as hell... Totally unplayable could only make it to Disc 2 and stopped playing thanks that exact problem!

[Qrphe]

I've playing on PC, idk what kind of game they gave you on the 360 so I can't speak for it. The depth and level of deep strategy that the game requires is like not much I've ever played; one of SE's best games this last gen.

[DOMination-]

I started playing TLR ages ago and it seemed to be a decent rpg with all the ingredients you'd come to expect including the customary bad voice acting!

I just couldn't understand the battle system though. It seemed way too complicated.

[pr0digyZA]

"That game was broken beyond belief"

I think hes talking about the PC version, as that was like another game compared to the 360 version.

[bigrob904]

i know right, i swear if i don't hear about kingdom hearts 3 soon imma be pissed. they have been mediocre at best.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Could not agree more. Square this gen pretty much was a huge snore.

All I want is FFXIII Versus and thats pretty much it.

Last gen was way, way, way better for Square.

Kingdom Hearts I and II, FFX, FFXI, FFXII etc. They did pretty good for themselves. This gen on the other hand.....ehhh don't get me started.

FFXIII is a really, really horrible game. Even with a deep install base (something FFX didn't have yet sold more copies) and selling on 2 systems....it sold crap (to FF standards) and FFXIII-2 sold even less then FFX-2...thats right people it is a fact that FFX-2 sold better.....X-2 (sits down exhausted)

Who doesn't want to see Kingdom Hearts 3? I mean at this point all we want is FFVersus and a damn port of FFX. I mean DAMN! So we want 1 game and a port of another game more then 10 years old?

Wait...how is Square doing right by the fans? This engine pretty much puts me to sleep for really one reason....LOOK WHOSE SHOWING IT! Get ready to maybe, probably not, most likely in 5 to 6 years to not care about 1 game...maybe. LOL. I mean this is why no one really cares, the whole "oh WHAT IF FF looks like that"....and. We won't get in a reasonable time frame...for gods sake we are waiting for FFXIII VERSUS! I mean DAMN! So we are waiting for you to finish a game this gen (that was shown all the way in 2006) and yet we should have faith that you can finish this game?

Wait...its not even a game, its a tech demo. I'm sorry but Square has a whole lot to lose this gen.

I got Persona 3, I'm rebuying Persona 1 and 2 off PSN and waiting for Persona 4, I own more Level 5 and Atlus RPG's this gen then Square's......I own none. (FF VERSUS hasn't come out yet LOL) I'm sorry but Atlus is my RPG publisher of choice, Persona 5 is something to look forward to MORE then any FF game cause it will actually BE an RPG and release while we are still living.

)I was in highschool when they showed FFXIII Versus, I'm not in my last semester of collage and engaged, shit I didn't even meet my girlfriend when that game was even announced)

Its one thing to take a long time, its another to sell less then any debuting FF game in the last 15 years. Sorry but Square is really lost it. I think they suck when I just want a single game for a WHOLE gen.

[imdaboss1]

I hope they take advantage of the PS4 hardwares since rumor is going around saying its more powerful then the next xbox

[Mounce]

@Dwalls1171 You suck now, all I want to see is you not speaking, don't show me anything else.

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

Except they clearly demonstrated that they've no development talent this gen.

[NastyLeftHook0]

120fps 480p 3d.

[wishingW3L]

240fps 8k 4D

[RememberThe357]

lol people took your comment seriously. Jesus, this place gets worse every f*ckin day.

[CrimsonFox13]

@RememberThe357
I think people taking that comment seriously is the least you have to worry about when it comes to the quality of the comments on this site.

Abysmal, it's like the average age of the users here is 15.

[Sam Fisher]

@crimsonfox13
Couldn't have said it any better, and 15 yrs of age at this time is really saying 8 yrs of age, by the way last time i seen the word "Abysmal" was looking at a review (from here mind you) of a game called "drake of the 99 dragons". Wow there were really bad games back in the day.

[mechlord]

well....i would still prefer 30fps 1080p no 3d FFVsXIII :(

[MrMURDERFACE]

except that square is actually publishing/distributing games these days.
games like sleeping dogs, just cause 2, tomb raider reboot, hitman absolution... im sure none of those franchises could possibly benefit from a nice new engine. oh and they just registered domains for a new legacy of kain/soul reaver site.

[Stedron]

Too bad I don't want those games. To me SE = RPGs always has and they have fail on that front big time

[JP1369]

Another Legacy of Kain? I'm in.

Edit: Another one of those articles in which some angry little man is handing out disagrees to people that like a game. Whatever, Legacy of Kain is beast!

[Sam Fisher]

Lok is a monster of game, that i do agree. I am just really afraid what S.E. has in store for it, they might strip the essence of what makes legacy of kain what it is, today in age, remaking/rebooting games is either a make or break, lately it has been for the worst, and S.E. is not (how should i say this...) in their right state of mind to touch a masterpiece.

[mikejarroy]

You want next gen. graphics now? Get a PC and download Crysis 3 beta.

[JP1369]

True, but the gunplay in that series just doesn't do a damn thing for me. Too bad, because I love the way the nanosuit is integrated into gameplay (though I'd prefer a boost in jumping ablity to increase the potential for vertical gameplay, with maps designed to take advantage of the new power).

[akaakaaka]

LOL

[Shadow Man]

i have yet to play a good AAA game from square-enix, and this gen is almost over.

[FarCryLover182]

Deus Ex..... but alas, they just published that one

[_-EDMIX-_]

I think we mean by there Japanese teams. ie Edios kinda doesn't count.

[FarCryLover182]

Yeah, that is why I said that they just published it.

[clintagious650]

How do u showoff your new engine for next gen & yet they havent made anything worthy of mentioning even close to when they were once known as one of the best in the gaming industry when they were squaresoft. Heck we havent heard crap about FFVersus. Square Enix is one of the worst studios now.

[RememberThe357]

They have been playing catch up this whole generation. Now they've caught up, the generation is almost over. But at least they caught up, they're getting it.

I'm not on this I-hate-Square bandwagon, but they've had a pretty poor showing this gen, aside of some of the western games they've published.

I'm hoping they pull it together so we can see their talented artists visions come to fruition. I'm still looking forward to FFvs13 and I still think they have talented developers, but their business needs to stop holding their artists back.

[jmc8888]

The problem with screenshots is we don't know if that's pictures from 'gameplay' part of the engine or from a 'cutscene' use of the engine.

Though the Luminosity engine does indeed look like the early hype is promising.

[ZoyosJD]

All from the tech demo, rendered in real-time.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

In other words in-game will look that good. There are plenty of videos demonstrating that it is indeed rendered in real-time by changing textures, particle counts, lighting etc.

[Chard]

What does it matter if their games never get released? Versus should have been a showcase of what this gen was capable of, but that ship has sailed now.

[DragonKnight]

I don't care. No Versus XIII or no FFXHD = Square-Enix Fails.

[Knight_Crawler]

I remember when Versus was announced and how people used it as ammo for the console war.

[DragonKnight]

So

[-Gespenst-]

Those screens look less impressive than the actual video, but are still impressive. I'd imagine the next-gen consoles'll be able to pull that off. I doubt they'd manage that video though.

[Nicolee]

i miss square old day. i'll play ffx again i think

[e3kehoe]

I really want 1080p 60fps standard with great lighting and better story writing.

[DwightOwen]

Intel Core i7-3770K @ 3.5 GHz
32GB RAM (!)
nVidia GTX 680

That's the rig that was running the Agni's Philosophy demo last year.

[DragonKnight]

So.

[ExCest]

So... that's super high-end pc parts, something the new consoles most definitely won't have.

Now, the new consoles might be able to run the engine, just taken down a notch or two. Hell, I can probably run it... taken three notches down.

[DragonKnight]

@ExCest: I once again reply with "so."

[Starfox17]

Yep your right this is why unless u have a game running real time like Zelda tech demo or Garden tech demo ect it's worthless i can't wait for more of X considering it's listed for the UK this year,and mostly i can't wait for Retro studio's GameEngine's to be shown off.

[shivvy24]

so it looks like we wont have that giant leap from last gen, instead its the little stuff thats going to improve !

[Npugz7]

Its hard to tell from just screenshots how good a game can look!!

[DEATHxTHExKIDx]

IF SE can get back on track Next gen looks like it could be pretty damn good.

[Roccetarius]

It doesn't really matter what the engine is capable of, if you're not able to release more games. I think a few people have been dissapointed by them this gen.

[stragomccloud]

People are going to be really disappointed with next gen. I swear, people are expecting to be wowed with images beyond their wildest dreams. Take it down a notch. Look at a modern PC game on high settings and that is what you should expect.

[BitbyDeath]

That's what they said about this gen, but the graphics just kept getting better.

[stragomccloud]

No doubt things will be get better and better. But I think a lot of people think that right from the get go they will be presented with graphics beyond so beautiful it brings tears to the eyes.

[wishingW3L]

the specs Square used when running the Agni's demo:

i7-3770K 3.5GHz

GTX 680and

1.8GB of Ram (like 16GB in total but it was only using 1.8GB during the Agni's trailer)

[stragomccloud]

So that pretty much rules consoles out.

Though, with enough time, and console specific optimizations, it might be possible.

Good thing I have a PC.

[Legendary-Status]

KH3 The Return of Sora! he's been sleep this whole gen! wake up!!!

[RyuCloudStrife]

PS4 will still look better this shows PS4 graphics on par with X720 not at full PS4 potential.

[WitWolfy]

Does your crystal ball also tell this weekends lottery numbers too?

[reddeadite]

Here's the video these screens were taken from

[microgenius]

yet pc fans still bitching that the current pc high graphics setting would be the standard of next gen!!!!!
i remember when ps3 was about to announce pc fans were speaking from their asses that DONT EXPECT A BETTER GRAPHIC THAN TEH DOOM3 ON HIGH SETTING FROM PS3!!!!!!!
doom3 was a joke for ps3 or 360
again the same happening with ps4 crysis 3 on ultra would be a joke for next consoles mark my word
must of them know nothing about how codes work and just learned to play with numbers :HEY MY CARD IS TEH 680 & PS4 HAS 180!!!!!!!
the console rendering and processing protocoles deosnt work like pc and deosnt rely on big numbers just learn it
does your pc can run crysis 2\3 (on console setting) with 512mg ram?
it even cant run it

[ExCest]

I'm not even sure if you're ranting on PC or PS3 but I'll assume you hate PCs.

Me think my pc does can run crysis on console settings with that little ram if me figure out how to use my vram only. And if it can't, then that's not my problem. That's the developers' problem.

One last thing: Developers make games that run with that little ram out of necessity, not because they can. And that's not a good thing.

[microgenius]

i do not hate pc
i game on it every day
but the logic of most of the pc fans is just laghuable
i game since i was 6 and now i am 30 and know well about pc & console graphic differences
pc is always a little better but not day & night like most of pc fans pretend
this graphical gap is very noticeable just at the end of every generation like what we saw in the farcry3

[KingKelloggTheWH]

Here is some video of a lot of this stuff.

http://www.takuchat.com/jus...

[landog]

just get rid of the damn jaggies, screen tearing and sub-hd textures

run at 60 frames

and native 1080p

do that and i'll be happy

the gpu this engine was demod on (gtx 680) is about TWICE or more powerful than the entire ps4/720 will be

[skyrimer]

Why would Squarenix invest millions on an engine that only works on a top of the line PC? That's absurd. I'm sure their engine is done specifically to work on next gen consoles, so that demo should be really close to what next gen games can do.

[landog]

I'm sure it can be scaled back to work on ps4/nextbox, but I'm just saying that the basics need to be improved, jaggies, low res textures, screen tear and bad frametate need to be addressed first and foremost imo

[skyrimer]

I see those images and it reminds me the first time I saw Gears of War, asking myself "that stuff can't be real, that game can't really look that good on my console", and hell it did. Now I feel the same. If next gen looks like that, R.I.P. WiiU.

[stragomccloud]

Actually, according to rumored specs, 720/PS4 aren't even capable of running this tech demo(was run on an i7 3770k with a gtx680 gpu. Those two pieces of hardware alone run close to $800), and the difference in power between those two consoles and Wii U isn't as disparaging as the anti-Nintendo smear campaigns that most people run on N4G would like you to believe. The problem is so many people have jumped on the band wagon that Nintendo doesn't invest in advanced tech. Thing is, they only ever didn't with the Wii. Wii U is back to business and it's sporting a really modern architecture. Obviously the next Sony and Microsoft consoles will be more advanced(releasing a year later), but the difference in power is not that great. Over the past 5 years, we have not had any truly groundbreaking leaps in tech like the kind that can result in drastically noticeable differences compared to what we used to in the past.

That said, I think that eventually the consoles will get there after much optimization.

[jjank11]

Actually, I tend to disagree somewhat, but not to the point of disagree bubble. I think there has a been a big jump in technology. Alot of it has been in the realm of power consumption, size and architecture.

Iphone was not even on the market when the consoles were released. Now I can do pretty much everything on my Android phone.

IMHO, i feel there are always jumps in tehcnology every few years, it is just never commercially tangible for a couple more years.

Also, my current PC will definitely be more powerful than the upcoming consoles. Over the life of the next gen, i will probably add 1 or 2 more GPU's, more ram, possibly upgrade CPU. I'm more excited about this.

[stragomccloud]

@jjank11
I completely agree.
Speaking of gpus I'm really disappointed that I may have to wait until 2014 for amd's new 8000 series gpus. Though i suppose that this gives me more time to save my money.

[TemplarDante]

I would love.. to see SE let Eidos use this engine for a Deus Ex sequel... WOW!

[Capt-FuzzyPants]

It is supposed to be used by the studios they own. The people creating the engine always talk about how they got input from people at Crystal Dynamics, Eidos, and their Japan studios.

[tigertron]

Did anyone take part in the Agni's Philosophy survey? I made sure I told them I'd want this game to be made.

[Segata]

FFXIII was so pretty but was still a jewel in a pigs ear.

I await Mistwalker next Title on Wii U and X from Monolith. They will still make a good looking game utilizing Wii U hardware but make amazing games that put Square to shame as they did with Last Story & Xenoblade

[Martywren]

Yeah maybe they are revamping ffvs13 for next gen lol

[Braid]

*Puts on glasses* Looking good, looking good.

I love the global illumination in this engine. That my friends is the tech of the future and what'll make your next-gen games truly looking "next-gen".

[uuaschbaer]

They're ignoring something colourful that Newton discovered about refracted light, plus their fluid simulation might benefit from some water tension (I think, because water isn't blended spheres). Still very nice.

[DivineAssault]

but wii u is next gen right?

[Jakens]

Someone better come out swinging. There is a fight to be won and games to be played. Square may do three things right in 8 years, but if it works...hey.

[arbitor365]

its nice to see the real next gen leap *cough* wii u *cough*

[capitanandi]

Final Fantasy XIII-2 was a good game. Much much more polished than Final Fantasy XIII. They can get good again, it's just taking them much longer than Western players can bear. I would honestly rather play XIII a hundred times over than hear more people complaining about no VII remake or where's Versus XIII.

[plaZeHD]

You guys disagreed for
these?
http://www.abload.de/img/un...
http://i.minus.com/i0rN7NTg...
and
this?
http://www.digitaltrends.co...
Ok, that's interesting. Now, you guys are starting to hate the truth.

[corrus]

See Nintendo fanboys Wii U is not next generation if it's why then is not included in the title