Now this is really interesting. An article about the battle between Intel and Samsung caught Mark Rein’s, Epic Games’ CEO, eye who afterwards claimed that PC innovation suffered from Intel’s decision to not fix (or improve) their graphics cards.
This is really… well… bizarre as Epic Games has not been – lately – pushing the PC boundaries or supporting our platform as much as they did in the past, but could this really be the reason behind it?
As Mark Rein said:
“For years we tried to convince Intel to fix their graphics but their data said they were good enough. PC innovation suffered for it.”
In case you’re wondering then no; AMD and Nvidia – regardless of their graphics cards being more powerful than those of Intel’s – did not top Intel in terms of the number of GPUs powering current PC systems. When Peter Tilbrook suggested that, Rein replied and said that Intel ‘still owned the lions’ share of the graphics market with its integrated chips.’
Our guess is that Rein was referring to a technical/graphical push similar to the first Unreal, otherwise we can’t see how innovation suffered from Intel’s decision to keep its integrated cards as it were and not upgrade them.
Innovation comes in many forms, and most indie titles have proven that they can be innovated, yet not as demanding as most triple-A games.
What’s also funny is that PC gamers have been asking for a proper sequel to Unreal Tournament, yet Epic has failed to deliver such a title. And don’t get us started with Unreal Tournament 3.
Or how about a game based on the Samaritan tech demo? At least that Blade Runner-themed demo was more innovative than our usual games, right? But did Epic decide to scrap that project (or perhaps move it to next-generation platforms) because Intel did not upgrade its graphics? Sounds plausible.
Do note that Epic has not revealed any plans about a game based on the Samaritan tech demo, we’re simply making assumptions.
All in all – and according to Epic Games – Intel’s decision has hurt the PC platform. Question is whether this is a mere excuse for the exclusive console deals Epic has signed or not. What do you think?
John is the founder and Editor in Chief at DSOGaming. He is a PC gaming fan and highly supports the modding and indie communities. Before creating DSOGaming, John worked on numerous gaming websites. While he is a die-hard PC gamer, his gaming roots can be found on consoles. John loved – and still does – the 16-bit consoles, and considers SNES to be one of the best consoles. Still, the PC platform won him over consoles. That was mainly due to 3DFX and its iconic dedicated 3D accelerator graphics card, Voodoo 2. John has also written a higher degree thesis on the “The Evolution of PC graphics cards.”
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