14 DAY TRIAL // Epic Games has confirmed that it's just rolled out Unreal Engine 4.1, the latest update to its popular technology, bringing support for new consoles like PS4 or Xbox One, not to mention for virtual reality headsets like Sony's Project Morpheus or the Oculus Rift.
Unreal Engine 4 was officially released for all the world to use last month, coming with a small monthly subscription and plenty of amazing features for all intrepid game developers.
Epic Games isn't resting on its laurels, however, as the studio has just rolled out Unreal Engine 4.1, a free update for current users, which brings a huge amount of changes, chief among which being support for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles.
This means that all the Unreal Engine 4 users who are also registered Xbox or PlayStation developers can freely access the UE4 source code for the Xbox One and PS4 at no extra cost, according to the official website.
"For the past two years, some of the world’s leading console developers have been using UE4 to build their next-generation games. They are doing some amazing things, and we’re very excited to be able to open up the console code and tools far more widely! We’re also grateful to our partners Microsoft and Sony for their efforts in making this release possible."
This first console release is just the source code, meaning you need C++ knowledge to manipulate it. In a future version, according to Epic, a binary-only development build will also be made available, so designers and artists can deploy their creations on that platform without needing to compile the code.
The actual process is a bit clunky, requiring verification from both Epic Games and confirmations from Sony or Microsoft about each and every registered developer, but you can follow the process on the official website.
Besides support for PS4 and Xbox One, Unreal Engine 4.1 also includes a brand new shooter game sample that's been upgraded for the two consoles. With it, developers can see just how Epic managed to implement different mechanics, from split screen, to safe zones, loading screens, play-as-you-download, trophies, achievements, and more.
The PS4 support also includes the ability to make games for the Project Morpheus virtual reality headset, not to mention the Oculus Rift on PC.
You can expect to see more upgrades for Unreal Engine 4.1 in the future, as Epic is dedicated to improving the technology in order to attract more customers and keep existing ones.