Lauren Brady, Author at REALTIME

The next-generation console battle begins: Xbox Series X vs PS5

The war has begun. From their camps, both Sony and Microsoft have blown the horns of war, and now the battle begins for the next half-decade or so. Following Mark Cerny’s deep dive into the architecture of the PS5, we now have an idea of what both consoles are packing under the hood.

We have yet to see any practical gameplay from Sony – the recent breakdown was very tech heavy and we may have to wait until June to see gameplay from both companies (with the ghost of E3 looming over them). But that doesn’t mean we can’t feast on what information we have, sharpen our blades, and argue over which console is better. Let’s jump into it.

Raw power

With each new video game console cycle, everyone is interested in one thing: how strong are they? After years of development, consumers are hungry to know how they compare not just to one another, but the consoles that came before them. At face value, going on pure power, it looks as if the Xbox Series X wins.

Don’t leave just yet though! It’s not so simple. Here are the details, courtesy of Eurogamer:

The first number most look at is the teraflops from the GPU. The Series X’s is higher, ergo it’s better. Not quite. The PS5’s CPU and GPU are variable, meaning they can adjust how much they use depending on requirements. It can adjust on the fly, so if a game is using too much power, making the console noisier or hotter, it can adjust and bring it back to a normal level. In simple terms, the Series X is going for straight up power and muscle, whereas the PS5 is trying to stay nimble and versatile. The bulky warrior versus the sly rogue, to use RPG nomenclature.

Both consoles are pushing the envelope on next-gen features, with ray tracing being the big buzzword. Microsoft have already shown off the gorgeous feature in Minecraft on the Series X and Mark Cerny let us know just how important it is to the PS5 as well. Ray tracing is a way of implementing realistic lighting into games. It renders paths of light that interact with the world in very real ways. The PS5 showcase also touted its use for audio, allowing it to bounce around the environment, and other elements such as shadows and reflections.

So far, so even, but there is one area that is shaping up to set the two consoles apart.

The solid state of play

Both consoles were proud to show off their solid state drives (SSD). Mark Cerny talked of how he regularly visits game developers to gauge their opinion of what they want from next-gen consoles. The majority said SSDs due to their capability to load resources much faster than regular HDDs.

Looking back at the table above, it would again appear that the Series X is winning, with its 1TB SSD compared to the PS5’s odd 825GB SDD. But we want to pay attention to the IO throughput row as this tells us how fast the SDDs are. As you can see, the PS5’s is much faster – pretty much double. Mark Cerny put it into actual figures: the PS5 can load 2GB of data in 0.27 seconds (that is their target, at least), which makes it 100 times faster than the PS4.

It’s made some developers incredibly excited as it gives them the freedom to design how they wish. It would mean fewer tricks would be needed to hide load screens and remove the need to design levels with tight corridors or elevators, things used to reduce the amount of quick loading the console needs to do. So if there is an aspect that will truly make the next-gen an advance, it’s something like loading times.

But Microsoft may still have the last laugh; many third-party developers will want to develop for both consoles and will develop to the lowest common denominator. In this case, the Series X. The only ones really able to make the most of the PS5’s SSD will be first-party developers.

Also worth noting is storage expansion. Both have said you can add to the storage, but the Series X will require a proprietary SSD and, while yes you can use standard PC SSDs with the PS5, only certain ones will be compatible and will require further testing by Sony.

An even playing field?

If your question is which is better, then the answer is: neither. Both have their pluses and minuses, as is the norm for console wars. It will ultimately come down to your personal preference: which first-party titles will you prefer? We should hopefully find out more about that soon.

Of course, the console you currently have might affect that decision. Both consoles will have some form of backward compatibility, though the Series X seems to be much more substantial in that regard. Anything that is backward compatible with the Xbox One will also work on the Series X and some Xbox One games will even have enhancements on the new console. Conversely, Sony is starting from scratch, though they say most of the top 100 most popular PS4 games will work at launch. As for PS3, PS2, and PS1 games, maybe don’t hold your breath.

Whichever you prefer, you can’t deny this is an exciting time for gaming as we approach the cusp of a new generation. This autumn/winter – current events willing – we should all have our hands on a shiny new console. And if that doesn’t fill you with childish glee, I don’t know what will.

At REALTIME, we can’t wait to see what the next generation will bring. Our love of games bleeds into our work, so if you have an exciting next-gen game you want to talk about, feel free to get in touch with me at [email protected].

COVID-19 Update

We understand that communication is key at a time like this and we wanted to reach out and let you all know what measures REALTIME are taking and how COVID-19 is affecting our day to day operations.

Over the past few weeks, we have been monitoring the situation and gradually rolling out preventative measures across the entire organization. We have also been upgrading equipment and infrastructure, working towards enabling our employees to work remotely from the safety of their homes.

As it stands REALTIME have asked approximately 80% of staff to work from home, with a 20% skeleton staff working across our two sites to cover key tasks (eg IT / Network / Render farm etc). We’re very fortunate that we have two studios quite some distance apart so are able to keep social distance and ensure staff safety.

Because working remotely across the two studios is standard practice for us everything seems to be running smoothly and production is continuing as scheduled. It’s really important that we’re able to keep a ‘business as usual’ mentality as much as possible for our employees and our clients.

We will continue to monitor the situation as it progresses and will be taking the advice from the UK Government, public health and the WHO.

This is a really challenging time but if we all work together and support each other we will be stronger, and we have already seen such an inspirational and positive spirit from our team and clients.

Please feel free to reach out to us if you need anything, remember we’re in this together!

Take care of yourself and your loved ones.
From everyone at REALTIME

Have you met Callum?

Tell me a little bit about yourself?

Hi. My name is Callum. I’m (one of) the newest members of the team here at REALTIME working on the video game side of the business.

Originally from down south, I went to Newcastle University to study philosophy. I’ve always had an interest in pop culture, which heavily influenced my studies. In my first year I wrote a dissertation on the parallels between Nietzsche’s eternal return and the respawn mechanic in videogames, and in my second year I wrote a dissertation about The Comedian (Watchmen) and the ethics of World Historical Individuals.

I ended up falling into marketing. I spent the first couple of years working in the North West, eventually moving down to London to join my first media agency. Over the course of the next 4 years I managed media partnerships and sponsorships on behalf of some really great brands, with some of the campaigns I managed winning awards along the way.

Up until that point I had focused on client servicing and the commercial aspects of account management, but I was increasingly finding myself more involved in developing the creative for campaigns, which I really enjoyed. So, decided to take a break from my career to study creative strategy and graphic design.

I have finally landed here, and I’m loving it so far!

My interests, much like my background, is very diverse. I’ve always enjoyed playing sport, and until recently coached and played rugby at my local club. I love nerdy stuff too, watching anime, reading manga, collecting Warhammer 40k, etc

What’s your role at REALTIME?

To work with video game creators to produce amazing creative that excites and engages their audience.

What have you learnt about REALTIME since joining?

I’ve wanted to work here for a while, as I’ve always been impressed by the quality of work that the team have produced. Since working here, I have learnt that on top of everyone being so skilled and professional, the office is really friendly. It feels like the perfect mix!

What made you want to get into the video games industry?

I’ve always enjoyed gaming, from the early days of playing Ghostbusters on the Snes. Currently I’m lucky in that I have a PS4 and an Xbox One, which I get to play pretty regularly.

As I’ve developed over the course of my career though, I have come to see video games as another avenue to tell stories that grip people.

Games are full of great storylines, heroes, and villains. What makes it even better is that by nature of what they are, you have some input in how these stories end.

So, what does an average day at work consist of for you?

One of the great things about working at REALTIME is that my days are so varied. One day I could be organising a video call with a potential new client, the next I could be working with our creatives on a pitch. There isn’t really an average day!

What’s been your favourite project to work on and the one that you are most proud of?

I’m still relatively new, so I’m just enjoying being a part of the creative process and working on pitches. We have some really creatively gifted people who work here, so it is just cool getting to work closely with them.

If I had to pick a project I worked on previously it would either have to be the Channel 4 partnership for the Lego Batman film, or the RNLI partnership with Ladbible.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced and how did you get around it?

For me, it’s not really a one-off challenge, it’s more about the general approach to creating something cool. Striking the balance between producing something that can meet commercial goals, whilst also maintaining an editorial voice is difficult. However, it is essential to be able to tread this line in-order to create something that people actually want to engage with, and will meet business goals.

What have you learned since you have been working here?

Although I have always had an interest in video games, I’ve never been had the technical knowledge as to how things are produced. Every day is a school day at the moment. Learning about how we create both pre-rendered and in-engine trailers is fascinating. As mentioned already, the team are so skilled, it’s great getting the chance to sit with them and watch them work.

Are there any upcoming things in the industry you think people need to keep an eye out for?

#RaiseTheGame is an awesome initiative in the UK to increase diversity and improve inclusion in video games. I think that it can only be a positive thing for our industry and have a real impact on the quality of the games that are produced. You can read a bit more about it here: https://raisethegame.com/

Tell me a fun fact about yourself?

I got to play rugby at Twickenham stadium #famous #eliteathlete #allthegearnoidea

If you have an upcoming project and want to discuss it, or just want to talk about how you defeat the final boss in Sekiro (damn you Isshin, the Sword Saint) you can get in touch with me at [email protected] or on 07912877293.

Getting a job in the industry!

Getting a job in the animation/VFX industry from REALTIME’s Pete Leonard

So, you’ve found a job on our website that you think you’d be perfect for, or maybe you’ve been following us long enough to know we are the right company for you. Great stuff!

Thing is, just how do you (best) go about getting a gig here?

I think I can help!

There’s an inexhaustible number of tips, advice and information out there on what you can do, so I’m going to break this down into chunks so it’s a bit more digestible and useful.

MAKE THE APPLICATION

Well that figures of course – until we become clairvoyants, but that’s some way off.

In the meantime, there are a number of core elements that we’d advise here at REALTIME to grab the interest of the hiring managers and get yourself considered.

Be clear on your specialism – It’s a good place to start and feeds well into your next career objective. The team is broken into different departments and simply seeing that someone is (for example) a professional CG Lighter will stand out more than someone who is less clear about their primary area of expertise.
Show your Enthusiasm and Attitude – In the content of your email, don’t forget show yourself off! We pride ourselves on creating a fun, hardworking culture. Are you the type of person who comes to work with a smile and stays the extra half hour if needed? Give us an example…
Link your (best) work/showreel – this will be the biggest thing we go off in terms of your suitability. Regardless of education, experience or anything else, THIS supersedes everything. So, make it great ?
Tell us about yourself… no really! – We’re interested! We will be spending a lot of time with each other so it’d be grand if we know something about why you work in CG, what your interests are, and more. This can be at the top of your CV, a cover letter or some other cool little way of presenting yourself (hint hint), but naturally it’s important for both of us so we can fit.
Attention grabbing CV – it doesn’t have to look like that cool flyer you saw last week (although that would be nice), but be sure to quickly and concisely present your objective (what you’re looking for) and your core skills (packages and CG focus) – it doesn’t have to be long either (2 pages is more than enough). Run it by others to get a second opinion, but this is your elevator pitch, so be sure it’s impactful.
Why us? – Sounds obvious but if you want to work here, we want to know why. It helps us understand what interests you about our company and why you’d be a good fit.

OK, BUT WHAT KIND OF SHOWREEL GRABS YOUR ATTENTION?

Good question – here’s some tips on that:

Relevant examples – like many studios we have carved out a niche in game cinematics (pre-rendered, and real-time) and Automotive. So, we do need to see some images or trailers of work that is commensurate with our projects. The world of CG is vast, and we need people who have some understanding of that niche we operate in. The reel is your best way to exhibit this.
Quality! – Over quantity. Every time. We spend quite a lot of time on our shots providing them with a final look, feel and finesse. Which requires dedication, a good eye for detail and composition, and perseverance. We need to see at least a couple of examples that show the same commitment and approach. Don’t be afraid to cut content – if it doesn’t show you at your best, then less is definitely more. Remember older work can flesh out your reel, but it can also make one of us ask how good your eye is, and why you’ve kept it in there…
Breakdowns – These are so useful! Whether it’s wireframes, layers & comp passes, texture maps/wraps, it all helps, as well as just having the finished article. If you’ve perused our site long enough, you will see we have breakdowns of projects like SMITE and Dropzone in areas such as VFX and Animation. It allows people to see how we delivered the end product. If we can see how you got to yours, it tells us a great deal about your process and approach. A picture paints a thousand words, n’all that.
State your contributions – For large scale projects and professional shots, there are many pairs of hands that come together to create the end result. So, a simple statement about what you did in each shot allows us to focus on the right areas and judge your work more fairly. It does you justice and saves us time. We like that (so thank you?).

GREAT, I GOT AN INTERVIEW!

Top banana! We are particular about the kind of things we look for in applications and reels, so you’ve shown real promise – let’s not fall at this hurdle.

Set goals and prepare – It doesn’t have to be a bucket list but think logically about what you want to express to us. What is your greatest asset as an artist, or producer, or whatever? What strengths will you bring to REALTIME that we could use? Think about what you want to get across so that you will be well prepared.
Practice – If you’re super comfortable at interview then very well done – 95% of the population is very jealous?. For the rest of us, we have to have a plan of how we are going to present ourselves. But you’ve set goals so you can practice how to communicate your abilities. You HAVE set goals right?
Be yourself – Easier said than done for most (including me). We all have strengths, development areas and our own quirks. So, feel comfortable in being open on these – we’ll appreciate the openness and honesty, we’ll be able to connect with you a bit more, but most importantly: YOU’LL feel more confident and at ease. Anyway, we are a bit eclectic ourselves, so you’ll be in good company.
Be Passionate – Speaks for itself. People do this job for the love of it! So, we need you to show us what makes you love what you do.
Bring any extras you like – That can be a laptop or flash pen with WIP shots you wish to talk us through, a simulation in Houdini you are experimenting with, or weekend classes engaged in landscape or life drawing – it all helps and will provide some further insight into your passions, and how you communicate – we do a LOT of that in the boardroom anyway so best to get used to it.
Questions – It’s a 2-way street and you are choosing us as much as we are choosing you. So, questions are not only welcomed, but we consider them essential and we won’t be able to take you as seriously if you don’t have any for us, about our company, work or future direction.

THANKS… ANY LAST WORDS?

Just a few:

Get organised – you’d be surprised how many people can fail to plan their trip or arrive in a timely fashion. This is your first impression so best to plan your trip and account for potential obstacles (within reason of course).
Research – Find out as much as you can about us beyond what you already know. Our Marketing Manager gets a ton of stuff out there on our Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter as well as our website so be sure to use them to glean as much about us and our activities as you can. It really helps at interview and avoids those awkward silences. Result!
Booted and Suited? – You can come in a suit if you want, but it’s not required, and the dress code is casual in our studio. I’d say strike a balance. Casual is fine but pick out some of your smarter options.

Pete always makes time to give proper feedback to applicants, so why not have a look at our careers and drop him your showreel on [email protected]

GDC 2020 – Were they right to cancel?

One of the biggest events in the Games Industry calendar, GDC, has been cancelled. The Games Developer Conference is arguably the beating heart of the industry and, with only two weeks to go its developers have decided to pull the plug in light of the risks that the spread of the Coronavirus may pose. Last year there were over 26,000 attendees to the event, all descending onto San Francisco from the furthest reaches of the planet to attend talks, learn, network, inspire and generally further the craft of games development. But have the organisers perhaps been a little over cautious in cancelling the event, and just why is GDC so important to the industry?

No-one can escape the headlines surrounding Coronavirus, or the more sinister sounding COVID-19 as it is fast becoming referred to in the media. Switch on the TV or open a newspaper and you’ll find plenty of references to ‘pandemic’ and ‘outbreaks’. Indeed, it all sounds like the plot of a Resident Evil game with the end of the world an inevitability, even though the spread of the virus itself is still (thankfully, at the time of writing) largely contained. From reading the apocalyptic headlines, you could be forgiven for thinking that if GDC were to go ahead, the streets of San Francisco would be filled with roaming zombies – spaced out marauders on the verge of collapse; wandering aimlessly without purpose and in need of shelter. Whereas, anyone with any familiarity with the streets surrounding Union Square will know that this scenario is already a grim reality already. – where homelessness and social problems on the streets are a gritty reality for many already.

Regardless, the organisers of GDC have had to tread a very careful line in weighing up the many benefits that the show brings versus the very real risks of contagion. It’s no mean feat – The event has been many months in the making with many man hours of organising potentially wasted. To some degree, their hands were forced in the days running up to the announcement, with major sponsors including Microsoft, Facebook, Unity, Epic, Sony and Amazon all deciding to withdraw from the event. These decisions will not have been easy ones to make as it some of these brands that have helped GDC grow to the stature that the conference currently enjoys. In recent years it has proven to be the perfect platform to unveil new technologies to developers and get their feedback – a ‘sweet spot’ event that avoids the glare of more consumer focused events like E3 yet still big enough to grab the attention of the major developers and publishers in the Industry.

In recent years, the conference has been used to showcase emerging technologies that will continue to have a major influence on the craft of Games Development and Storytelling for a long time to come. Of particular note, Epic Games’ ‘State of Unreal’ keynote speeches have been used to showcase the development and advances in Virtual Filmmaking. These talks are highly anticipated and continue to usher in technologies that are not limited to just Games Development, but the advancement of Film, TV and VFX.

GDC’s importance the industry cannot be overstated. Whilst new technologies remain at the heart of the show, it’s the level to which they are embraced by the thousands of Artists, Animators, Coders and Producers in attendance that ultimately decide their fate. Without their creativity, the content cannot be produced, games developed, or new worlds realised – No matter how good the tools. So, although it’s disappointing that GDC should be cancelled at such a late stage, its undoubtedly the right thing to do.

Sadly, I WON’T be attending GDC this year, but if you want to get in touch to discuss our work in Trailers, Cinematics, Animation or VFX, drop me a line at [email protected].