作者：Jolie O’Dell

在日前的游戏开发者大会上，一个座谈小组正在讨论手机图像的未来，并吸引了许大会多参加者的注意，希望从中了解接下来的智能手机将带给我们怎样的惊喜。

展望不远的未来，即当智能手机和平板电脑发展到像现在的主机一样的程度（虽然已经稍显成熟），座谈小组讨论了“摩尔定律”，制作华丽内容所需的高成本以及3D图像的出现等等内容。

Moore‘s Law（from community）

座谈小组成员包括：来自Caustic Professional的Steve Blackmon；来自Unity的Aras Pranckevičius；来自Crytek Budapest的Tarnas Schlagl以及来自Square Enix的Julien Merceron。

模糊“手机”，模糊“游戏”

Pranckevičius说道：“手机设备与笔记本电脑之间的界限开始倾向于模糊。”Merceron开玩笑道，如今的主要决定因素还是该设备是否拥有用户。

Pranckevičius认为今天的限制不再是屏幕大小，而是电源管理，温度管理和网络带宽。

Blackmon谈论了在非游戏中游戏引擎设计的使用，并列举了相关例子，即电影导演能够实时看到自己所拍摄的作品，或者零售商能够将产品呈献给顾客等等。

Merceron认为GPU在其它设备中所扮演的混合角色也将攻占手机设备，即在此GPU的影响范围将从单纯的图像延伸到云端计算以及其它任务。

他说道：“工具的存在便是为了推动设计师更好地执行任务。我便遇到过许多技术的设计目的都是为了让设计师能够实时且更轻松地进行创作，并因此简化他们的创造过程。”

更高的质量，更低价的开发

当然了，更优秀的设备也就需要更出色的内容。

Merceron说道，尽管现在掀起了3D功能和内容的热潮，“但是2D内容并不会完全消失。是因为设备的强大功能而推动了3D的爆发。”

不过这并不会影响到那些基于自己的方式转向手机平台和游戏的主机开发者们。

Merceron说道：“他们使用3D图像的方法非常高端，并且将推动其他开发者更加努力地去创造AAA级的产品价值。”

但是高质量的游戏也意味着更高成本的创造过程。

Blackmon说道：“内容创造产业总是会竭尽全力去使用这些技术。当我们面向台式机创造游戏时曾注意到，创造AAA级游戏的成本非常高。所以随着手机设备的发展，我们也会遇到同样的问题。”

他继续说道，根本问题将很快变成：“任何人都能够创造出非常棒的效果，但是能以更低的价格做到这一点的人却寥寥无几”。

Schlagl指出跨越各种手机设备，台式机和主机平台（像场景和画外音等资产）将能帮助开发者降低内容开发成本并显著提高游戏质量。

最后，小组成员总结道，尽管手机图像的未来是一个很有趣的讨论话题，但是却不代表我们不可能（或难以）解决这一问题。

就像Pranckevičius所说的那样：“虽然摩尔定律不能解决商业模式问题，但却有可能解决图像问题。”

（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

The future of mobile graphics: Better, faster, cheaper, & way more 3D

By Jolie O’Dell

SAN FRANCISCO — A panel discussion on the future of mobile graphics at today’s Game Developers Conference drew a standing-room-only crowd eager to hear what our smartphones will be showing us next.

Envisioning a near future when smartphones and tablets are as powerful as the current but elderly consoles, the panel discussed Moore’s Law, the high cost of producing good-looking content, and the advent of 3D every-damn-thing.

Panelists included Steve Blackmon, Caustic Professional; Aras Pranckevi?ius, Unity; Tarnas Schlagl, Crytek Budapest; and Julien Merceron, Square Enix.

Blurring ‘mobile,’ blurring ‘games’

“The distinction between what’s a mobile device and what’s a laptop is beginning to blur,” said Pranckevi?ius, stating the obvious. The deciding factor, joked Merceron, is now whether or not the machine in question has a fan.

The real constraints today, Pranckevi?ius said, aren’t screen size but power management, temperature management, and network bandwidth.

Blackmon talked about the use of game-engine design in nongaming use cases — film directors being able to see their work in real time or retailers showing products to shoppers, for example.

Merceron said that the hybrid role of the GPU in other machines is also going to take over the mobile devices, where the GPU goes from graphics-only to cloud computing and other tasks.

“Tools are meant to empower artists,” he said, turning to the Unity exec seated next to him. “I see a lot of technologies being designed that make things more [in] real time, more accessible to artists, and that simplify the creative process.”

Higher quality, cheaper development

Of course, better devices means the need for better content.

Merceron said that in spite of the current frenzy over 3D capabilities and content, “2D is absolutely not going to disappear … 3D is obviously going to explode because of the capabilities of the devices.”

And it doesn’t hurt that some console developers are making their way over to mobile platforms, devices, and games.

“The way they’re going to approach 3D graphics will be pretty high-end and will actually drive other developers … in a race to triple-A production values,” said Merceron.

But higher-quality developed and designed games, in turn, means a more costly creation processes.

“The content creation industry is desperately trying to leverage these technologies,” Blackmon said. “There’s crises happening where, when you get to desktop gaming, the triple-A titles have gotten so expensive to create. And as mobile devices evolve, you’re gonna have the same problem.”

The essential question, he continued, will soon become, “Everyone can do amazing effects now, but who can do them the cheapest?”

Schlagl pointed out that being able to share assets across various mobile, desktop, and console platforms — assets like scenes and voiceovers — will decrease cost of content and increase quality exponentially.

Ultimately, the panelists said, while the future of mobile graphics is an exciting topic to discuss at a gaming conference, it doesn’t represent a truly unsolvable (or even a truly difficult) problem.

As Pranckevi?ius concluded, “Problems with graphics tend to be solved by Moore’s Law, but problems with business models do not.”(source:venturebeat)