GDC Europe is going to kick off tomorrow, so here's a roundup of explicitly next-gen-platform-related sessions...
Microsoft Game Developer Day
Speaker: Speaker TBD
Time/Date: Tuesday (August 30, 2005) 9:00am — 7:00pm
Audience level: Advanced
Presentation Description
Microsoft will host a day of game development presentations to detail its next-generation platforms: Xbox 360 and Windows® Vista™. Sessions will include introductions to these platforms and what you can do now to support its upcoming features and enhancements. Additional highlights will include:
- An overview of next-generation audio techniques
- General optimizations for CPU, GPU and I/O usage
- Best practices for Visual Studio 2005
- A sneak peak at the next version of the Direct3D graphics API, driver model and runtime
- A primer on implementing Xbox 360 camera features into your games
Phil Harrison: A Keynote Q&A on the Future of Games
Speaker: Phil Harrison (Executive Vice President, Sony Computer Entertainment)
Time/Date: Wednesday (August 31, 2005) 10:00am — 11:00am
Audience level: All
Presentation Description
Phil Harrison, Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe will be interviewed on stage by Jamil Moledina, director of the Game Developers Conference and GDC Europe. In this insider interview, they will discuss the launch and development strategy of the PlayStation 3 (PS3) and the next-generation games that will validate the platform, the European launch of the PlayStation Portable (PSP) and its titles, the development options for current-generation developers, and his long-term views on the development ecosystem and the games it will produce.
There will be an audience Q&A period after the interview for you to ask Mr. Harrison your questions.
The First Generation of the Next Generation: A PGR3 Post-mortem
Speaker: Chris Pickford (Associated Producer, Bizarre Creations), Jan van Valburg (Tools Programmer Bizarre Creations)
Time/Date: Wednesday (August 31, 2005) 11:15am — 12:15pm
Audience level: Intermediate
Presentation Description
Working on a 1st generation title for a brand new games console is an exciting and rare privilege in our industry. Developing Project Gotham Racing 3 has been a voyage of discovery into new hardware, XDKs and functionality that have influenced the design of the title. The power of the Xbox 360 has allowed us to implement graphical and gameplay features impossible on previous hardware.
This talk aims to identify some of the pleasures and pitfalls of designing and developing a game on an evolving platform, as well as addressing some specific points about working with the Xbox 360.
Developing for PlayStation 3
Speaker: George Bain (Developer Support Manager, SCEE Technology Group)
Time/Date: Wednesday (August 31, 2005) 4:00pm — 5:00pm
Audience level: All
Presentation Description
A new platform always presents new challenges and opportunities for game developers. This technical presentation introduces PlayStation 3, the new state-of-the-art entertainment platform from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The presentation will provide an overview of the system architecture including the Cell processor and the new graphics processor (RSX) along with the Blu-ray storage medium. It will also include information about the new development tools and is aimed to give developers an insight into PlayStation 3 title development.
Gearing Your Team for The Next Generation
Speaker: Chris Satchell (General Manager, Game Developer Group, Microsoft Corporation)
Time/Date: Thursday (September 1, 2005) 10:00am — 11:00am
Audience level: All
Presentation Description
The production and development of games is evolving and becoming ever more challenging; customer expectations continue to rise, technology becomes ever more complex and content volume and complexity is exploding. Later this year Xbox 360 will start the next generation of digital entertainment for an evolving breed of consumer. Chris Satchell the General Manager of the Game Developer Group in Xbox gives candid insight into what it takes to be a successful developer in the next generation of gaming. The talk aims to answer the following questions:
-What are the key consumer and technology trends you must capitalize on in the next generation?
-What are the trends in production and development we are seeing as teams evolve to handle next generation games?
-What can you do to give your title and studio every chance of success in the HD era?
-What changes will you need to make to your production and tool environment to be successful?
-What budgets, team size and staffing profile do you need to achieve this success?
-What are we doing at Microsoft to help you make this transition and be successful in the next generation?
The Sharp End of the Next Generation: PC to PS3
Speaker: Dean Calver (Senior Programmer, Ninja Theory Ltd.)
Time/Date: Thursday (September 1, 2005) 12:30pm — 1:30pm
Audience level: Advanced
Presentation Description
For the last 12+ months, you’ve been focused on producing the killer game pitch, to give you that once in a lifetime, original AAA product and then the unimaginable happen. Its all goes to plan! and you find your PC based game, has to be transferred onto a radically different architecture at the same time as that innovative game play has to be produced, and don’t forget your shipping in 12-18 months time. The presentation will cover the technical issues you will face in this situation, in particular the massive difference in programming models between a PC processor and Cell. Some of the topics we will cover include the PPU’s in-order processing and the unique SPU hardware. Also more mundane issues like compilers and how to get you code ready for Cell. The presentation will present ideas based on Ninja Theory’s experience with Heavenly Sword.
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