Unreal Engine 4 utilised to create near perfect in-game world

Light dances on surfaces with a crazy level of realism

(koola)

Video games have been languishing deep in the uncanny valley in recent years, with graphics that are undoubtedly impressive but somehow alien and abstract.

Advances in textures and lighting are meaning that an in-game world that looks identical to our own is not far off however, as a host of videos posted by French artist koola has shown.

UsingUnreal Engine 4 which was opened up to the world earlier this year, he has created a number of scenes including a walled garden and classroom that are jaw-droppingly realistic, every surface looking tangible and every beam of light gracefully bouncing off them.

The videos push the engine to its limits, use much higher resolution textures than an Xbox One or PS4 game could handle and probably a ton of RAM, but give a glimpse of the kind of graphics quality we can expect to see in the future.

When considered alongside technology like the Oculus Rift, the advancements foreshadow a virtual world that could be all-too-tempting for some to choose over our own.

You can find some explanation from koola of the technical processes that went into making the scenes, along with stills, here.