Umbra Dev: Cloud Computing on Xbox One and PS4 “Makes Very Dynamic and Massive Worlds a Reality”

There has been more enough tough about the power of next generation consoles like PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. We’ve even heard a fair amount about what will be possible using Cloud computing – augmenting and improving games in small ways, like the “micro-patching” Evolution Studios can do with DriveClub. However, what about large, world generation?

Speaking to Umbra lead support engineer Sampo Lappalainen, we asked about the kind of benefits that the world creation software could bring if used with Cloud computing on the PS4 and Xbox One. Lappalainen stated that, “Potential in cloud computation with Umbra is huge. When enabling the cloud on the console itself you can harness a massive background computation power that is ideal, for instance, in updating the visibility data dynamically.

“This will make a very dynamic and massive game worlds a reality. We are working on a solution that makes using the cloud with Umbra easy, but more about that later when we have something to show!”

How will this play into games like Destiny and The Witcher 3? Will it effectively enable a longer shelf life, with worlds that continually evolve over time? We’ll find out when the PS4 and Xbox release later this year and when Gaikai and Azure, their respective Cloud computing platforms, are in full swing.