The Unreal Engine is one of the most popular game development tools in the industry for a reason: not only is it powerful, it's easy to use.
Advanced developers can tap into the engine's tech to create some truly beautiful visuals, while new users can learn how to create environments and objects with pre-built materials. Simply put, there's a reason why so many gamers have started recreating their favorite video games in Unreal Engine 4.
With virtual reality looming on the horizon, it makes sense that Unreal would want to stay ahead of the curve. Most major development tools already support VR, and have for quite some time — but what about using the editing tools from inside a virtual reality headset?
That's exactly what Unreal is trying to do: as part of a preview for the developer's upcoming GDC 2016 showcase, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney revealed that virtual reality development would soon be available in virtual reality. Apparently, VR motion controls aren't just for playing games anymore, but actually building games as well:
Using a virtual reality space to build a virtual reality game really does make a lot of sense: not only will developers be able to work with a better sense of the space around them, but it could help simplify the Unreal Engine's tools even more. Drop-down menus and thousands of different objects could be cumbersome for some developers — but you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't know how to place building blocks.
It'll be interesting to see if there are any drawbacks to VR-in-VR development: for instance, even from the brief glimpse shown in the video, it doesn't look like placing objects in VR is anywhere near as precise as using traditional methods. While it's unlikely that drawbacks like this would outweigh the advantages of building in virtual reality, there's always a chance that new, unexpected problems could pop up after launch.
Either way, expect to see more during of Unreal's VR-in-VR development during the studio's showcase at GDC 2016.
