The first live gameplay demo of PS5 was not released. Instead, it was shown from Summer Game Fest (a regularly scheduled series of announcement videos and interviews with The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley). As such, the games shown were not Sony's exclusive series, but custom-built demos running on Unreal Engine 5.

The Epic Games team discussed the new game engine's features with Keighley in a live stream hosted on YouTube. Judging from the live chat and Twitter responses, it seems that most users were just as surprised as we were that the PS5 gameplay demo was live-streamed. Just yesterday, a remaster of "Tony Hawk Pro Skater" was announced at Summer Game Fest, and it seemed that other announcements on this channel would be along similar lines.

Still, players got a taste of what PS5 gameplay would be like thanks to a custom-made demo featuring a young woman with mysterious powers exploring a splendid tomb. The demo is titled "Lumen in the Land of Nanite." This is not just a generic fantasy name; the words in the title refer to two key features of Unreal Engine 5.

"Nanites" are a new technology used by Unreal Engine 5 to render polygonal objects. Simply put, complex polygons are composed of millions of tiny triangles, and Nanite can render these polygons with amazing speed and accuracy. As a result, more detailed models can be created with less loading time. After the demo's protagonist examined an elaborate statue alone, he proceeded to the next room, where dozens of identical statues were on display. The lack of slowdowns or visible render times suggested that PS5 is very efficient in displaying graphics or in hiding loading times. Perhaps both.

Next up was Lumen, a lighting technology in Unreal Engine 5. As the name implies, this dynamic lighting engine allows the developer to place light sources anywhere in the level and have the environment react realistically without slowing down. We first saw Lumen as the protagonist passed through a narrow crevice in the canyon. Light shone through the rift in the earth's surface, illuminating her surroundings, but beyond the gap remained shrouded in darkness. This in itself was not necessarily impressive. What was impressive was when the developer stopped the demo and moved the light source, allowing us to see the environment react organically. If possible, please watch the video to see the fluid and realistic reactions. It is difficult to explain in print.

Later, when the protagonist was exploring the dark tomb and evoked a blue ball of light in her hand, we could see the lumen lighting in more detail. As she moved the ball like a flashlight, she could see how the tomb reacted to the light source and color changes. The ball could also illuminate objects unevenly; for example, the aforementioned statue was thicker in the center and thinner at the legs.

But the most impressive thing about this demo, however, was simply that it was live gameplay running on the PS5. This was something I had never seen before, and I had not expected to see it presented with little fanfare in a one-time Summer Game Fest presentation. It is worth noting, however, that Lumen in the Land of Nanite is not an actual game, but merely a showcase for Unreal Engine 5. It may not be representative of how the PS5 will perform with the upcoming titles is likely to be.

As I watched this demo, I couldn't help but notice that this type of demo - a lengthy gameplay sequence that shows exactly what the PS5 can do - is exactly what I was expecting at the Xbox Series X gameplay reveal event on May 7 It was also what I ultimately didn't get. It was also what I ultimately did not get, and was instead satisfied with a few seconds of in-game footage in various trailers.

In the absence of institutions like GDC and E3, this was a strange year for new console launches. Our information comes at sporadic intervals, and it is not easy to discern whether we are about to see a huge announcement or simply a long lecture. (I loved the PS5 hardware event, but I know many others didn't, and I'm not sure I'm the only one who did, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who did.) If there is a lesson in all of this, it would be to keep an eye out for announcements that don't come directly from Sony and Microsoft. I would keep an eye out for announcements that don't come directly from Sony and Microsoft; some of the most important information about the PS5 and the Xbox Series X may come from unexpected sources.