The Matrix Awakens came out

If you own a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X / S console do yourself a favor and download a free tech demo called The Matrix Awakens. It is an interactive demonstration of the power of the fifth-generation Unreal Engine, or in translation - the next-gen presentation as expected with the transition to a new generation of hardware.

In this demonstration, we have the brutal action part of the highway chase - very close to that of the Matrix movies, only with Unreal Engine graphics. Neo and Trinity look maximally authentic (although that uncanny valley effect is a bit noticeable), to such an extent that we have to wonder if we know how to recognize our reality from the virtual world.

And while The Matrix Awakens is graphically the best next-gen demonstration to date, at the same time it easily shatters the illusion with a rather unstable framerate - at least in the case of the PlayStation 5 console. The slowdowns and twitches aren’t very scary, but they are felt. After all, it is clear that a smooth 60 frames per second in action-intensive and visually complex scenes we can only dream of.

But on the other hand, the level of detail in the world, realistic lighting, and the shift in the field of traffic density should be praised. The latter is what has always been limiting in the games of previous generations: worlds were getting bigger and the streets would gape empty. In the Matrix Awakens, the traffic can be so heavy that you can't even find a parking space. Just like in reality!