Apple WWDC 2014: Metal and SpriteKit unveiled

With iOS 8, gaming got a new focus. And what better place to start then with some of the industry leaders themselves.

Apple made sure to invite Epic Games to the stage to preview the new iOS 8 technology, Metal.

Metal allows experiences that were once only available on high performance systems to be recreated on iPad and iOS 8 devices.  In the demo shown, a zen garden that was created on a high performance system running the Unreal Engine, was replicated on iOS 8 and done so in a flawless execution allowing for no visual or performance drop off.

Thanks to Metal, an environment can be fully functional and display multiple on-screen actions with no downfall in credibility to any of the singular parts.  The on-screen action is truly impressive.  Metal allows for some insane levels of on-screen functionality.

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The graphics capable on iOS 8, thanks to Metal, are truly revolutionary.  The zen garden will also be available once iOS 8, on the App Store for free.

SpriteKit was also resisted for developers of games geared towards more casual gamers.  SpriteKit enhancements include new tools for light sources, field forces, per-pixel physics, and inverse kinematics.  SceneKit was also introduced as another 3D option for developers to work towards enhanced games.

The upgrades to SpriteKit should allow developers to continue to push the envelope in making quality games for casual gamers.