Two new engines developed for the GBA are about to revolutionize the quality of titles for the popular handheld games console. The upcoming titles will bring real 3D gaming to GBA. Bobbee Tec's DRG 3D and Graphic State's AGB Rush technology are changing the way titles are being developed.
Bobbee Tec have announced that the latest version of their DRG 3D Engine for Gameboy Advance is now available for licensing to third-party developers and publishers. What their technology offers is the ability to take PC-based games designed for the Quake or Quake 2 engines and actually run them on the GameBoy Advance. This, of course adds a new dimension to the possibilities for GBA games, which could add a large list of titles to the little console's arsenal.
According to Bobbe Tec creation of content for GBA using their engine is carried out in 2 steps:
1. Use the many freely-available PC-based tools for Quake or Quake 2 development (just like a PC game),
and
2. Convert your data for testing on GBA hardware (yes, you can also do most of your testing on the PC!).
Such a painless process will also give developers the freedom to focus on detail and polish, without sacrificing one area of development for another.
Graphic State
Despite the impressive DRG 3D results other efforts are also promising to greatly improve the GBA gaming experience.
Having just completed work on Crazy Taxi : Catch a Ride for THQ, Graphic State has unveiled details of its latest Game Boy Advance technology. Crazy Taxi is the first release to make use of the unique AGB Rush engine, which features detailed 3D environments, realistic physics and dozens of on-screen sprites. Handheld game players can now experience 3D gameplay similar to games previously seen on the original PlayStation.
We can now create games for the Game Boy Advance that are a generation ahead of current titles, we are confident that we have developed the best 3D routines for GBA - and unlike many other developers our technology has already been proven in a commercial release, says Richard Whittall, Creative Director of Graphic State. The new games we are developing take the GBA to new levels, which is essential in the very competitive GBA marketplace.
Our AGB Rush technology includes many advanced features such as full texture mapping on all surfaces, lighting effects, depth shading, animated textures, fluid sprite animations, weather effects.
