If you want to distribute high-quality real-time content to any device, you should check the options available using Pixel Streaming, introduced with version 4.21 of the Unreal Engine.

Touted as a solution to allow real-time distributed content for any device, Pixel Streaming reflects the approach followed by the Unreal Engine team at Epic Games  to solve the problems related to the distribution of interactive real-time content, simultaneously, to smartphones, tablets, kiosks, PC, or any other device. Distributed solutions rely, usually, on the hardware at the receiving end, with quality inherently limited by the device’s display capabilities, disk space, and download times, meaning it is essential to develop multiple versions, in order to achieve the highest quality for each device type.

Pixel Streaming solves that problem, as it keeps the experience at the host’s end and streams content to any device with the highest possible quality.  Pixel Streaming is an out-of-the-box solution for distributing UE4 content that can retain the look, feel, and branding of the experience you want viewers to have, whether it’s automotive configurators, real-time collaboration or customer engagement, which are just a few of the uses for interactive real-time content.

Interactive content based in 3D, AR and XR overlays

Epic Games believes we live in the Experience Age, in which consumers want more than information; they want to see, feel and connect, through immersive content, and Pixel Streaming makes it easier to offer them an interactive real-time experience. The technology is making its first steps now, but the aim is to be able to use it for content based on 3D models as well as AR or XR overlays. The potential is there and more uses for Pixel Streaming  can be expected, as the solution created by the Unreal Engine team at Epic Games is in its infancy.

According to a white paper published by Epic Games, “Pixel Streaming addresses all the user and technical considerations for distributing content in the Age of Experience, where the focus is on deployment of the best content at the highest fidelity available. Pixel Streaming can share high-end experiences without consideration of the end client or platform, and will work within larger platform setups that have various channels for both offline or online content.” Pixel Streaming works via a plugin for UE4. The Unreal Engine project stays on a host, often in the cloud, and user requests for access are processed via API.

Content creators interested in trying the solution should check the Pixel Streaming Demo page, that demonstrates how you can design Unreal Engine content for people to experience as a live stream, using a Web browser on either a desktop or mobile device. To know more about Pixel Streaming, and understand the potential and limitations of the solution, download the white paper Streaming Unreal Engine content to multiple platforms, which states: “The goal is to maintain the highest quality and capability in the experience for non-games applications of Unreal Engine.”