Weta uses Unreal Engine 4 for VR Smaug demo

Regardless of what you thought of Peter Jackson’s decision to split The Hobbit into three movies, we can all agree that Smaug the dragon made it worth it.

Well, now GDC attendees can go face-to-face with the mighty beast, thanks to a new demo from Weta Digital.

Weta is, of course, the famous special effects company behind all six Middle-Earth films as well as countless other blockbusters such as the recent Planet of the Apes prequels.

The team has put together a virtual reality Hobbit-themed experience called ‘Thief in the Shadows’, where players get to meet Smaug and avoid his fiery wrath.

The demo has been built with Unreal Engine 4 and is powered by the newly unveiled Nvidia Titan X graphics card. It also runs on Oculus’ Crescent Bay prototype.

It can be found at Epic Games’ GDC Expo booth – No.1024 – all this week. Remember: Keep an eye out for the Arkenstone.

For more GDC 2015 news, head to www.develop-online.net/gdc