Pillars of the new PES engine.

1. Barycentre Physics and Ball control

The new engine allows for a larger separation between player and ball - three time the radius of PES 2013, where tight 'confrontation' zones are used to make tackling easier. A striker will be able to throw his body weight in one direction and use his opposing foot to push the ball in the other way, leaving defenders off balance and buying space for a pass or shot. Players have specific centres of balance, calculated by locating their centre of gravity, or barycentre. You'll be able to control your player's weight shifts at all times and use practice touches to push the ball away from your feet. We see a wireframe demo with more natural animations and fluid transitions than FIFA 13. You control the player and the physics drives the animation, not vice versa. It's hard to tell how this will transform the 'feel' of play, rather than just being admirable behind the scenes calculations, but there appears to be scope for a radical new control scheme - think of how Skate's right-stick motions mimicked real-life movements by exploiting dynamic physics, and how they compared to the digital button taps of Tony Hawks Pro Skater. This could be a revelation in football game control.

2. Contact and Physicality

Konami has pinpointed this as a weakness in previous games, but now players can jostle for space - even without the ball present - for headers at corners, or to dominate a smaller opponent. You'll be able to tug shirts (cloth is now separate from the player's body and stretches) as well as elbow for room on the touchline. It works in tandem with the physics and precision control. Agile players can unbalance defenders with dropped shoulders or ball skills, and push the ball further ahead to exploit their acceleration. "Previously, body feints were more aesthetic," admits Masuda. "Now they're a key tactic."

3. Squad Emulator

Formations remain essential for success, but now you can set 'zones of play' so your key players focus on certain tactics in mission-critical areas. For example, you can set your front line to focus on possession and probing for gaps in from of a deep-lying defence. In theory, you'll be able to recognise your favourite teams pattern of play within a few minutes. The emphasis on defending and shape should allow weaker teams to create effective strategies, such as when Celtic beat Barcelona in the Champions League by defending deep, buoyed up by the home crowd.

Its not massively clear but it seems like this game (with the engine based on Fox) will be on current gen consoles and next gen.

I think it was Kojima that was talking about how Fox Engine was 'scalable' and could be used on current and next gen. I can't see KCET trying to implement the new engine into current gen, they're better off just leaving current gen to a small team and focus entirely on next gen.

This all reminds me of the build up to FIFA 07 and hoe they were building the whole thing from scratch.

Both current and next-gen versions of PES will use Fox Engine

News Publish Date 11/03/2013 - 3:00pm GMT

Current-gen Fox Engine visuals look "near indistinguishable" from the real thing, mag reckons.

A modified version of Kojima Productions' Fox Engine will be used to power both the current and next-generation versions of future PES titles, it's been revealed.

The new engine's scalability, which is expected to be introduced with this year's PES 2014, will mean that both the current and next-gen versions of Konami's football game will benefit from enhanced visuals and "barycentre physics", which offers players "more realistic centres of balance" and a greater sense of physicality.

According to the latest issue of EDGE, the new engine "looks incredible" on PS3, with in-engine visuals that look "near indistinguishable" from the real world. "Only some intricate background detail betrays the CG version," EDGE states. "In terms of quality, think of the Fox Engine 'boardroom' test image... It looks incredible, but we're assured it's all running on PS3."

Though the new engine may debut on current-gen consoles, Konami plans to use Fox Engine to power next-gen versions of PES, too.

"Our new engine isn't limited to the next few years, but [is ready] for next-gen platforms," senior producer Naoya Hatsumi says, as creative producer Kei Masuda hints towards cross-device functionality.

"It is not just about making games for the TV; the engine can adapt to any platform, like tablet or mobile," says Masuda.

"The concern is fewer people will have time to pick up their controllers and play games on the TV. The market has shrunk, so we want to make it possible to, say, edit players on your phone or alter formations, so when you turn on your game, you can instantly start playing with your favoured pre-sets. We want PES to fit around users' lifestyles."

PES 2014 has yet to be officially announced by Konami. Nevertheless, expect it to launch on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC - and potentially PlayStation 4, Microsoft's next-gen Xbox and Wii U - later this year.

Source: EDGE | #252 April 2013

It's nice to have a good looking game but will it play well on a cold, wet, Wednesday night in Stoke?

Anyone who has played PES 2013 properly online for a good length of time will know it is nothing to write home about. Unstoppable through balls performed anywhere on the pitch against always stranded defenders break the game completely.

According to admin on http://www.pesrankings.com, this will be shown at the Xbox Revealed event.

Can't imagine EA wanting to share the limelight?