Skip to main content

CryEngine V for VR should blow your mind

Oops! We couldn't load this video player
On Tuesday, Crytek uploaded a video to YouTube showcasing its sparkly new gaming engine, CryEngine V. The platform itself was launched during GDC 2016 back on March 15, but now we can see a tease of the glorious eye candy this engine will bring thanks to DirectX 12.

Crytek surprised game developers earlier this month by announcing that CryEngine V comes packed with a “Pay What You Want” business model. That means developers can choose to use the platform for free and not suffer royalties or other charges. However, those wanting to pay something for using the engine will see their money dumped into the company’s new Indie Development Fund, which was established to back indie developers scattered across the globe.

Recommended Videos

Crytek’s latest engine also introduces the Cryengine Marketplace, a repository where developers can grab individual assets generated by Crytek along with “thousands” of items created by the Cryengine community and “trusted vendors.” These high-end items include 3D objects, sounds, and materials such as residential buildings (element), a train yard (scene), a Cryengine GameSDK sample project, and loads more.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

According to the release notes, CryEngine V includes a new sandbox editor, a new API for C# scripting, support for DirectX 12, a reworked low overhead renderer, an advanced volumetric cloud system, a new particle system, support for FMOD Studio, improved profiling, and support for Visual Studio 2015. The level editor has also been retooled with better organized menus and toolbars, and now includes improved and added keyboard shortcuts.

With the arrival of CryEngine V comes a list of features that are no longer offered, such removing the requirement of opening a level/map after startup. The Asset Browser has also been “depreciated” along with the Editor Settings Manager, the Modular Behavior Tree editor, the Visual Log Viewer, and the AI Debugger. However, there’s now an Undo History tool, an easily-accessible list of all the existing console commands, a list of all the exiting console variables, and a shortcut to open online documentation by hitting the F1 button.

As Crytek points out in its new video, 2016 is the year of virtual reality, and CryEngine V is ready to support the budding new industry. Oculus’ Rift is set to roll out in a few days, followed by the SteamVR-based HTC Vive on April 5. Offering a compatible engine for free means that consumers will see a load of high-quality VR games, apps, and “experiences” in the near future. Yes, it’s an awesome time to be alive.

To get CryEngine V, head here. Keep in mind that whatever developers shell out for the engine, at least 30 percent will be applied to the platform itself. Developers can pay $10, $25, $50, $100, $500, or choose to pay a specific amount. There’s also a slider that allows the developer to choose how much of that will go towards Crytek, and how much goes to the Indie Development Fund.

Kevin Parrish
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kevin started taking PCs apart in the 90s when Quake was on the way and his PC lacked the required components. Since then…
You really do not want to forget your Vision Pro passcode
An Apple employee shows a person how to use a Vision Pro headset at an Apple Store.

Owners of Apple’s new Vision Pro headset are advised to make a strong mental note of the passcode they create for their new device.

Why? Because if they forget it, it appears that the only way to start using it again is by taking the Vision Pro to an Apple retail store to get it reset. Or by shipping it to AppleCare customer support.

Read more
Disney just reinvented the VR treadmill, and it looks amazing
The feet of someone walking on Disney's Holotile technology.

Disney casually broke the news of an exciting-sounding breakthrough to reinvent movement in VR. The HoloTile is an omnidirectional, multiplayer treadmill floor that could solve a huge problem with VR gaming and the metaverse: connecting body movement to the virtual world.

Solutions to this problem so far have been clunky, either opting for a tethered treadmill or going free-roam in large rooms, where running into other players or walls is a problem.

Read more
The Apple Vision Pro has given VR its iPhone moment
A person is watching a movie using the Apple Vision Pro.

"One more thing" means you're about to be treated to something groundbreaking -- and that's exactly what happened when Apple CEO Tim Cook uttered those fateful three words at the end of the recent Worldwide Developers Conference 2023 keynote. The Apple Vision Pro is not just another VR headset; no, it's an incredible piece of technology that pushes the boundaries of what we can expect from both virtual reality and augmented reality. The display tech, sensor quality, and polish are like nothing we've ever seen before in a headset — and they signal a big jump forward in VR and AR tech.

The only quibble is the price: $3,500. That's a whole lot of cash, and due to that, I'm not confident the Vision Pro will appear in every other house in the next few years.

Read more