Crysis Remastered Trilogy coming to consoles and PC this fall
Crysis Remastered Trilogy was announced for all consoles including Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.
The Climb 2 Confirmed, Coming ‘Only’ To Oculus Quest Platform
During the Facebook Connect digital conference today The Climb 2 was revealed, a direct follow-up to Crytek’s The Climb. The original game was first released as an Oculus Rift exclusive, but has since been ported to Oculus Quest.
Details are scarce on The Climb 2 at this time, but it’s definitely not a sequel we expected to see today. In the announcement trailer embedded above you’ll notice much more exotic locations than in the first game, such as a volcano in the background or a city full of skyscrapers similar to Dubai in the key art. They’ve certainly gone with a more striking, stylized visual identity this time.
According to the press release: “The thrill of rock climbing comes alive with The Climb 2–explore a new city setting and exhilarating new maps with breathtaking views. Ascend grand peaks, navigate vast caves, climb skyscrapers, and discover hidden shortcuts as you find your path to the top. Compete with friends and conquer leaderboards in asynchronous multiplayer modes. From exploring mountain environments to scaling urban settings, feel the rush of climbing without ropes, and experience breathtaking vistas as you scale new heights.”
The Climb 2 is exclusive to the Oculus Quest and Quest 2 with the trailer saying “only on the Oculus Quest platform” at the end in small print. You might think that because it says “Captured on PC” in the trailer for the Quest game it might come to PC at some point. We reached out to Facebook to clarify whether the game might ever come to PC VR or PSVR and a representative replied that The Climb 2 is a “Quest platform exclusive.”
After the Quest port of The Climb was originally announced all the way back at the Quest announcement during Oculus Connect in 2018, the game itself didn’t actually release until December 2019. Now, less than a year later, we’re already hearing news of a sequel. Although, it’s likely work began on this sequel prior to the first game’s port launching.
In The Climb you use your hands to ascend up perilous mountains across a variety of picturesque locales. In the PC VR version the breathtaking visuals are the highlight of the experience and despite the downgrade, it’s still quite captivating on the Quest version as well. Hopefully the XR2 chip inside the Quest 2 will help it deliver even more impressive visuals for the sequel.
What do you think about the surprise sequel announcement? It’s coming this holiday season exclusively to Oculus Quest. Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below!
The Climb Available Now On Quest With Rift Cross-Buy
Crytek’s The Climb is now available on Oculus Quest with cross-buy enabled for Rift owners.
Check out some gameplay we captured of the game’s Bay level:
The game built on Crytek’s CRYENGINE on PC continues to be one of the most visually impressive projects you’ll find in a VR headset. Its launch on Quest has been highly anticipated and while it clearly can’t match PC, the project appears to have held onto a large chunk of its visual fidelity despite running on Quest’s lower powered chipset.
The game features three settings to climb — Alps, Bay, and Canyon — with multiple routes and day or night lighting as well as different modes to fit various play styles. There’s a Tourist mode available, for example, that simplifies the game mechanics so that players can enjoy the scenery rather than focusing so much on, you know, not falling. There’s also an asynchronous multiplayer mode that lets you compete against your friends by trying to make it up the mountain faster. The project is priced at $29.99 and takes up around 1.63 gigabytes on Quest, according to its store page.
We can’t wait to dig deeper into The Climb and get a good handle on how it compares to the earlier Rift version. The wireless freedom on Quest seems like it will be an incredible fit for the project as removing the tether from the game may make players more comfortable reaching for hard-to-get handholds.
Have you tried The Climb yet on Quest? What do you think? Please share in the comments.
The post The Climb Available Now On Quest With Rift Cross-Buy appeared first on UploadVR.
Crytek Plans to Integrate Teslasuit Haptic Feedback Into CryEngine
When it comes to the eventual dream of futuristic sci-fi virtual reality (VR) that ultimate goal is to fully immerse yourself in a digital world, engaging all of your five senses. While that might be a long way off, if you want full-body haptic feedback then Teslasuit is one of the few products to make that reality seem ever closer. This week, Crytek, the company behind VR titles The Climb and Robinson: The Journey has announced plans to integrate Teslasuit into its CryEngine software.
The collaboration will allow licensees to take advantage of Teslasuit’s features, integrating full-body haptic feedback and physical sensation into their projects. The suits provide not only haptic feedback but a climate control system as well, in addition to capturing both motion and biometrics.
This means users can feel heavy and light impacts, rain, or wind-blowing. Teslasuit can gather real-time data from users which can be used to relay emotional state, stress level, and key health indicators, allowing for a range of applications, including gaming, physical training, rehabilitation, and more.
“CryEngine is known for its unrivalled visual fidelity, and it is a proven VR technology. In combination with Teslasuit, we can create the most immersive environments yet, and this is what makes this partnership so valuable for us,” said Dimitri Mikhalchuk, CRO of Teslasuit in a statement.
To begin with, CryEngine will roll the feature out exclusively to preferred partners, with a focus on enterprise and industrial projects. This will be followed by an available-to-all version for CryEngine users.
“We have followed the success story of Teslasuit for some time, and we are convinced that this technology will lift professional immersive applications, both in VR and AR, to a whole new level. With this integration, we continue to offer our licensees the very best technology on the market,” added Pascal Tonecker, Director of CryEngine Enterprise Solutions.
The Teslasuit was made public as a Kickstarter crowd-funded project in 2016 – which was subsequently cancelled – before going on to be shown at CES 2018. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Teslasuit and Crytek, reporting back with any further updates on the collaboration.
Crytek Launches CRYENGINE 5.5 Adding new VR Features
There are a number of big videogame engines that developers can use to create their projects with Unity and Unreal Engine tending to be the two major third-party applications. Robinson: The Journey creator Crytek has its own version on the market, CRYENGINE, and today the company has released its next big update, version 5.5.
Having released a preview back in March, developers can make use of a massive range of enhancements and features, with over 1000 additions included in the update.
Highlights for virtual reality (VR) developers include updated Entity Components. CRYENGINE 5.5 features multiple new and legacy Components for the new Entity System, including the porting of legacy rain and water ripple Entities and a new VR Camera and Interaction Component to get users up and running with their VR project quickly.
One of the biggest steps Crytek has taken when it comes to CRYENGINE 5.5 is its ease of use – the software was notoriously tricky for first time users – with the company now extensively overhauling and redesigning the documentation whilst adding an updated, comprehensive course for absolute beginners, showing them step-by-step how to create a full videogame in CRYENGINE.
CRYENGINE 5.5 Release Highlights include:
- SVOGI Improvements: SVOGI, the feature which allows developers to create scenes with realistic ambient tonality, now includes a major advancement with SVO Ray-traced Shadows offering an alternative to using cached shadow maps in scenes.
- Documentation Overhaul: As requested by the community, redesigned and updated documentation arrives for designers, artists, programmers, and anyone who uses the Sandbox Editor. Veterans and newcomers alike will be able to quickly find what they need.
- Flappy Boid: Flappy Boid is a fun, accessible, and now comprehensive onboarding course enabling users to learn core game development concepts while building a finished game.
- Sandbox UI/UX Changes: The Sandbox Editor improves workflow, performance, and optimization, making the development process quicker and easier.
- Terrain Object Blending: Users can mark Entities with a Mesh Component to become a part of the terrain mesh, empowering more realism, especially with snow and sand scenes.
- C# Upgrades: C# assets can be created directly inside of the Asset Browser and functions may be exposed to Schematyc for use inside of Entity Components. C# users will now be able to debug through Visual Studio via a new extension.
- Terrain System Improvements: Blend multiple materials and use a new displacement option in the sculpting tools for even more realistic terrain.
For the full list of CRYENGINE 5.5 improvements head to the blog. As Crytek release further updates VRFocus will keep you informed.
Update To CryEngine Integrates Vulkan API Support
The latest update to CryEngine has been released, as announced by creators Crytek. The latest version, CryEngine 5.4 introduces integrated support for the Vulkan API, along with Substance Designer integration, entity components and many other general improvements and updates.
Earlier this year, developers got chance to test out CryEngine 5.4 with the beta release, as the CryEngine team collected feedback to improve the engine prior to the final release. Highlights of the release include Substance Integration which allows artists and designers to use Substance workflows when working with the engine, as well as a customer shader for Allegorithmic’s Substance Designer and Painter software.
The big news for CryEngine 5.4 is the beta release for Vulkan API support. The Vulkan API is an enhanced graphics and computing API that allows cross-platform access to modern GPUs. This allows developers to use high-performance real-time 3D graphics applications with balanced CPU/GPU usage. Vulkan API has been a popular tool among developers in the virtual reality (VR) sector.
New terrain editing features have been added, and existing ones have been upgraded and expanded, allowing a higher level of realism and more flexibility, while the new Entity components allow developers and engineers to work at system and entity level, providing an more intuitive construction environment.
“The 5.4 release represents a big step forward for the engine, and we’ve worked closely with CryEngine community members to ensure it includes features and updates that address their needs,” said CryEngine Product Manager Collin Bishop. “We’ve made sure that these additions—particularly in the form of Substance integration and Vulkan API support—really cater to artists and programmers.”
CryEngine 5.4 is now available for download from the official CryEngine website.
VRFocus will bring you further updates on CryEngine as it becomes available.
‘Robinson: The Journey’ Executive Producer Departs Crytek Amid Company’s Struggles
A little more than four months following the launch of Robinson: The Journey, Executive Producer on the title, Elijah Freeman, has departed Crytek for Virtuos, a game and asset production studio. Meanwhile Crytek attempts to get company back on track.
As Executive Producer on the title, Elijah Freeman has worked closely on Crytek’s Robinson: The Journey since before the beginning, back when the company was showing off a VR prototype which would become the precursor to both Robinson and the company’s other VR title, The Climb (2016). Robinson launched back in November on PSVR, and came to the Rift in February.
Freeman was excited at the opportunity to build Robinson, telling Road to VR back in 2015, “…this is the one IP that in my career is likely to show the most promise. It just opens my imagination as a designer and game developer. It makes me feel childlike…” he said.
But now, a little more than four months after the launch of the title, Freeman has left Crytek for Virtuos, a studio that provides outsourced art, assets, and other development work for game and digital productions. Freeman joins the company as Group Development Director at Virtuos’ Shanghai HQ. There’s no indication at this time that his hiring stemmed from an immediate need for VR talent, though as VR grows, Virtuos may have found that part of his resume appealing. In addition to Crytek, Freeman has also worked at EA and CCP Games during his game development career.
Freeman’s departure doesn’t bode well for more near-term VR game development from Crytek—a true shame for the VR world, as Crytek has made some of VR’s best looking titles to date, including The Climb (2016).
Beyond Robinson’s lukewarm reception, Crytek’s business has recently faced major hurdles. In December the company outlined plans to close a number of studios, calling the action “essential steps we are taking to ensure Crytek is a healthy and sustainable business moving forward…”. In the few months following, four studios closed their doors and one was sold. In February Crytek further announced it would be laying off 15 employees at its Frankfurt HQ in an effort to scale down its publishing team.
Although the company plans to “refocus on its core strengths of multi-platform game development,” the emphasis is on “premium IPs,” likely leaving the presently niche and more risky development of large scale VR titles for better times.
Freeman’s departure is also a blow to our hopes that Robinson: The Journey might one day see an update adding motion controller support, the lack of which was a frequent criticism of the game. Same too for a version of the game officially supporting the Vive, though at least Vive owners look to be able to play the game unofficially through the Revive hack.
Regarding the company’s impressive CryEngine, it will “remain a core pillar of Crytek’s overall strategy, with enterprise licensees and indie developers alike continuing to be served by regular engine updates.” Hopefully those updates will continue to improve the engine’s VR support for developers using or considering using the engine for VR development.
The post ‘Robinson: The Journey’ Executive Producer Departs Crytek Amid Company’s Struggles appeared first on Road to VR.
Trailer for fan-made ‘TimeSplitters Rewind’ project confirms 2017 release
After a hiatus of more than a decade, a fan-made project called TimeSplitters Rewind is set to bring back the intense arcade multiplayer of the classic FPS franchise when it debuts later this year.
The post Trailer for fan-made ‘TimeSplitters Rewind’ project confirms 2017 release appeared first on Digital Trends.
Watch: Crytek’s ‘Codename: Sky Harbor’ VR Experience is a Bombastic, Visual Treat
Launched as part of Basemark’s VRScore benchmarking software, the Crytek developed VR tech demo Codename: Sky Harbor, is one of the most visually impressive examples of VR cinema around.
Direct from our time with Basemark’s promising virtual reality benchmarking suite, VRScore, here’s a full play-through of the included Crytek developed demo Codename: Sky Harbor, a sci-fi fantasy mini-epic that demonstrates what high production values and a keen sense of design can bring to an immersive experience. The VR short film puts you in the body of a lowly maintenance droid as he’s flown through the chaos of a hectic sky battle, before crash landing, becoming trapped – witnessing a series of impressive set pieces before he’s freed.
It’s a reminder that Crytek, and its Cryengine, have been behind some of the best looking VR out there. From the company’s early VR experiments with tech demo Back to Dinosaur Island through to Robinson: The Journey they certainly have a way of building virtual environments with scale and presence. It also makes me long for more short, cinematic experiences like Sky Harbour, a genre of VR which feels shamefully underpopulated right now.
As of now, Sky Harbor is only available as part of Basemark’s VRScore benchmarking software, which is available to corporate customers now but will arrive in its free and professional guises in Q2 2017.
The post Watch: Crytek’s ‘Codename: Sky Harbor’ VR Experience is a Bombastic, Visual Treat appeared first on Road to VR.
‘Crysis’ developer Crytek scales back operations, closes five of seven studios
German video game developer Crytek announced that it will significantly scale back its operations, closing five of its external studios as part of a major corporate restructuring.
The post ‘Crysis’ developer Crytek scales back operations, closes five of seven studios appeared first on Digital Trends.