In our recent meetings with Crytek, the company showed that it's keeping up with current trends by showcasing a VR tech demo called Return to Dinosaur Island. However, the response from visitors to the booth evolved the demo to a full title called Robinson: The Journey. Crytek will be going into uncharted territory as it develops its first title for the virtual reality crowd. However, it isn't the company's only card in the game. Together with benchmarking company Basemark, Crytek will provide the technology behind its CryEngine software to form the foundation for a new VR benchmark.
Along with CryEngine, the benchmark will also utilize the DirectX 12 API. It will support resolutions of 1080p and above and will be compatible with multiple HMDs, including the Oculus Rift, HTC's Vive, Razer's OSVR, Sulon's Cortex and Sony's Morpheus.
The partnership already has a few goals in mind in terms of benchmarking parameters. At the moment, there are five criteria that will be measured in each experience:
Input latency, specifically how much time it takes for the tracker and controller signals to reach the game.To-display latency, which measures how long it takes for the game to show up on the "screen."Frame rates will test how the game performs under various effects and layers of content.3D audio will stress the device with how it handles surround sound from multiple sources.Memory consumption will determine how much memory is being used throughout the game as well detect the peak memory usage.
In addition, there are two other benchmarking goals currently in the research process: image quality testing and a test for HDR, or high dynamic range image tests.
When the software is ready to go, Basemark will present three different versions. At the corporate level, all of the features will be enabled, as it's crucial to use it to its full extent, especially when a development team is using it for an upcoming title. The Pro level has an emphasis for consumer use, but it also has advanced features for enthusiasts. At the lowest level is the Free version, which is strictly for consumer use, with many limited features.
In addition, Basemark is also inviting companies to try out the software in its development program. Not only will the participants benefit from actual VR benchmarks, but they can also give feedback to the Basemark team about what needs work or what changes need to be made during the initial development process of the software.
In terms of licenses, Basemark said that it will have a corporate licensing model per user, meaning that each user must have his or her own version of the software. Additionally, the consumer level product will incorporate freemium features, meaning that you can use the product for free, but there will be portions of it available for purchase if you choose to have access to more of the developer and enthusiast tools.
There's no word yet on a release date or pricing, but considering that Oculus, one of the biggest names in the business, will have its Rift HMD out early next year, the clock is already ticking for the benchmark developers to have a product out before the Rift makes its way to the public.
Follow Rexly Peñaflorida II @Heirdeux. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.
