Crytek announced the release of version 3.8.1 of its popular game engine, and the main feature of the latest release is support for developing VR experiences. Recently, the company began showing off its own VR demo, which puts you in the nest of T-Rex eggs, and the company has since received many requests for access to the tools needed to create VR games with CRYENGINE.
"Our experience in stereoscopic 3D, combined with the engine's rendering power and ability to deliver high resolution images at a high frame rate, means CRYENGINE offers a degree of visual fidelity that many people feel is foundational to a compelling VR experience," said Crytek's Creative Director CRYENGINE, Frank Vitz. "We can't wait to see what other CRYENGINE users create now that they have VR capabilities at their fingertips."
The current version adds support for AMD's Liquid VR technology, but Crytek said that future updates will bring support for other virtual reality platforms. The company was not specific about which ones to expect, or when the next updates would be coming.
In addition to VR support, Crytek has added OpenGL support to CRYENGINE, which the company said will allow developers to seamlessly port their products to Linux. With Steam boxes running SteamOS coming out this fall, support for Linux will be much more important in the coming years.
Both of these features will be available to all CRYENGINE licenses. Full license holders and Engine-as-a-Service subscribers will have equal access to the new VR capabilities and OpenGL. There's one other update, but that one is only available to full licenses.
Android TV support has been added to CRYENGINE with the latest version. Crysis believes that all the new Android TV devices on the horizon will become increasingly popular, so it added support for the platform.
If you are interested in trying out the new tools for yourself, CRYENGINE is available for as little as $9.90 USD per month, with no royalty fees.
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Kevin Carbotte is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware who primarily covers VR and AR hardware. He has been writing for us for more than four years.
