3D Vision Blog

Good news coming from EA about the upcoming First Person Shooter Crysis 2 that is expected to be available by the end of the year. During a press conference at E3 Expo Electronic Arts has announced that the game will support Stereoscopic 3D mode not only on the PC, but also in its console version available for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and this probably means native S3D support built-in the game engine, as Xbox 360 still does not offer any official Stereo 3D support on console level, unlike the PS3 and PC. Unfortinately still not a lot of details are being disclosed, but we’ll probably get more details with the game nearing its official release date that still hasn’t been announced yet…

“At Crytek, we always strive to raise the technology bar. As the 3D revolution sweeps movies and television, we are excited to bring Crysis 2 to 3D, making it the first big action game to be available in true stereoscopic 3D,” said Cevat Yerli, CEO and President of Crytek. “The 3D experience represents a quantum leap in interactive entertainment. With all of the same story and action seen in the 2D version of the game, the 3D version adds another dimension of intensity and immersion to the action.”

Whether played in 3D or standard 2D, Crysis 2 drops players into a devastated New York in the midst of an attack by a frightening alien species. The alien enemies are armed with deadly weaponry and exceptional sensory abilities that test players’ skill and push them to the limit. These terrifying invaders stalk the streets of New York, leaving the streets in chaos and the skyline in flaming ruin. Surrounded by catastrophic destruction, players harness the superhuman abilities of the Nanosuit to level the playing field, becoming the ultimate weapon on a mission to save New York.

Now, considering the fact that first Crysis games was one of the most demanding titles for your hardware when it was first released, so we can expect to get the same from Crysis 2 too, especially when played in stereo 3D mode. And when talking about that I’m referencing the PC version of the game, as with the console versions it will most likely be a bit stripped down from advanced graphical effects and features in order to be able to provide good performance even in stereo 3D mode. So you better start thinking about upgrading your PCs CPU and GPU from now if they are not yet up to date… ;)

3D Gaming Summit is the first conference that is nearly 100% dedicated to stereoscopic 3D gaming that will be taking place at the Hilton Los Angeles in Universal City on April 21st and 22nd (yes, that is next week!). Featuring top partners including NVIDIA, Sony, The S-3D Gaming Alliance, RealD, and more, it is a critical conference for all working in this industry or planning to start working in it as it is just starting to gain a momentum. Among the headline speakers for the 3D Gaming Summit are Mark Rein, Co-Founder of Epic Games, Jon Landau, Producer of Avatar, Alan Price, Studio CTO for Electronic Arts Canada, Jesse Stern, Writer of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and many more. So if you have the chance to go there you should not miss it and then be sorry later on…

“The video game industry needs to appreciate the business opportunity that this conference represents. Game developers that partner up with content-hungry display makers will benefit from customer awareness, competitive technology, and great gaming experiences. Customers need gaming content for their new 3D HDTVs… so who will have games to sell? Stay in the loop, be prepared, go to the conference,” said Neil Schneider, Executive Director of the non-profit S-3D Gaming Alliance (S3DGA).

As a part of the 3D Gaming Summit there will also be a meeting for the S3DGA members that will be held at 5PM on April 22nd. Have in mind that a 3D Gaming Summit registration is not required for S3DGA meeting attendance. S3DGA meeting speakers include Electronic Arts, Blitz Games Studios, Jon Peddie Research, and more. This will be a private members-only meeting due to limited space. Subject to S3DGA management approval, additional game developers and first time guests are welcome with some condition however.

- For more information about the 3D Gaming Summit event go here…
- If you need more details about the S3DGA members meeting it is here…

The S-3D Gaming Alliance (S3DGA) is a non-profit and non-proprietary organization that is the official voice and standards body for stereoscopic 3D gaming, with its whole reason for existence being to make stereoscopic 3D gaming successful in the home environment. With some of its current members being companies like LG Electronics, RealD, DDD, iZ3D, Blitz Games Studios, and others, the organization is constantly gaining more and more supporters with the latest one being Electronic Arts. And it seems that one by one other game developers are also starting to pay more and more attention to stereoscopic 3D gaming which is definitely a good sign…

“The S-3D Gaming Alliance’s energy and commitment to S-3D gaming is palpable and real. S3GDA is driving the industry towards high-quality standards that will benefit consumers, manufacturers and developers alike. This consistency will help drive the popularity of the technology and, in turn, provide more opportunities for manufacturers and our industry to meet the needs of consumers.” – Alan Price, Studio Chief Technology Officer, Electronic Arts Inc.

- To the official S-3D Gaming Alliance website for more information…