crysis posts (Subscribe to this feed)

If you actually possess the fungible assets required to purchase a government-grade supercomputer -- you know, the kind with an actual human brain built right into it -- then we imagine you don't concern yourself too much with time-sensitive discounts. Still, we thought we'd bring this to your attention: If you own an impossibly powerful computing device, you can buy Crysis or Crysis Warhead on Steam this weekend for just $15 a piece. Well, you can buy them regardless of your computer's hardware specs -- but if you hope you play them, you better think about investing in some cerebral processing power.

Ever since Crysis released, we've found our life lacking in two distinct ways:

1. We totally want a Nanosuit of our own and would do close to anything for one
2. We wish Jason Statham was our squadmate in real life and often daydream about being stranded on a tropical island with him

While the second option is likely never going to happen without some jail time attached to it, the first item is actually a possibility for those willing to travel to Nottingham, UK next month. On October 29 - 30, Crytek UK will section off an area and create "a real-life tropical jungle, complete with exotic flora and fauna" for folks to take part in a real life version of the PC game. In fact, those attending will even be able to try on an actual Nanosuit and, somehow, become invisible while playing this real-life version of the PC title. Crytek UK's Narrative Designer, Rob Yescombe, describes the game as "Hide and Seek for the 21st Century – good old fashioned fun but with a Crytek UK twist."

Who's going?

[Via Big Download]

While OnLive and Gaikai continue to hog the game-streaming spotlight, few are talking about the third option that people will have for server-based gaming: OTOY. And that's likely because the company (of the same name) behind the technology hasn't been exactly forthcoming with details -- even the official website has nothing more than the "Soon" image you see above. Ars Technica recently got a chance to check out the service in action, pushing graphical monster Crysis to an iPhone with reportedly good results.

The service is still in its infancy, as demonstrated by a TechCrunch hands-on video we've dropped after the break, but shows a lot of potential. Considering OnLive's currently holding its public beta in North America and Gaikai's kicking off a private beta in Europe late this month, we hope OTOY decides to start getting vocal soon. We're all ears!

Crytek has released a pair of teaser trailers for Crysis 2's Nanosuit 2, the new and improved version of the first game's human enhancer, via a viral site for Crynet Systems, the manufacturers of the fictitious suit. Taking the viral approach even further, there's also a 16-page PDF brochure advertising the suit you could never afford. Did you know that the tech actually introduces parasitic lifeforms into the wearer's brain to aid in real-time combat analysis? Has Crynet Systems learned nothing from Kirk's epic battle against Khan?

There's also an alternate version of the above video that features a more, uh, blue look at the new threads. Head past the break to check that one out.

[Via Big Download]

A running theme through Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli's presentation at GDC Europe today was the number 2012. Sure, he mentioned 2013 also, but the next Year of the Tiger showed up nearly a dozen-plus times in the executive's presentation about "the future of gaming graphics." Yerli tells Joystiq that the reason for the number is that it's the company's internal "road map" of when the next generation will begin.

"We will have our next engine ready by that, independently whether there will be hardware or not. We are assuming based on the cycle -- the Moore's Law -- and everything," Yerli told us. "If you predict the computational power and trend. You kinda know how much CPU and GPU will be there and trend. If you take those things into account you can sort of predict where things are going."

Yerli explained that the more console-centric CryEngine 3 will have more updates in the meantime, but its next "major architectural version" of the CryEngine should be ready by 2012. He wasn't sure if they'll call it the CryEngine 4 (our money says: they will).

No, it's okay. You can read that again. According to a report released by Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter, the company was given a demo of streaming game service OnLive this past March. Pachter states that latency between the user and OnLive's servers is supposed to be no more than 80 milliseconds, while the games he demoed were running at 25 milliseconds. While Pachter isn't certain if OnLive will "dominate any time soon" he believes that the micro console's video conferencing feature "will likely attract widespread demand." (Wait, it plays Crysis like a gaming PC and it's video conferencing that will sell this thing?)

Pachter states that OnLive should appeal to families that have yet to buy into the current generation of consoles, especially if the service is priced right. The sweet spot, apparently, is right around $5 a month. A higher price could be met with "consumer resistance," says Pachter. Furthermore, Pachter is already predicting that OnLive may not last long as a standalone service, suggesting that it might be purchased by another company and offered as "part of an expanded service offering."

For example, Microsoft could purchase the company to further expand the Xbox as an entertainment hub -- Pachter notes Microsoft's previous acquisition of WebTV, which was co-founded by OnLive CEO Steve Perlman. That's assuming neither Apple nor Verizon beat Microsoft to the punch, of course.

It's too early for us to say if any of this will come to pass -- we're not analysts, after all -- but we were certainly impressed with our own OnLive experience. Still, until we can plug OnLive into our internet and play Crysis for ourselves, we're a bit skeptical. That's okay though, because we're supposed to be.

CryTek's newest, shiniest piece of tech is CryEngine 3, which will be put to use in the upcoming PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Crysis 2. While the first footage of the console versions looks remarkably similar to what you'd get from a PC, a closer examination reveals how top-end gaming PCs are still capable of rendering better graphics with CryEngine 2. According to tehdaza on YouTube, "CryEngine 3 running on console hardware is about the same as CryEngine 2 running on 'medium' settings." The look of the console versions can be recreated on the PC by using low textures, high shaders and object geometry and medium on all other settings.

You can check out the video after the break. In it, you'll be able to compare the draw distance of the two engines and see the change in physics, texture work and more.

[Via N4G]

When Crysis 2 was announced, we looked forward to seeing the evolution of one of the most eye-catching FPS titles ever created at this week's E3. Well, folks, it looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer for that, because the trailer released for E3 is sorely lacking in the content department. Well, unless the kind of content you're looking for is big chunks of broken glass floating in a black space.

Crytek isn't waiting around for the next wave of consoles to hit before melting eyeballs in the living room. In fact, publisher Electronic Arts announced that the German developer is already prepping a follow up to Crysis, this time for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 as well as the PC.

Creatively titled Crysis 2, the title is the first built using the studio's new console-ready middleware, CryENGINE 3. Nothing else is known, though with E3 kicking off this week we've opened up a new box of tissues just in case we hear more.

Like momma always said, if you're gonna effect change, the best place to be is on the inside. Avni Yerli, managing director and co-founder of Crytek, has joined the GDC Europe advisory board, where together with existing members he hopes to "create a conference that will hit the industry's nerve."

GDC Europe's Frank Sliwka put it another way, offering hope that Yerli's membership will "elevate the conference to a whole new level." Let's just hope the board's processors can handle the stress without -- dare we say it -- crying.

You know, Frankfurt has given us so much. There's Saint Bartholomeus' Cathedral, Hauptwache, to say nothing of the annual Festival of Stoneware. Now, the German city's own Crytek is giving you yet another gift: A free trial of the multiplayer-only Crysis Wars, beginning today and wrapping up April 17. You can find all the details here.

Also announced this morning: Crysis: Maximum Edition, which includes Crysis, Crysis: Warhead and Crysis Wars, bundled together for latecomers to the series for $39.99 beginning on May 5. ... What, you thought Frankfurt would give you that for free too? You've already got Wäldchestag, how much more do you need?

[Update: The trial's apparently not going to start until around 3 p.m. EST. Sorry about the confusion.]

Crytek revealed that it has considered the possibility of a streaming game service like OnLive or Gaikai before, but abandoned the idea due to technological limitations. "We had our research in 2005 on this subject but we stopped around 2007 because we had doubts about economics of scale. But that was at a time when bandwidth was more expensive," CEO Cevat Yerli told GamesIndustry.biz.

High-speed connections have yet to be cheap or reliable enough to work, in Crytek's estimation: the company determined that a streaming service may be possible sometime between 2013 and 2015. This is also the approximate period in which most consumer PCs will begin to be able to run Crysis. Yerli said that such services must rely strongly on broadband providers.

"We're not involved [with OnLive], we just allowed Crysis to be tested on it," Yerli said. Publisher EA is behind the addition of Crysis Warhead to the service.

The manufacturer of beautiful virtual worlds your computer can never run, Crytek, has just released a video for the latest iteration of its own CryENGINE, uh, engine: CryENGINE 3. Aside from being a pain to type, it's also a platform for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, MMO, and DX9/DX10 development (which we already knew) that provides scalable computation and graphics for all major upcoming platforms, making it "next-gen ready." In speed tests, the engine ran at over 800 Van-Dammes per second, destroying CryENGINE 2's record of 150 Stathams per second.

Cevat Yerli, CEO & President of Crytek, really thinks the company has a winner here and hopes that developers will use the tech to get started on tomorrow's great games today. He describes the new engine as "a revolutionary change from our previous PC-only engines," and will likely love the money Sony and Microsoft toss at Crytek to make Crysis 2: Strike at the Plant where Billion-Dollar Cybersuits are Made a timed exclusive.

CryENGINE 3 will be on display at GDC09 all of this week. Head past the break for the announcement video showing the engine in action for the first time.

Crytek's past console experience has been nonexistent, and with the company doing away with PC exclusivity, it needs to get its feet wet in the console arena. Now that the company has acquired what is left of Free Radical, it can do just that.

"We always planned to enter the console market and it was part of our strategy even before the acquisition," said Cevat Yerli, president and CEO of Crytek. "This step will certainly bring us forward a bit faster to achieve our goal to develop high quality games on consoles." Before you start getting excited for a console port of Crysis or something, know that Crytek has not revealed any projects yet, though we could be hearing about something sooner rather than later. Employees there are set to begin work on a major project soon, Yerli confirmed.

Crysis and Crysis Warhead are now both available on Valve's Steam digital distribution service for $40 and $30, respectively. Warhead will be available tomorrow outside North America.

Of course, Crysis is now the stuff of PC legend for being "that game," which will take your two-year-old PC and teach it the meaning of pain. Crysis Warhead is its "less demanding" little brother who just wants to play. Remember, you can always try the Crysis Demo to see how your PC will cope.