CryEngine Launches Stereoscopic 3D Support

Crytek has added stereoscopic 3D support to its CryEngine development platform, promising full support for games in 3D on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. The fruition of an announcement made in March, the company says it's devised a solution that will let CryEngine developers implement stereoscopic 3D into their games without the need to write code or change any assets. Further, Crytek promises that CryEngine can render in 3D with "minimal performance loss and zero quality impact." Developers can use the Live Create feature to edit simultaneously across all platforms, says Crytek, and view the impact of their changes live in 3D on the target platform. Aiming to eliminate the need for bespoke hardware or display add-ons, Crytek says that its engine supports industry-standard output formats -- specifically, it offers multiplatform native support for HDMI 1.4 stereo standard, anaglyphic 3D, and stereoscopic projection. It also offers frame-compatible formats for pre-HDMI 1.4 televisions. Crytek has asserted publicly that it considers 3D a major technological front, and that it aims to be a major contributor to that space. Industry opinion seems divided on the future of 3D; Ubisoft says it will take some years before the tech is popularized due to the price of compatible televisions, while most recently id Software's Todd Hollenshead expressed skepticism. Co-founder Avni Yerli recently told Gamasutra he feels 3D will be "very marketable", placing him and the company squarely on the side of those enthusiastic about the tech. "In the past year, S-3D [stereoscopic 3D] has been the most exciting technological development in the world of entertainment," asserts Crytek global business development director Carl Jones. "Following the huge success of the movie Avatar, movie theater companies and TV manufacturers have rushed to support this amazing new way to immerse their audience in their content. Record numbers of people returning to theatres have evidenced the appeal of S-3D for consumers." Epic has also demonstrated strong interest in stereoscopic 3D for its Unreal Engine, something of a Crytek rival on the platform front. The company showed UE3 tech demos running in stereoscopic 3D earlier this year, and later bundled Scaleform's user interface tools free with its engine -- tools which also support stereoscopic 3D.