Video Game Company CryTek Creating Virtual Reality Climbing Game

Many tech experts believe that the next big boom in the industry will come in the way of virtual reality. 2016 is shaping up to be a big year for VR with the release of the Oculus Rift and Sony's Playstation VR headsets. This hardware, coupled with some state of the art videos, movies, and games, promises to revolutionize the way we experience entertainment and virtual environments. Now, a major video game company has announced that it is preparing to release a new game alongside the Oculus Rift this spring that will give players a lifelike climbing experience unlike anything they've ever seen before.

CryTek is probably best known for its Far Cry and Crysis series of action games. Both use a sophisticated 3D game engine called the CryEngine to render their virtual environments. But the company has taken that same technology and applied it to virtual reality, and is currently putting the final touches on a game called The Climb, which will drop players into "hyper-realistic climbing locations from around the world" which they'll be able to explore completely on their own.

Beyond that, not a whole lot is known about the game, although you can get a brief teaser of what to expect in the video below. It takes us to what appears to be a region of China, where you can attempt to climb some of the Karst Towers that are so famous from that country.

Obviously a VR experience will never replace going out and actually climbing yourself. But, this does look fun and interesting none the less. Not all of us get the chance to visit some of the remote locations that the game will depict, and even if we did, we probably wouldn't have the skill set necessary to climb there. Through this game, and a VR headset, we might get at least an idea of what that is like. I know I for one, would love to at least give it a try.

Take a look at the video, and tell me what you think.

Adventure Tech: The North Face Uses Virtual Reality to Take Us to Nepal

Way back in January of this year, I told you about a project that The North Face had been working on to use virtual reality technology to provide an immersive outdoor experience to customers visiting the company's retail stores. The initial VR videos took viewers to Yosemite National Park and Moab, Utah where they could explore the landscapes there using high tech VR headsets and incredible 3D movies. Now, that program is expanding further, this time taking us into the Himalaya in Nepal.

The new VR film is entitled "The North Face: Nepal" and it was made in conjunction with Jaunt Studios. It is a 3D film that offers 360� views of the mountain landscapes found in that country in high definition, but with the ability to look in any direction at any given time. The video was shot in Nepal last February, in the heart of winter, providing a look at the Himalaya at a time of the year that few people ever get to experience. It was then that TNF athlete Renan Ozturk traveled to the mountains to test the new Summit Series of gear, and he helped capture the VR footage.

The film reportedly takes us from the city into the foothills of the Himalaya, before proceeding up into the mountains themselves. The journey begins in the famed Monkey Temple in Kathmandu, passes through the Thamel shopping district, before proceeding out to the Khumbu Valley, passing through villages along the way. Eventually it takes us to the top of Lobuche Peak as well.

As with the previous VR videos, this one will be available in The North Face retail outlets. But, you don't have to visit those stores to get an idea of what this virtual reality experience is all about. The video is also available for free from the Google Play and iOS App store through the Jaunt app. Don't own a pair of VR goggles to watch it through? Than just pick up the latest issue of Outside magazine, as it comes with a Google Cardboard headset that will help approximate the full experience.

This story, coupled with the one earlier in the week about a virtual reality version of Everest coming in 2016, heralds the advent of a new era in VR technology. The promise of virtual reality has been out there for decades, but it seems like we finally have the proper tech to make it truly happen. While these experiences will never replace the actually feeling of going outside and visiting these places for ourselves, it is still exciting to see it all come together.

I haven't had the chance to try out one of these VR films yet, but I think I may have to make a point of dropping by my North Face store very soon. Find out more about the "Nepal Experience" in this article from Outside Online.