Just before heading off to GDC, we have another treat for Oculus Rift DK2 owners: Back to Dinosaur Island 2, our second Oculus Rift-exclusive VR demo, is now available as a free download on Steam!

Now, gamers everywhere can sample the acclaimed VR demo firsthand – scaling a deadly cliff face as huge flying dinosaurs react to their presence and debris rains down from above. Mysterious landmarks on the horizon and stunning vistas on every side combine to immerse gamers in an entirely new reality.

Be aware that Back to Dinosaur Island 2 requires an Oculus Rift DK2 (SDK 0.8) as well as a Xbox 360 Controller for Windows or Xbox One Controller for Windows to be played

Hey all,

First of all we want to thank everyone who has downloaded Back to Dinosaur Island since its release yesterday, and for all your feedback- it’s great to see so much enthusiasm around VR from the Steam community.

We have also seen a few recurring questions on the forums and on social media that we want to answer to avoid any confusion, so let’s dive right in!

What is Back to Dinosaur Island?
Back to Dinosaur Island is a Virtual Reality Demo for Crytek’s CRYENGINE technology that we first showed to the public at this year’s Game Developers Conference.

But is it a game?
No, it is not. Back to Dinosaur Island was a first test for us as a company to see what kind of visual fidelity we can achieve in Virtual Reality, but it is not a full game. We decided on dinosaurs as the topic as a throwback to the initial X-Isle demo that helped to put Crytek on the map more than a decade ago.

Why release it now?
We initially created Back to Dinosaur Island as a demo for industry events like GDC or E3. However, we realized that not all gamers get the chance to attend such an event. With this year’s convention season now over, we decided to release Back to Dinosaur Island for free via Steam, to give all Oculus Rift users a chance to experience it for themselves at home.

What Virtual Reality devices are supported?
Back to Dinosaur Island was built from the ground up for the Oculus Rift DK 2, and requires users to run Oculus SDK 0.6 or higher. Other VR HMDs are not supported.

Why are the system requirements so high?
When working in VR, a high and stable frame rate is essential to providing a great experience and to avoid potential issues like nausea for the user. That is why the suggested frame rate on the Oculus Rift DK2 is 75 frames per second, with the scene effectively being rendered twice. While you will be able to run the demo with weaker hardware, our system requirements are specced to ensure a smooth 75 fps in Virtual Reality.

Thanks for your interest in Back to Dinosaur Island, and keep an eye out on the Crytek and CRYENGINE websites as we get ready for a big year for Virtual Reality!

Thanks,
The CRYENGINE Team