The annual Game Developers Conference (GDC) is starting from today, and is one of the largest and most important events to attend. The conference that takes place at Moscone Center in San Francisco attracts some 25,000 attendees.
Unlike other consumer-focused shows, like PAX or E3, GDC according to its website is the world’s largest and longest-running professionals-only game industry event. This is the 27th anniversary for the conference and it has been one of the best places to network for developers among the industry. Over 400 tutorials, lectures, and round table discussions are planned around game design and development technology by industry experts.
Top Trends to look out for this GDC
The year of Valve
The company that started with game development has come a long way, coming up with Steam – world’s biggest PC game digital distribution service and Steam machines. This year’s GDC will see the company show-off its Virtual Reality muscle with Vive, its VR headset developed by HTC. It will be available with a pair of HTC-made wireless controllers for manipulating objects or shooting weapons through hand tracking. The company has partners in Google, LionsGate, and HBO to develop content for the device. It is also rumoured that Valve will be showing off a successor to its game engine called Source Engine 2.
They might not be called ‘Steam Machines’ anymore, but Valve’s dedication to an easy-to-use living room device that runs Steam is strong. Valve’s been talking about re-debuting its living room hardware, and GDC seems like the right place to do it. Combine that with a live demonstration of its Vive headset, and GDC 2015 could belong to Valve.
Virtual Reality – toast of the town
So much has been written about VR and some of these products will make their debut at GDC this year. Usual suspects like Sony and Oculus; NVIDIA too are also planning to showcase their VR tech along with Valve. Razer’s own VR headset – Open Source VR is also in the VR ring and this tussle will be one to watch out for. It’s also entirely possible that Microsoft’s HoloLens could steal the show.
Indie Game Developers
Big-name companies such as Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and the likes might grab most of the headlines, but independent video game studios are increasingly giving the big boys a run for their money.
Not many independent game makers have found success in a competitive video games market, but conferences like these will help indie developers stand out among the crowd and show off their products to industry veterans and make a mark in the industry.
Microsoft and its gaming department
Microsoft has been showing off its gaming side from the launch of its new OS Windows 10. Now with DirectX 12, is preparing a major announcement at the Games Developers Conference, where it is expected to explain that DX12 can combine all the different graphics resources in a system and treat them as though they were a single card.
Plus its HoloLens will also make wave at the conference which was shown last at the announcement of the OS and surprised everyone with what could be achieved with the tech.
More power to PC gamers
While consoles are starting to dominate the space, PC gaming is not yet to be written off. The space is constantly evolving, and GDC could be a big year for the old school crowd. AMD has kept quiet about exactly what it’ll announce at this year’s show, and NVIDIA has an announcement that’s supposedly five years in the making. Whether or not the news ushers in the next generation of PC gaming audience, one can expect big updates for PC hardware at GDC.