Sony and Microsoft are going to have a substantial present at GDC this year- both companies will be hosting multiple panels, which they will use as platforms to discuss upcoming technologies that they have invested in. For Sony, this is VR, as that is the elephant in the room. The company will host a panel called “PlayStation VR: Development and Innovations,” where they will “enter the world of PlayStation VR and explore various development concepts and design innovations.”
Sony will be hosting several other VR related panels, too- Audio for AAA Virtual Reality Experiences, Fast and Flexible: Technical Art and Rendering For The Unknown, and Maths to Mechanics: Using Mathematical logic to Implement Intuitive Gameplay will all be hosted to discuss various aspects of VR game development.
VR will not be all Sony talks about, either, as they will be hosting a discussion about Growing Online Communities on PS4 as well.
Microsoft, meanwhile, will take the chance to flaunt their much vaunted DirectX 12 API at GDC- the panel DirectX 12 Advancements will see Microsoft “cover the key concepts to get… existing DirectX Game ported to DirectX 12 and looking great and up and running as quickly as possible.” Microsoft will also discuss their continued push to develop a seamless ecosystem across Windows PCs and Xbox, with panels such as Game Developer Success & Opportunities with gaming on Windows, The Future of Xbox Game Development for Windows, The Windows Universal Store, Universal Windows Platform (UWP) Game Development, and finally, discussing the most immediate integration that Xbox and Windows 10 will have, Xbox Live for Windows.
GDC 2016 takes place in March, starting on the 14th.
