Microsoft, Nvidia and Intel sponsor cutting-edge tech talks at GDC 2016

Passes for the Game Developers Conference 2016 are still available, and as the conference draws closer we're announcing even more sessions for the Main Conference that you'll want to check out.

Today we're highlighting a number of informative sponsored sessions from Nvidia, Intel and other influential tech companies. If you're looking for an opportunity to learn about how cutting-edge hardware and software works from a game developer's perspective, you'll want to keep these talks on your radar.

VR enthusiasts should make time to check out "Magical Realism: The Art of Creating Everest In Your Living Room with VR." Presented by Nvidia, it will feature Solfar Studios chief Kartan Perre Emilsson talking about the development of the studio's Everest VR experience and how the team pushed the limits of Unreal Engine 4 while also using 'brain hacks' to manipulate users' perceptive realism and create a more engaging, realistic VR experience.

Elsewhere at GDC 2016 Microsoft principal development lead Max McMullen will lead an interesting session on "DirectX 12 Advancements." This talk is sponsored by Microsoft and aims to help game developers learn the best ways to unlock incredible performance in DirectX 12, using real-world examples. Expect to get a smart rundown of how you can port your game to DX12, then get it up and running (and looking great) as quickly as possible.

Plus, Intel's Jeff Rous and Epic Games' senior developer relations engineer Niklas Smedberg will be delivering "In the Trenches: Optimizing UE4 for Intel." Sponsored by Intel, their talk will detail how the tech company has worked with Epic to improve Unreal Engine 4 performance on Intel platforms, including DirectX 12 and Android. Check it out to hear the latest tips and techniques for ensuring your game looks its bset -- many of which are applicable to all games and engines, not just UE4.

And of course more sessions will be announced for GDC 2016 in the coming months. Stay tuned, and don't miss the opportunity to save money by registering for the conference early -- the deadline to register for passes at a discounted rate is Wednesday, February 3rd, 2016.

GDC 2016 itself will take place March 14-18th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. For more information on GDC 2016, visit the show's official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS.

Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Tech.