Crytek's love of VR is really starting to blossom, and while I can't wait to jump into their dino-themed Robinson: The Journey, the studio has announced it will be working with academic institutions to start young developers early into the revamped and impressive VR world.

Seeking to nurture grassroots virtual reality development worldwide, Crytek today announced the launch of its new VR First program

Under the initiative, Crytek will partner with academic institutions to provide state-of-the-art technology and facilities for students and researchers looking to explore the power and potential of VR.

Beneficiaries of the VR First program will not only enjoy full source code access to Crytek’s CRYENGINE development suite, but also free use of hardware from VR First affiliates.

VR First seeks to empower the development talent of tomorrow by ensuring academic institutions around the world are equipped to support their ambitions in this exciting new field. The initial VR First Lab opens its doors today at Istanbul’s Bahçeşehir University and will act as a pilot destination for the scheme. Crytek and the program’s affiliate hope to ensure every VR First lab facilitates users to play a key part in shaping the future of VR.

For more information on VR First, and details of how to become an affiliate or academic partner, please visit http://vrfirst.cryengine.com.

Opening up their tools for institutions is certainly a great idea, and here's hoping VR isn't just a flash-in-the-pan initiative, though people are being a bit more cautious now that pricing for the tech is rearing its head. Will you adopt in early? Or wait for more content and an inevitable price drop?