Team Fortress 2 is Oculus Rift's first game
By
Eddie Makuch, News Editor
Valve confirms class-based free-to-play shooter first game to officially support virtual reality technology.
Valve's class-based free-to-play shooter Team Fortress 2 will be the first officially supported Oculus Rift title, the developer confirmed to Engadget today. "VR Mode" will be available to gamers through an update expected to be delivered "sometime within the next couple of weeks."
"This is a mode that everybody who has a Rift dev kit and access to Team Fortress 2 will be able to play, just on public and in the same servers that everybody else is playing in," Valve programmer Joe Ludwig said.
"Everybody" will not include Mac or Linux Team Fortress 2 players right away, Ludwig said. He explained that Valve does not have a Mac or Linux software development kit (SDK) from the Oculus team yet.
"But once we get those, we'll get it ported over to those other platforms," Ludwig said.
Valve will hold two virtual reality-themed talks during the Game Developers Conference next week. Ludwig will present "What We Learned Porting Team Fortress 2 to Virtual Reality," which will detail the company's efforts to get the free-to-play game running in virtual reality goggles.
Additionally, Valve's Michael Abrash will speak more generally about virtual reality in a discussion titled "Why Virtual Reality is Hard (And Where it Might be Going)." This talk will touch on why virtual reality technologies could become more mainstream in the near future.
The Oculus Rift rose to prominence last year, when its Kickstarter campaign smashed its $250,000 target on its first day, ending with $2.4 million from more than 9,500 backers. A copy of Doom 3: BFG Edition was promised to backers, but this promotion was recently scuttled, with supporters able to receive a refund.
By
Eddie Makuch, News Editor
Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.
72 comments
Oculus would be great for a driving game or a flight sim but diffidently not for a fast multiplayer shooter.
Unless they have some clever mechanics for the neck\body rotation and independent gun (aiming separated from looking around) this won't be very practical, unless you're the star from The Exorcist.
So Doom 3 isn't going to be the Rift's first game I see... that's kind of lame. I love TF2, play it all the time. But Doom 3 would have been a really immersive game to showcase a VR headset. Oh well, rocket jumping with bulky VR headset on will still be cool ;)
1 Like This thing is gonna be a trip when used with flight sims.... Who am I kidding? it'll be awesome with everything... except 2D platformers I guess >.>
1 Like So, wearing a 3D glasses was to weird and cumbersome, but, some how, wearing a VR gear is cool. Go figure.
@ClaudiusCaesar I think it was more about how 3D movies barely ever work. I saw Life of Pi in 3D and I'm so damn happy I did because it just makes it so much more cool visually (not to say that's the only good thing about it). I bet people would be more open to the idea of 3D movies if they were all done right.
@vault-boy I also liked Life of Pi, but the colors amde a lager impression on me than the 3d-effects. The Hobbit's High Frame version coupled with 3d was very impressive and it felt like it was 3D the whole time, not just "Oh, a kind of 3D effect just appeared on the screen".
It'd be fun if you could tell which players used the Oculus Rift in TF2 by noticing whether they stand still, stare and turn around on the spot or not. Like they're thinking "Woah, awesome" and then they get killed by someone who's not wow:ed by the technology :P.
@ClaudiusCaesar Odd how that works, but I'm guessing the reason is because the OR will provide enough of jump to the immersion value of a game to be worth it. Plus, 3D glasses don't do head tracking.
TF2 might seem like a letdown, but remember we are only in the early prototype stage of the Oculus Rift's life. The thing gives you actual virtual reality. A quick look at reactions on YouTube will show you how mind-blowing it is. GDC next week will be tight. They have the newest tweaked model with bigger screen, some secret killer apps, and who knows what else, all on kiosks for everyone to try. Get your fire extinguishers ready, this thing's gonna be hot. Now ship mine already!
I don't know about you, but while virtual reality sounds awesome and all, I'd rather not get to "fully experience" being set on fire, shot by rockets, smacked by baseball bats, or getting covered in jarate. That just sounds a tad bit unpleasant.
Well who really cares about 5-10 people at most on other trash OS's to be honest? Yeah you retards can go on and on about bitching about the wonderful world of windows but yet we get to play EVERY game on release day unlike you nubs with community os's like linux and trash mac. Booyah!
@kolz4ever wait until a closed windows, then innovation will seem like a distant memory, open platforms are the only way to go imo. for AAA games atm you will have to duel boot, but hopefully it wont be like this forever.
Wasn't Doom 3: Duct Tape edition supposed to be released already compatible back in December? Or did they cut that?
I hope I don't upset anyone...
I really don't care about this project. Technology attached to the face does not do well because it's too weird. Not in a scifi movie way but it handicaps our senses. These products never really do well after the novelty phase wears off.
@Liam_Eibach Yeah like these "headset" dealies that some people use online. They're never going to take off.
@Liam_Eibach You know glasses are technology, right? Night vision goggles? Gas masks/ respirators? Any dental equipment? Helmets?
You don't really seem to have thought this out. There's plenty of face-bound tech that has acceptance in the world, just nothing with a screen yet, and that's because we've only been tinkering with screens for about a century. New tech needs development and refinement, and this product appears to have achieved a level of refinement that we haven't seen before.
1 Like Get a good game working with it that isnt one of your stale recycled ones valve and ill consider buying
@Sorciere_basic Arma will probably be a given, seeing as it has support for head tracking devices already, so doing it with the Oculus should be simple.
Valve is truly the leading edge of gaming and supporting innovative tech. I have heard a lot of good things about the Rift and if Gabe and the gang are already jumping on the Rift train than I can see this thing actually being, well a....'thing'.
Now add Rift support for Lead 4 Dead and Protal then wait for News headlines of something along the lines of " New VR tech with Left 4 Dead support causing mass heart attacks around the globe". Screw Doom BFG support.
2 Like Wait a minute. The Oculus Rift is, in a way, a hat. Doesn't this mean that we will be wearing our expensive hats while we play a game where our characters are wearing expensive hats at the same time?
1 Like @vault-boy ya there will be a hat for wearing a hat while wearing a hat.
Yo dog, I heard you like hats?
1 Like I'll get one when/if it supports Amnesia: The Dark Descent. That actually might be worth the asking price.
1 Like gimmicky garbage that no one asked for and no one wants
keep the gimmicks on consoles please
gimmick gimmick gimmick, that's my favorite word
2 Like @Spartan_418 you underestimate the power of the desire for nerds to see virtual boobs....
2 Like @Spartan_418 the fact that it was a kickstarter nullifies everything you just said.
5 Like @Spartan_418 Actually A LOT of people are asking for it. Also practically everyone who has tried the Rift has said it is clearly the future of gaming. Do your research before you make stupid statements in future.
@paul120987 @Spartan_418 Aw man! Many years ago I tried some luxurious Sony TV glasses. Having them on made it look like an enourmous TV screen was hanging 3 meters in front of me in mid air and it was awesome. I can only imagine how cool the OR will be.
It's one gimmick I definitely want.
@paul120987 @Spartan_418 Must be new to this site, this guy always makes remarks like this that are... well ignorant to say the least.
@vault-boy Seriously?
I've probably been here a lot longer than you, kid.
Learn to recognize trolling.
I'm actually pretty excited for Oculus Rift, the intent of my comment was to point out how PC gamers constantly scream "gimmick" when it comes to things like PS Move and Kinect yet they seem ok with this thing.
1 Like I'm really pulling for the OR. I would love to finally have an awesome VR peripheral and this looks like the one.
Also, I'll bet the headset becomes an in-game hat...
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