Valve adds Oculus Rift support to Source SDK

Valve has updated its Source SDK to add support for the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.

Mod developers will now be able include virtual reality support in their projects. Head tracking and running in stereo can be accessed in virtual reality-enabled mods by including '-vr' on the command line. Valve added Oculus Rift support to Team Fortress 2 and Half-Life 2 earlier this year.

The update also continues Valve's move towards better support for Mac and Linux operating systems as it introduces the ability for mods to run on Mac OSX and Linux-based variants. Previously, mods could only be developed on the PC despite a growing number of Valve's titles being cross platform.

Some technical changes to the Source SDK have also been made. A new license is included in the update which is intended to allow mod developers to have an easier time sharing their projects, plus the manner in which the Source SDK is accessed through Steam is changing as well.

Various modding tools will be distributed with their respective games as opposed to all being delivered through a single launcher in the Tools section of Steam.

As of the Source SDK 2013 release, Valve is also hosting its source code on Github.

The Oculus Rift was a successfully funded Kickstarter project to create a virtual reality headset and is currently only available to developers. A consumer-focused Oculus Rift 2.0 is apparently in development and will sport improved head tracking, weapon tracking, wireless functionality and a 1080p resolution.