Following the confirmation of Source 2’s existence on Tuesday, there’s been a ton of speculation as to what Valve’s next gaming engine will entail. Instead of just dreaming about it, today we get to see it in action.
Valve is showing off an Aperture Science VR demo this week at GDC2015 , but there’s more to it than just showcasing its upcoming HTC Vive headset. Source 2 is being demonstrated for its first time ever, as confirmed by Valve Programmer Joe Ludwig on Twitter:
Yes, the Aperture demo is in Source 2. Alex Vlachos gave a talk including some details. Look for it on the vault if you missed it
A short video uploaded by MaximumPCMag showing footage from the demo can be seen above. Due to the nature of the off-screen footage, it’s difficult to tell just how visually impressive the demo is, but several journalists have posted very positive impressions of their experiences.
During the demo, participants were able to work in a lab with the assistance of Portal‘s GLaDOS. They were able to navigate the room, open drawers, and use objects. What’s so profound about virtual reality is that it makes these mundane interactions interesting as you’re able to teleport your mind to a world other than your own. It’s like gaming has been reborn where pleasure is derived from the simplest of ideas.
Also See: What the Source 2 Engine Means for Gaming
As expected, virtual reality support is an integral part of the Source 2 engine. Valve is setting itself up to support the technologies that it feels will be an important element to gaming moving forward, and with its hands now in the virtual reality market, it plans to do everything it can to ensure that it isn’t just a phase.
