Playing TF2 is actually quite different from the various tech demos that we've seen from Oculus.

ENGADGET: Playing an actual game with Oculus Rift: hands-on with Valve's Team Fortress 2 'VR Mode'

So, what does TF2's VR Mode offer folks who're getting a Rift dev kit in the coming weeks?

ENGADGET: Playing an actual game with Oculus Rift: hands-on with Valve's Team Fortress 2 'VR Mode'

TF2 was where Valve first introduced free-to-play, as well as microtransactions with its hat system (among many other initiatives).

ENGADGET: Valve's Joe Ludwig on the uncertain future of virtual reality and partnering with Oculus

Indeed, updates for TF2 ship nearly weekly, if not multiple times per week.

ENGADGET: Valve's Joe Ludwig on the uncertain future of virtual reality and partnering with Oculus

It's early days for VR -- at least the latest incarnation -- and TF2's port is a reflection of that.

ENGADGET: Playing an actual game with Oculus Rift: hands-on with Valve's Team Fortress 2 'VR Mode'

That's primarily due to the need to acclimate players to the speedy movement of TF2 in a VR setting over longer periods of time.

ENGADGET: Playing an actual game with Oculus Rift: hands-on with Valve's Team Fortress 2 'VR Mode'

Like most Valve games, TF2 is played from the first-person perspective, which made it a better fit than, say, the isometric view of DOTA 2.

ENGADGET: Valve's Joe Ludwig on the uncertain future of virtual reality and partnering with Oculus

There's little opportunity to explore TF2's world given the fast-paced nature of the game, and there's little incentive to do so for the same reason.

ENGADGET: Playing an actual game with Oculus Rift: hands-on with Valve's Team Fortress 2 'VR Mode'

Thus far, only a handful of folks internal to Valve have gone hands-on with TF2's VR Mode, and it's clear the hardware team is eager to get more feedback.

ENGADGET: Valve's Joe Ludwig on the uncertain future of virtual reality and partnering with Oculus

Valve's Joe Ludwig says that the TF2's robust community is ideal for testing out the new technology, and both companies are eager to see how the community reacts.

ENGADGET: Oculus' Palmer Luckey and Nate Mitchell on the past, present and future of the Rift

Starcraft, TF2, and League of Legends mainly.

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But of course, with any news on the internet comes a percentage of skeptics, and those questioning the free TF2 model are wondering if it means that item drops in the game will be slowed to encourage microtransaction purchases in the store.

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The experience went from one of exploration in the tech demo to one of gimmickry in TF2 -- the game's VR Mode is little more than a new window for viewing the game, and has almost no impact (at least in our demo) on gameplay.

ENGADGET: Playing an actual game with Oculus Rift: hands-on with Valve's Team Fortress 2 'VR Mode'

The casual nature of that relationship is reflected in Valve's attitude about releasing the new mode -- Team Fortress 2's VR-enabling update in the coming weeks is essentially a giant beta test in which Valve will measure and analyze the way TF2 players interact with virtual reality hardware.

ENGADGET: Valve's Joe Ludwig on the uncertain future of virtual reality and partnering with Oculus