It appears Valve are truly getting more serious about Virtual Reality as they appear to be making their own headset. On top of that, apparently a new Half-Life VR game is coming.
Leaked to an imgur album, which contains multiple shots of the new hardware. These includes shots clearly showing a Valve logo:
The uploadvr website has claimed they have had it confirmed by various sources that it is in fact real. As someone who really wants to try VR, I am hopeful Valve will be able to give it a decent price. The current price for most VR hardware is simply out of reach for a lot of people, myself included.
Even more interesting, is that Valve are apparently working on a new Half-Life which will be a VR title. That certainly could be one way to push adoption, I imagine that would turn a few heads that otherwise wouldn't have been interested. Could backfire too of course, if it's VR-only. To keep expectations in check though, reportedly it's a Half-Life 2 prequel and not Half-Life 3.
Valve News Network also have this video up about the Half-Life game which is interesting:
Direct Link
Considering Microsoft is making moves buying up more studios and making another attempt to fix up the Windows Store, along with some bigger players leaving Steam like Activision, EA, Bethesda with the new Fallout and all this together should make Valve at least a bit worried. Their current growth will only last so long, if others continue to leave and become exclusive to other stores.
Valve obviously need to make moves of their own and it looks like doubling down on VR is what they had in mind. The amount of people that currently own a VR headset as reported on the Steam Hardware Survey is still extremely low (lower than the Linux share) so Valve really will need a decent price on it.
It does make you think about Valve's future plans. They're doing this new VR hardware, some new games and pushing Steam Play to get more games on Linux. Would it be too far-fetched to consider a new Steam Machine? One continued to be powered by their SteamOS Linux distribution that allows VR support out of the box along with a huge back catalogue of previously Windows-only games.
That's a pipe dream of mine though really and I'm basically thinking out loud at this point, as I'm sure it's just different teams working on their own thing. However, if it did all come together, that could be amazing.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
That should be enough to counter Microsoft
Last edited by Lolo01 on 11 Nov 2018 at 10:59 am UTC
Unthinkabel(?) Valve does not come up with something on this day.
Gave up hope it will be anything substential about Half Life 3
but a press release containing this prequel VR title + upcoming HMD seems plausible to me.
I'm still baffled how many people think that HL3 would be a VR game. That makes no sense and would be a very very dumb idea.
No, it's a decades old practice called "system seller".
Bundle the new HMD with other hardware like controllers, steam link, a steam box with the most prominent games store and you will be able to build your own eco system.
Might not be the most possible way to work out in this case, but it's certainly not unheard of.
linux_gamer 11 Nov 2018
VR was basically DOA, and until we get proper peripherals for it instead of roomscale and motion controller trash, it will remain DOA.Absolutely.
A tech gadget for those with enough money. And space, maybe space is even more important for those games with actual motion controls.
Every time a new VR gadget comes out, the "big future" of VR is announced, and yet, it just doesn't spread. I don't know how many more attempts it will take until even the most diehard fans realize VR is not "the future".
There are just too many games that would never work with VR (or gain absolutely no benefit from it), so that there's just no good reason to reach that deep into one's pockets. Not even beginning to talk about all the other downsides (discomfort, clunkiness, etc.).
It will have its niche, and that niche might even grow a bit (certainly enough to house a few VR-exclusive devs), but that's about it.
Last edited by TheSHEEEP on 11 Nov 2018 at 11:40 am UTC
I imagine that would turn a few headsI saw what you did in there.
Sputnik_tr_02 11 Nov 2018
Well, VR is demanding in terms of GPU power. And GPU's prices are actually insane. So, i do not know if this is the best moment.
Valve is also working on something called [SteamVR Motion Smoothing](https://steamcommunity.com/games/250820/announcements/detail/1696061565016280495). It is probably a preparation for this.
I'm still baffled how many people think that HL3 would be a VR game. That makes no sense and would be a very very dumb idea.
No, it's a decades old practice called "system seller".
Bundle the new HMD with other hardware like controllers, steam link, a steam box with the most prominent games store and you will be able to build your own eco system.
Might not be the most possible way to work out in this case, but it's certainly not unheard of.
But VR is no system. The PC/Steam is the system. It's not like it's a new console generation, where you need to follow the natural evolution of hardware.
If HL3 would be only in VR... don't you think people would be pissed big time? People that just want to play the game and see where the story goes next. They can't do that if they have to invest in additional hardware for A LOT of money.
Also the gameplay has to be changed rather drastically.
Power-Metal-Games 11 Nov 2018
After that the poor thing has been collecting dust during months before I remembered that it's there and I sold it for 150€ in perfect state, like new. The only thing that I was happy about was the perfect new XBox controller that I would never sold.
What I think about VR? Absolutely uninteresting thing not worth anybody's time and especially not worth the money they are asking for it. If you thought you were missing something because you didn't have a chance to test it, I assure you, you didn't.
If you thought you were missing something because you didn't have a chance to test it, I assure you, you didn't.
I'm assuring the opposite. Do try it.
It's like after sitting in front of the monitor for years or decades, you are finally stepping into it.
Power-Metal-Games 11 Nov 2018
And what games did you try? ;)
I don't remember very well. One free one with some squirrel (I think that's one made by Oculus themselves). Some „game“ where you are on the space station. One psychedelic thing in space (that one made me sick the most :'(
I tested youtube 360 videos. etc. etc.
And I tried Elite Dangerous the game that was the reason why one of my friends brought that Oculus from me.
Power-Metal-Games 11 Nov 2018
If you thought you were missing something because you didn't have a chance to test it, I assure you, you didn't.
I'm assuring the opposite. Do try it.
It's like after sitting in front of the monitor for years or decades, you are finally stepping into it.
Ok. I'm sure that there are some people that find it interesting. That was only my experience. And also what the guy who gave it to me concluded: people wasn't willing to give 1€ to play with it. They would try it and they were like: "Ok, interesting... but let's play Dota!". At the end he sold all the VR sets.
Alien Isolation is huge fun in VR but also X-Plane.
Ok. I'm sure that there are some people that find it interesting. That was only my experience. And also what the guy who gave it to me concluded: people wasn't willing to give 1€ to play with it. They would try it and they were like: "Ok, interesting... but let's play Dota!". At the end he sold all the VR sets.
I find the technology and what it does with my (and other people's) brain nothing less than incredible. I do not own a headset and cannot judge what develops on the gaming side, though. In the end, people won't buy it for incredible technology and brain f**k, but when and if playing games on it is big fun. Either way people should give it a try when having the possibility.
Companies that tried and maybe not clearly failed, but definitely they are not very profitable:
Oculus (before Facebook acquisition)
HTC (with Valve as R&D) - full package (Vive Pro + base stations + wireless adapter) is ridiculously expensive... Now they are going to mobile...
Facebook - going to mobile with Oculus Go
Microsoft Mixed Reality
I'm not sure only about Sony... Clearly PlayStation VR is "the winner" at this point, but probably Sony expected much more sales of VR headsets and games...
Half-Life VR? I want to be wrong, but it could be disaster comparable only to Diablo Immortal. It is not what Half-Life fans want! At least they informed us about it before official announcement, so perhaps expectations will be reduced.
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