Half-Life: Alyx, the first Half-Life title in far too long has now been officially revealed with the Steam store page for it now available and you can also pre-purchase. However, their email clearly stated that Half-Life: Alyx will be "Free for owners of the Valve Index VR headset".
This is a title built from the ground up for Virtual Reality, so only those with a VR kit will be able to play. Valve said it has "all of the hallmarks of a classic Half-Life game" including exploration, puzzle solving, visceral combat and a story that connects it all together with the Half-Life universe. Valve also said it will be compatible with "all PC-based VR headsets", it's powered by their own Source 2 game engine and it will release in March 2020.
You can see the trailer below:
Direct Link
From the press release sent to use earlier:
"Everyone at Valve is excited to be returning to the world of Half-Life", says Valve founder Gabe Newell. "VR has energized us. We've invested a lot of ourselves in the technology. But we're also game developers at heart, and to be devoting ourselves to a VR game this ambitious is just as exciting. For that to come in the form of Half-Life feels like the culmination of a lot things we care a lot about: truly great games, cutting edge technology, and open platforms. We can't wait for people to experience this."
If you end up buying Valve Index hardware before the end of 2019, Valve also said they will throw in a few bonuses which include:
- Explore environments from Half-Life: Alyx in your SteamVR Home space
- Alternate gun skins to embellish Alyx's arsenal
- Special Half-Life: Alyx-themed content for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2
There's also going to be a focus on community-created content as well, with a set of Source 2 tools that will be available with the game.
Some of the team at Valve had a chat with Geoff Keighley too, which you can see in this video.
Currently the Steam store page and the official site for Half-Life: Alyx only state Windows support. Since Source 2 and SteamVR do work on Linux, it might be that the state of SteamVR on Linux isn't good enough just yet. Hopefully they're working on it though! I've reached out to Valve to ensure it will see a Linux release too and will update you when I know.
Update 19:40 UTC: Valve press emailed back, they said "Right now we can only confirm windows for this product".
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Comandante Ñoñardo Nov 21, 2019
By the way.. VR? No, thanks. I can't afford that. I want traditional monitor/TV support, Valve.
Quoting: DenommusNo Linux support. Valve's VR doesn't support Linux at all, sadly.
I play Serious Sam VR on Linux with no issues with Vive.
I can't imagine Valve did all those efforts to bring VR on Linux if not to port this game on it.
QuoteAlready own Valve Index? You'll get Half-Life: Alyx free, plus extra content.
Well, that's pleasant! :D
Quoting: drlamb*Cue the influx of second hand vives to ebay.* I'll likely upgrade myself too, this game looks like a game I would invest time into in VR.
The index controllers were already a game changer for me in terms of the level of immersion so I cannot wait to experience this with the full kit.
I'll see how the market and my finances are, but I might treat myself to a second hand HTC vive, and a pair of knuckles. They say Alyx will appear in your library if you own any Index hardware, including just the controllers. So that's a $50 rebate on their price :)
Last edited by MayeulC on 22 November 2019 at 8:54 am UTC
TheRiddick Nov 22, 2019
Quoting: x_wing... But unfortunately VR sets are too expensive for me with their current prices :(
Yeah I feel you, the prices do get a little ridiculous here in Australia for VR.
I CAN get a Quest for $650AUD and use that Link cable thing but really I feel like its a waste of money atm, very BETA stage, lots of little issues that add up.
Ideally I would love to get a Pimax 8KX headset but by the time you pay for shipping/exchange/accessories, it would be around $2500-3000AUD! OUCH...
Think I'll just wait for video cards to be able to handle 120hz at 4k before I consider VR,
I'm all about the pixels!!!!! if I see one jaggy edge, pixel or screendoor, I would scream! lol
PS. Anyone notice a fair bit of Australian accent in this game? Yes the game looks great, is this Source 3 engine? I might be able to get VR in 2021, its a struggle.
Last edited by TheRiddick on 22 November 2019 at 1:53 am UTC
Quoting: Comandante ÑoñardoThe graphics looks awesome!!!... I wonder if they are real ingame graphics or faked CGI...
By the way.. VR? No, thanks. I can't afford that. I want traditional monitor/TV support, Valve.
Uh, that just looks like a slight overhaul of Source in 4K. Actually a pretty good sign because it's very likely to be a less demanding game engine with a lot of support behind it and already setup for Vulkan. If that's the case then smaller teams/indies might look to Valve&Source2 instead of EPIC&Unreal which barely functions on Linux right now unlike SOurce2 which should function well on EVERYTHING.
Last edited by jarhead_h on 22 November 2019 at 3:03 am UTC
TheRiddick Nov 22, 2019
Quoting: jarhead_h3900X/X570/5700XT
The GPU will be the major decider on framerate, Getting a 3700 + B450 board would free up some cash to get a even faster GPU and cost nothing substantial in framerate.
I don't understand why so many people think getting more cores and a faster CPU is going to magically give them the best framerates. The 5700XT is really a 100fps at 1440p type of GPU, AT BEST. (games like KCD will give you less however).
Hopefully AMD release a 5800XT or something, already their starting to hype the NAVI2 expectations, meanwhile they only have the 5700 models available to market, talk about jumping the gun...
Last edited by TheRiddick on 22 November 2019 at 2:29 am UTC
orochi_kyo Nov 22, 2019
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