As Half-Life: Alyx arrives today, just a reminder that it should hopefully be coming to Linux in a post-release update. On top of that, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive got some fancy cosmetics for it.
This is one of the biggest things Valve has done in a very long time, there's going to be a lot of eyes on them from everywhere. With Virtual Reality currently a niche market (just like Linux gaming…), it definitely will be interesting to see the reception to such a big series going into VR and only VR since it requires a headset. If it does well, I think it's safe to say Valve will be doing more.
"Half-Life: Alyx represents the culmination of Valve's technological advancement over the past few years," says Valve founder Gabe Newell. "We have built SteamVR, our game engine, our tools, and VR hardware specifically to enable us to ship the best content we know how to create. Today, as we ship Alyx remotely from our homes, we are hoping that everyone stays safe and has a great time playing the game. Please let us know what you think."
If you do own a VR kit and plan to play Half-Life: Alyx, please do note in the comments your experiences with it, I've no doubt plenty of people will be watching and wanting to know.
Once Valve communicate when they expect a Linux build and Vulkan support to land for Half-Life: Alyx, we will let you know.
For the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive cosmetics, Valve added in an Alyx themed Collectible Pins Capsule, Sticker Capsule, and Patch Pack for those of you who love to collect items. If you pre-purchased the Valve Index, you should also now have an exclusive Music Kit and a complimentary Genuine Alyx Pin.
You can see an example of what to expect below:
It's not really relevant. It's a VR game. It's for owner of VR hardware.An alternative way of looking at this is that it is relevant, it's a Half-Life game (the first new entry in the series in a dozen years, no less), but it isn't easily accessible to all Half-Life fans.
As for the price. It may seem expensive, but compared to other hobbies that people have it's actually not that bad. I took my holiday money for last year to buy the Index. Many people have that option but not many are willing to take it.I'm not starving or homeless, but the vast majority of my earnings is put towards covering my mother's annual $100,000 out-of-pocket expense for 24-hour in-home care. I have just enough to cover my basic living expenses, with the occasional entertainment splurge (e.g. buying a video game on sale or watching a film at the cinema), but even that modest splurge carries the risk of then not having enough to cover other potential expenditures that always seem to crop up at the worst possible time (e.g. appliance repair).
Given the current situation, I can't afford new releases, but video games usually go on fairly deep discount within a few years. However, coupled with the need for select VR hardware, the likelihood of me being able to play Half-Life: Alyx looks like a decade off if not never.
Last edited by vector on 24 March 2020 at 11:51 pm UTC
SteamVR Beta Updated - 1.11.1
Compositor:Also the game itself got an update, which should fix some crashes:
- Fixed a memory leak in HL:A loading screens
- Fixed a GPU memory leak in HL:A loading screens on Linux based system
Linux:
- Fixed a HL:A crash
Half-Life: Alyx Update 1.1 released
- Fixed several crashes.I know what to do this evening :D
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