NoVR mod for Half-Life: Alyx gets a big animation update out now

Did anyone try this with native version?

This game was SO good in VR. Though I'm not sure if it was 1k+ good, but it was REALLY good in VR. Wonder how much of it is not as grand in scale on a pancake screen.

It is pretty hilarious that the community provided this functionality instead of the game developers. 🤭

It is pretty hilarious that the community provided this functionality instead of the game developers. 🤭

Not really? To me, this is like a fan-edit of a film; the "director's cut" is already out there as the original Alyx VR, and I'd find it odd if the creator of a piece of media in another form would feel the need to work on a version that doesn't reflect how they feel it's meant to be experienced.

It is pretty hilarious that the community provided this functionality instead of the game developers. 🤭

Not really? To me, this is like a fan-edit of a film; the "director's cut" is already out there as the original Alyx VR, and I'd find it odd if the creator of a piece of media in another form would feel the need to work on a version that doesn't reflect how they feel it's meant to be experienced.

Agreed. This game is meant for selling the Index hardware. Wonder how many units this game sold the hardware for. I had my Index before the game came out, but this was really the first fully complete game that I played beginning to end.

The feeling of being able to hide behind some wall, and poking up your head to see how far you have to toss a grenade, then sitting back down to lob one over at the enemies... it's pretty hard to describe how awesome that was. The fights in it were absolutely amazing.

I think adding VR to the older Half-life games would be even more ambitious / awesome. Though as Alyx shows, there is a lot of things that would just require it to be something designed from the beginning.

I think this marks the denouement of the latest VR push... seems like it's going to stay an optional nice-to-have for supported games.

I'd find it odd if the creator of a piece of media in another form would feel the need to work on a version that doesn't reflect how they feel it's meant to be experienced.

I hear what you're saying but that's a narrow view, history is replete with creators changing or recreating their work so more or different people can enjoy it.

I somewhat resent that Valve made this game VR only. I bought the Half Life games and all the expansions and was thusly invested in it and I'd have liked another game. Especially after all that hype about Half Life 3, they come out with this and make it inaccessible to anyone that doesn't have the headgear. I don't ever plan to have a VR headset, I don't think it would be good for me.

Few games are "VR only", most devs realize that it's better to have a larger audience.

Enough resentment that I don't want to reward the game with a purchase, and use a third party mod so I can play it (that might be fragile come game update time, too)

So, I salute these guys for doing it.


Last edited by Grogan on 1 Nov 2023 at 6:15 pm UTC

I think this marks the denouement of the latest VR push... seems like it's going to stay an optional nice-to-have for supported games.

I suppose it's sort of akin to having a HOTAS setup for flight simulators. Sure, you COULD play it with a keyboard and mouse... but are you really getting the full enjoyment out of the game? Like I can't even imagine playing Elite: Dangerous with a keyboard / mouse, or for that matter a gamepad, though I've tried this on the PS4, it just doesn't feel the same.

This is one of the reasons I prefer real hardware over emulation; half the enjoyment is from using the original control scheme.

I somewhat resent that Valve made this game VR only. I bought the Half Life games and all the expansions and was thusly invested in it and I'd have liked another game. Especially after all that hype about Half Life 3, they come out with this and make it inaccessible to anyone that doesn't have the headgear. I don't ever plan to have a VR headset, I don't think it would be good for me.

Few games are "VR only", most devs realize that it's better to have a larger audience.

Enough resentment that I don't want to reward the game with a purchase, and use a third party mod so I can play it (that might be fragile come game update time, too)

So, I salute these guys for doing it.

They said years ago that they were working on 3 titles for VR (I'm sure they actually meant 2 or 5 because they can't count to 3). But Alyx was a free game for those who bought the Index.

Curious why you say a VR headset wouldn't be good for you? I know a guy who only has one eye, so it'd be pretty useless to him, for sure.

Curious why you say a VR headset wouldn't be good for you? I know a guy who only has one eye, so it'd be pretty useless to him, for sure.

I have two eyes, but only one of them focuses at a time, the other kind of goes off in the periphery depending on which one I'm using. I can still alternate, but I used to be able to force focus both eyes (e.g. to see a stereoscopic map or something) but the muscles have atrophied since to the point that it is severe strain to even try now. In other words, I'm a cross eyed bastard (the real term is a strabismus). Ah well, it does make it harder to sneak up on me (it extends my periphery lol)

I'm 59 and I've lived with this for so long that I'm not going to risk surgery (it's scalpel surgery on the eye muscles, for this)

One of my eyes is blurry now too, needs a different correction. I have glasses for distance, but they are not for up close. I'm actually reading text with my left eye. I can read it with my right eye if close the left eye and alter the distance.

My nervous system also doesn't like stressors, for example racing games are bad enough, never mind processing VR imagery.

P.S. Normal 3D graphics work (even with one eye), because it's done with pixels, simulating distance whereas VR has a stereoscopic component to it. I also found out some years ago that modern cinema 3D works now too with the glasses (in the old days, that red and blue filter 3D didn't). I took my niece and nephew to see one of the later Star Wars movies and it was 3D... I was expecting the same old shit, but I was surprised that it worked for me.


Last edited by Grogan on 1 Nov 2023 at 7:11 pm UTC

Curious why you say a VR headset wouldn't be good for you? I know a guy who only has one eye, so it'd be pretty useless to him, for sure.

[...] I also found out some years ago that modern cinema 3D [...] worked for me.

In that case, I really do recommend you give VR glasses a try if you have the opportunity! VR glasses display the 3D image in exactly the same way as modern 3D movies (two cameras at a fixed stereoscopic offset).

I get the stressors part and in that case Alyx would probably need a "no hostiles" mod or similar to be comfortable, but most of the game is really just marvelling at "being there". More generally, there are plenty of relaxing VR experiences to be had as well (nature walks / VR tourism, psychedelic worlds, guided yoga/tai chi, etc.), so you might actually find yourself liking the hardware, should you try it :)

Curious why you say a VR headset wouldn't be good for you? I know a guy who only has one eye, so it'd be pretty useless to him, for sure.

I have two eyes, but only one of them focuses at a time, the other kind of goes off in the periphery depending on which one I'm using. I can still alternate, but I used to be able to force focus both eyes (e.g. to see a stereoscopic map or something) but the muscles have atrophied since to the point that it is severe strain to even try now. In other words, I'm a cross eyed bastard (the real term is a strabismus). Ah well, it does make it harder to sneak up on me (it extends my periphery lol)

Interesting. My two eyes have radically different vision--apparently they are actually not the same size, so different focal lengths. So, left eye has decent, just slightly nearsighted vision, while right eye is ludicrously nearsighted. But they don't wander--they both look in the same direction, my brain just sort of "edits out" everything the right eye sees that's in the left eye's field of vision. So I basically see with just the left eye. But the right eye gives me peripheral, and I can close the left eye and behold the blurry splendour that is my right eye's visual ability.

I've tried a VR thing once--it kind of worked for me. I probably didn't have depth perception, but I don't anyway so . . .


Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 1 Nov 2023 at 8:52 pm UTC

I've tried a VR thing once--it kind of worked for me. I probably didn't have depth perception, but I don't anyway so . . .

I tried one in 1996, before they were something in reach of consumers. That was back when I could still voluntarily focus my eyes, though. It was at this place in Mississauga, Ontario (near Toronto, almost grown together) called the "Sega Playdium" where they had huge screen racing games and all kinds of neat stuff. Also an Imax type ride that was pretty trippy.

I played a trap shooting game (shotgun "clay pigeons"... pull!) and it was somewhat like busting clays for real. No recoil, but the shotgun was weighty and the physics was realistic. (the visuals weren't photorealistic or anything, but the 3D was good)

P.S. The headgear was huge lol


Last edited by Grogan on 2 Nov 2023 at 4:01 pm UTC

I really do recommend you give VR glasses a try if you have the opportunity! VR glasses display the 3D image in exactly the same way as modern 3D movies (two cameras at a fixed stereoscopic offset).

Could you give me an example of such a device? I looked around last night and found "smart glasses" and more goggle-like VR devices but wasn't sure what you meant.

I really do recommend you give VR glasses a try if you have the opportunity! VR glasses display the 3D image in exactly the same way as modern 3D movies (two cameras at a fixed stereoscopic offset).

Could you give me an example of such a device? I looked around last night and found "smart glasses" and more goggle-like VR devices but wasn't sure what you meant.

Oh, I just meant your average VR headset, like the Valve Index (or a standalone Meta Quest if you just want to try the whole VR thing out). I get that calling them "glasses" was a bit confusing, sorry about that.

I'm a cross eyed bastard (the real term is a strabismus). Ah well, it does make it harder to sneak up on me (it extends my periphery lol)

Lucky! I'm just a regular bastard, I don't have any super powers.

I've tried a VR thing once--it kind of worked for me. I probably didn't have depth perception, but I don't anyway so . . .

I tried one in 1996, before they were something in reach of consumers. That was back when I could still voluntarily focus my eyes, though. It was at this place in Mississauga, Ontario (near Toronto, almost grown together) called the "Sega Playdium" where they had huge screen racing games and all kinds of neat stuff. Also an Imax type ride that was pretty trippy.

I played a trap shooting game (shotgun "clay pigeons"... pull!) and it was somewhat like busting clays for real. No recoil, but the shotgun was weighty and the physics was realistic. (the visuals weren't photorealistic or anything, but the 3D was good)

P.S. The headgear was huge lol

Ha, some early versions of VR;
Atari Jaguar VR, got to the beta stage, never released, only one commercial game had VR support (Missile Command 3D), but the BigPEmu now has VR support!

Sega VR; Not sure how far along this got either, seems there were a few titles that had planned support (I want to say Zero Tolerance did?)

Arcade VR; These various systems apparently used two Amiga 3000s in the setup! Very cool! Would be awesome to get the hardware to make one of these, though the A3000s are grossly priced now.

Virtual I/O glasses; I have some of these, I still need to try them in Descent and other games that supported them on the PC.

Oh, I just meant your average VR headset, like the Valve Index (or a standalone Meta Quest if you just want to try the whole VR thing out). I get that calling them "glasses" was a bit confusing, sorry about that.

LOL, Thanks, I was wondering if I was barking up the wrong tree there. I did hear about something like that though. I think maybe slaapliedje hit on it... "Virtual I/O glasses" but obviously not the same thing.

Oh, I just meant your average VR headset, like the Valve Index (or a standalone Meta Quest if you just want to try the whole VR thing out). I get that calling them "glasses" was a bit confusing, sorry about that.

LOL, Thanks, I was wondering if I was barking up the wrong tree there. I did hear about something like that though. I think maybe slaapliedje hit on it... "Virtual I/O glasses" but obviously not the same thing.

Ha, yeah the Virtual I/O Glasses are basically stereoscopic things with head tracking. They also hook up to a VGA port or composite, if I recall (I really should play around with the ones I ordered, I read they worked with the Amiga and kind of impulse bought them... then I think I found out there are two models, one for Amiga and composite stuff, and one for a VGA PC, and I think I got the latter.

I get on these kicks where I want more interactivity with games than just the typical mouse/keyboard/gamepad input.