this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2023
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Seems like kind of a weird gesture given that Alyx was released only three years ago. By Valve standards, that's still considered hot off the presses.
And Alyx is incredible
I've only had a select few genuine "holy fuck" moments during gaming where I have genuinely been stunned. One being Mario 64 in 1996, the other being Half Life Alyx.
It's a shame it's in a medium that restricts how many people can actually play the thing. The VR-less mod does the game a huge disservice.
I'm going to guess most people into half life aren't going to sink $1000 into computer upgrades and a VR headset.
Half-Life: Alyx doesn't require a NASA PC, and you can play it on cheaper headsets like Quest 2, or even older used ones like Rift S or HTC Vive
Yeah I used my $600 PC and a ~$300 Windows mixed reality headset. Far from ideal tbf but still a mind-blowing experience.
It requires a fairly good PC. I played it on my budget rig with a used rift s. I was very glad I don't get motion sick easily because it was very often well below 60fps.
My PC has an RX 580 and it works fine for me, I'd say that's a budget GPU
Are you telling me a new Half Life game came out three years ago and I missed it?
VR only
There is a non-vr mod for it.
It's not worth playing non-VR. To be blunt, all of the game elements other than graphics really kinda suck from a traditional gameplay perspective and are forgiven or ignored because of what VR adds. The levels are claustrophobic, the weapon and enemy variety is horrid, the AI was handicapped to make it easier to shoot in VR, there isn't even a jump button or melee attack in a franchise known as a boomer shooter with a crowbar-wielding protagonist. It's not a traditional Half-Life game and trying to play it as one will likely lead to disappointment.
The reverse isn't true, playing the VR mods for the rest of the franchise is a blast and there are plenty of amazing VR conversions for other games, so I find it saddening this is the direction Valve took for Alyx.
Its definitely not what you usually get in a half life game but I wouldn't say its not worth playing without vr. If you're willing to live with the differences then you can still enjoy it.
My impression from participating was that it was more for fun rather than trying to make a statement. It was cool to see multiple full servers.