Valve confirms Half-Life: Alyx

You already are it seems. Because you confuse healthy skepticism with criticism.
If I wanted to I could buy a VR set today, but I don't want to, so I have no fear of missing out. I have fear of this being like all VR games to date: A glorified tech demo with questionable visuals.

Actually it is those who should fear of missing out who already have a VR kit, whether the game will support it.

I have a VR headset and the announcement that this will be VR-only has killed any hype that I might have had for it. Maybe that will change as they release more details but right now I have no interest.

I've quit buying games for VR as movement is still a huge issue. Unless you have a wireless headset and an indoor basketball court of a room you're either constantly reorienting yourself to walls or you're teleporting from position to position; both completely break any immersion that's been built up. IMO games where you sit or stand in one place or require a few feet of movement (Beat Saber, Valve Labs Archery, Superhot VR) can be pretty amazing; the others are just annoying since if you try to use normal locomotion you'll easily reach the limits of any reasonably normal room if you don't reach the limit of your headset cables first.
 
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I will pay attention to this, part of me wants to think the have put serious effort into this, but a dark part of me thinks this is a knee jerk reaction to Epyc eating into their revinue and Value trying something half baked to get some hype numbers in. Valve has been putting effort into VR that is true, and they have basically left the HL series on a shelf to rot for the last decade plus. So they could launch this and it could be great, it could also be Valves Duke Nukem Forever....
 
I have to laugh at all the complaints about this...this was pretty much guaranteed as soon as Valve said they were going all in on VR and that they had multiple VR games in development awhile back.

Doesn't mean they can't make another HL game outside of VR, but they seem to want to push VR pretty hard - and maybe this will do that.

Between this and Boneworks, VR is looking exciting again to me.
 
As mad as I am over the whole HL2:ep2 cliffhanger ending and never getting ep3, I must admit that I will be pre-ordering as soon as it's available. Will hold off buying Knuckle controllers till closer to release. VivePro user here.

I feel ashamed for how little self control I have on such things....
 
I have a VR headset and the announcement that this will be VR-only has killed any hype that I might have had for it. Maybe that will change as they release more details but right now I have no interest.

I've quit buying games for VR as movement is still a huge issue. Unless you have a wireless headset and an indoor basketball court of a room you're either constantly reorienting yourself to walls or you're teleporting from position to position; both completely break any immersion that's been built up. IMO games where you sit or stand in one place or require a few feet of movement (Beat Saber, Valve Labs Archery, Superhot VR) can be pretty amazing; the others are just annoying since if you try to use normal locomotion you'll easily reach the limits of any reasonably normal room if you don't reach the limit of your headset cables first.

If Iwere wealthy like really wealthy I'd have a basket ball court sized VR room

Until then I have my Rift ready for HL vr
 
People saying there aren’t any good games for VR obviously never saw Arizona sunshine.

I’m in for this but duh. I love VR.
 
I have sneaking suspicion that this will be a very, very well made, and very short. Short enough that some will call it a proof of concept or tech demo. It does further point out how Valve has gone all in on VR though.
I also suspect it will not stay VR only if it is more than just a short proof of concept.
 
I have sneaking suspicion that this will be a very, very well made, and very short. Short enough that some will call it a proof of concept or tech demo. It does further point out how Valve has gone all in on VR though.
I also suspect it will not stay VR only if it is more than just a short proof of concept.
Apparently not a tech demo, but a full campaign, according to VNN guy that interviewed people involved.

Will also have "photorealistic" graphics and be best looking VR game to date, push physics and environmental interaction forward - which, if you think back, the earlier Half Life games were too: conceptual showcases to move videogame tech forward and not necessarily some unforgettable story.
 
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Apparently not a tech demo, but a full campaign, according to VNN guy that interviewed people involved.

Will also have "photorealistic" graphics and be best looking VR game to date, push physics and environmental interaction forward - which, if you think back, the earlier Half Life games were too: conceptual showcases to move videogame tech forward and not necessarily some unforgettable story.

It will be better than most "VR games". But VR doesn't necessarily translate to being better. It is wonderful for niche genres like flight sims or similar. But for your typical game type it just doesn't work too well. Exceptions can be made of course. Considering their recent track record of games my hopes are low. I know people like these games, but Valve's recent games have been bottom of the barrel. Free to play, micro transaction infused, cosmetic infused crap. They helped mainstream that genre of MP titles. So I 'm a bit skeptical of them returning to a higher quality type of game. If they can pull it off great, but I'll believe it when I see it.
 
People saying there aren’t any good games for VR obviously never saw Arizona sunshine.

I’m in for this but duh. I love VR.

There are many good VR games out there, people just don't want to do the research I guess. Off the top of my head:

H3 (Hotdogs, Horseshoes, and Hand Grenades)
Onward
Zero Caliber
The Gallery (Eps 1 and 2)
Sword and Sorcery
Gorn
Beat Saber
Superhot VR
Sairento VR
Raw Data
No Man's Sky
Project Cars 2
 
It will be better than most "VR games". But VR doesn't necessarily translate to being better. It is wonderful for niche genres like flight sims or similar. But for your typical game type it just doesn't work too well. Exceptions can be made of course. Considering their recent track record of games my hopes are low. I know people like these games, but Valve's recent games have been bottom of the barrel. Free to play, micro transaction infused, cosmetic infused crap. They helped mainstream that genre of MP titles. So I 'm a bit skeptical of them returning to a higher quality type of game. If they can pull it off great, but I'll believe it when I see it.
Oh yes it does. VR is always automatically better not matter what. Especially grannyporn. Srsly though have you actually tried a proper VR HMD? If you weren't such an ornery brick, I'd ship you my spare Odyssey+ for free just to see if it'll either bring a smile or you're not actually human (has to be one of the two).
 
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Oh yes it does. VR is always automatically better not matter what. Especially grannyporn. Srsly though have you actually tried a proper VR HMD? If you weren't such an ornery glass-half-empty kinda guy, I'd ship you my spare Odyssey+ for free just to see if it'll either bring a smile or you're not actually human (has to be one of the two).

I'm not seeing how VR will make a game like Mass Effect much better, but I'm sure for a Mirror's Edge type of game it would be great. I've never had a lot of time with them but just don't see it working for your typical game, especially if you do long gaming sessions. Think Witcher 3 or something.

But if you feel like donating that HMD for scientifically verifying my humanity then I'll all for it. :p
 
People saying there aren’t any good games for VR obviously never saw Arizona sunshine.

I’m in for this but duh. I love VR.
Are you talking about this?

maxresdefault.jpg

Yeah, looks "great".

I said they are glorified tech demos with simplistic gameplay and last century visuals. You tell me which of these doesn't apply here.
 
Are you talking about this?

View attachment 201374

Yeah, looks "great".

I said they are glorified tech demos with simplistic gameplay and last century visuals. You tell me which of these doesn't apply here.
Go play it. Oh wait you’ve already got an opinion and don’t have the means. Great game and far more than a tech demo.
 
Go play it. Oh wait you’ve already got an opinion and don’t have the means. Great game and far more than a tech demo.
Don't dodge the question. Does this game have deep mechanics, perhaps a meaningful narrative? Do the visuals look current gen to you?
No? Then it fulfills all my objections to VR.
I'm not saying you shouldn't enjoy VR, but stop telling me that I'm in the wrong if I don't get on the bandwagon right now. I need the correct incentive.
When and if a truly AAA quality game comes, where VR is not the selling point, just a tool I'll get into VR. Perhaps This HL game will be that. But so far I haven't seen any VR game that made me want to spend $100 let alone $1000.
 
People saying there aren’t any good games for VR obviously never saw Arizona sunshine.

I put 2 hours into it and refunded it. If it was a "flat" game it would be considered to just be another shitty zombie game which is the problem with the vast majority of VR games; they're only considered good because almost everything else on the platform is marred by annoyances like clunkiness or just isn't fun after you get past the "Whoa this looks crazy in VR" feeling wears off.
 
Yeah, looks "great".

I said they are glorified tech demos with simplistic gameplay and last century visuals. You tell me which of these doesn't apply here.
Asgard's Wrath would like a word.
 
So the best part of playing that game will be one that can't be conveyed in a 2D trailer: the thrill ride aspect, where the tech is powerful enough that your brain is tricked into feeling like "you're there" in the game world. It's like the difference between riding a rollercoaster, and having someone describe to you what it's like. You won't really know unless you experience it.

The first time I played Vanishing Realms - an earlier VR title with mediocre graphics - I was going along and suddenly got attacked by a cartoon Orc - a cartoon freaking Orc - and I actually got chills and my pulse was racing because I was trapped in these corridors with him. That fight-or-flight part of the brain actually got triggered, the experience was that profound. It was one of those defining moments, like having sex for the first time, or dying in an avalanche.
 
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Why don't you have a body? Is this normal for VR games? The floating hands are creepy.
 
You really don't notice it when actually in the vr.
I couldn't focus on anything else during this trailer.

Otherwise, I don't know. This just looks like HL2:VR to me, I was hoping for something mind-blowing and revolutionary.
 
I couldn't focus on anything else during this trailer.

Otherwise, I don't know. This just looks like HL2:VR to me, I was hoping for something mind-blowing and revolutionary.

Well I think odditory hit the nail on the head. It's one of those" you have to do it" experiences. Like shooting a gun in real life for the first time, or driving over 120mph. I'm willing to give valve the benefit of the doubt here. Crafting an experience that hits on all cylinders for vr. To be honest it's hard now for any developer to really release revolutionary. Graphical fidelity is so high and world's are so big that we, be been spoiled. So personally if valve creates a fine tune world that I can be immersed in and lose myself for hours, while also delivering a fun and entertaining story, I'll be happy.

I don't know enough to bet that it will be mind blowing, but I will personally look into experiencing it day one.
 
I couldn't focus on anything else during this trailer.

Otherwise, I don't know. This just looks like HL2:VR to me, I was hoping for something mind-blowing and revolutionary.

I thought the visuals looked very clean and at least current gen, while also somehow looking like HL2, so I guess that's mission accomplished. I'm curious how the game will run and what the recommended hardware will be. The Index is $1319.00 here in Canada, so it's not something I'm just going to purchase without seeing how this game fares first. Looking forward to seeing the reviews and whatnot.
 
Got me wanting the Index controllers, but not sure I can justify the cost.
Likewise - the extra manual articulation looks like it'll be fun, but is manually reloading bullets or biometric hand scans going to justify the price delta? The main thing will be sneaking around and shooting which you'll be able to do fine with a cheaper HMD and controllers.

I'll first try the game on an Odyssey+ and then see where things are at with finger-level controllers.
 
I thought the visuals looked very clean and at least current gen, while also somehow looking like HL2, so I guess that's mission accomplished. I'm curious how the game will run and what the recommended hardware will be. The Index is $1319.00 here in Canada, so it's not something I'm just going to purchase without seeing how this game fares first. Looking forward to seeing the reviews and whatnot.

Supposedly it'll work the the Rift S as well, that's only $400 USD. (Whoops, the website only mentions the Rift, not the S. It also mentions the HTC Vive.)

Minimum system requirements are i5-7500/Ryzen 1600 and GTX 1060/RX 580.
 
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