Half-Life: Alyx - VR - it actually happened

[Tara]

8 hours ago, Candescence said:

Also FFS you do not need the Valve Index for this game. Any reasonably decent PCVR headset will work just fine. The Samsung Odyssey+ WMR headset is on sale on Amazon for about $230 USD right now. Sure, the tracking isn't amazing but the controllers are better than the Vive and the headset itself is really fucking good in terms of visual quality. You want an entry-level VR headset that's of sound quality? Buy the Odyssey+

>stating that like $230 isn't still a hefty investment.

[JezMM]

To be honest, IF I'm gonna get this game, I want to just save up and get the Index.  When you say stuff like "the tracking isn't amazing" that makes me just think "oh so there'll be an annoying caveat for the entire experience then".  Half-Life is such a precious franchise for me I really don't want to be constantly distracted by the niggles of lesser hardware. Which is why, for a popular series like this, I wish they had waited until the really good stuff was more affordable.

[Sean]

I suggested Portal as an alternative example but really it could have been any other Valve IP than Half-Life. Left 4 Dead VR would have been another interesting choice imo. My point being that I think it's unfair to a degree to gate the next HL game off from people who are unable to play it due to the series' focus in storytelling and its unresolved storyline.

I'll concede that Portal likely wouldn't work in VR due to the aforementioned issues, but now you can just replace Portal with L4D in my previous posts and my point stands.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Like I've said before. It'd have to be a pretty amazing game to warrant such a price, and the game does not look nor even sound in concept exciting enough to purchase VR for it.

[Candescence]

On 11/27/2019 at 1:59 AM, Tara said:

>stating that like $230 isn't still a hefty investment.

I mean, fair enough. But hardware in general is usually a hefty investment. This is about as cheap as you're gonna get for now with the Odyssey+'s overall quality. It's essentially equivalent to a console in that it provides experiences you can't get from any other type of device.

On 11/27/2019 at 2:57 AM, JezMM said:

To be honest, IF I'm gonna get this game, I want to just save up and get the Index.  When you say stuff like "the tracking isn't amazing" that makes me just think "oh so there'll be an annoying caveat for the entire experience then".  Half-Life is such a precious franchise for me I really don't want to be constantly distracted by the niggles of lesser hardware. Which is why, for a popular series like this, I wish they had waited until the really good stuff was more affordable.

Every headset has its compromises in some way. The WMR main compromise is the tracking, but it's also good enough that you won't notice any problems outside of specific edge cases that you wouldn't be doing in VR gameplay anyway. I got my Odyssey+ recently, it's quite an improvement over the first-gen WMR headsets, and the screen quality is fantastic, no screen door effect.

Seriously, from my experience, I doubt you'll have any major issues. That being said, if you think you might as well save up for the Index, all power to you. At least you can get the Index, it's not available here in Australia...

On 11/27/2019 at 4:25 AM, Sean said:

I suggested Portal as an alternative example but really it could have been any other Valve IP than Half-Life. Left 4 Dead VR would have been another interesting choice imo. My point being that I think it's unfair to a degree to gate the next HL game off from people who are unable to play it due to the series' focus in storytelling and its unresolved storyline.

I'll concede that Portal likely wouldn't work in VR due to the aforementioned issues, but now you can just replace Portal with L4D in my previous posts and my point stands.

The other thing the folks at Valve disqualified from the running for their big VR title was multiplayer-focused stuff, due to the limited install base. They wanted a game anyone would be able to properly experience, and while L4D is technically playable with bots, you need actual players to get a proper experience, especially on higher difficulties. While Valve games usually have some kind of playerbase all the damn time, there is always the risk of there not being players to play with.

[JezMM]

7 hours ago, Candescence said:

Every headset has its compromises in some way. The WMR main compromise is the tracking, but it's also good enough that you won't notice any problems outside of specific edge cases that you wouldn't be doing in VR gameplay anyway. I got my Odyssey+ recently, it's quite an improvement over the first-gen WMR headsets, and the screen quality is fantastic, no screen door effect.

Seriously, from my experience, I doubt you'll have any major issues. That being said, if you think you might as well save up for the Index, all power to you. At least you can get the Index, it's not available here in Australia...

That's kind of encouraging to hear actually. I'll be honest, I have no experience of VR so I really don't know like... what I'm doing lol.  It's kind of scary to just go ahead and buy something and not know whether it'll be the right fit for me.  I don't think there's any computing shops near me that let you try out headsets, and obviously you can only buy the Index through Steam.

[Candescence]

15 hours ago, JezMM said:

That's kind of encouraging to hear actually. I'll be honest, I have no experience of VR so I really don't know like... what I'm doing lol.  It's kind of scary to just go ahead and buy something and not know whether it'll be the right fit for me.  I don't think there's any computing shops near me that let you try out headsets, and obviously you can only buy the Index through Steam.

Really, what you want out of a headset will depend on what you'd prefer most - if you want perfect tracking with no compromises and just want a great experience in that regard, I'd suggest buying the regular Vive first and then getting the Index Controllers, which will work fine with the Vive. If you want something with easier setup but with less reliable tracking, get the Odyssey+, or a Rift if you're willing to save up a bit more for better tracking and don't mind worse screen/fresh rate quality, or even the Quest if you want to be able to play entirely wirelessly for some games. If you want the best possible overall package, save up for the Index.

Also, a bit of an update on my experience with the Odyssey+, the main issues with tracking are generally when the controllers are either right up against your face or outside the camera view for an extended period of time. You will need to have them back in your view whenever you have them by your sides for a bit, but generally that's when you'll be moving to pick something up or do some specific action anyway. It's up to you if that sounds like that'll annoy you too much, though. Quick actions like moving your arm out of view for throwing objects will work just fine.

[Tara]

The entire Half-Life series is free until Alyx comes out in March.

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/231/HalfLife_Complete/

Note- I think this is just "free to play" not "free to keep."  I mean, I wasn't expecting them to give away the entire series for free, but whatever.  For those who haven't played yet, now would be a good time to start.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Oh right. This game's still a thing. Kinda forgot about it.

[Polkadi~☆]

So... anyone want to talk about the ending? I mean, whether or not you've played the game, you will have surely heard about what happens in the ending...

Spoiler

Instead of proceeding with original plans, this game has rewritten and retconned the ending of Half-Life 2: Episode 2. Eli Vance survives, but Alyx Vance is taken by the mysterious g-man who has a strange curiosity for her abilities.

Valve has never dropped a more solid hint that they're ready to work on more Half-Life.

 

[Vec]

I think they...somehow planned something of this? Because in episode 2, Gman appears without his suitcase and asks us to escort Alyx safely to White Forest. That's because he already gave it away to Alyx.