Half-Life: Alyx - Valve's full-length flagship VR game set between HL1 and HL2

[Dexter]

I have a Vive and it's really uncomfortable to wear, the resolution is poor, and the games are all shit. It's fucking amazing for porn, though.

It's always been shit, especially without the "Deluxe Audio Strap" which they sold later for a lot of money and more uncomfortable/less ergonomic than the OG Rift and even a majority of the cheaper WMR Headsets. Its advantages were a Walk-able space and Motion controllers earlier than Oculus. The Valve Index is an improvement on both of them in that respect, while the newest "Oculus Rift S" iteration is kind of a joke. Your opinion about the games is your own though, or based on what you've played.

Even if it hits HL front and center, it's going to be a ~2h of a technology showcase disappointment not a meaningful story, as virtually all VR games to date.

This is Fake News and another Meme, the recently released Asgard's Wrath is like 30-40 hours long:


A lot of made-for-VR games are on the shorter end of the stick, but not really "2 hours", that's usually just limited to "Experiences" that are usually Free.

Stuff like "Edge of Nowhere" or "Moss" was like 5-6 hours (at least before the free Expansion). CryTek's "Robinson The Journey" and "Wilson's Heart" were like 10 hours. But there are a lot of ports to VR in full game length, and I'm not just talking about Skyrim or Fallout 4, all the Serious Sam games or the Mods for DOOM 3: BFG or Alien: Isolation that let you play in VR.

There's games like "Chronos", "The Solus Project", "Obduction", "The Talos Principle" or "Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice" that can go well over 20 hours. There's also Multiplayer Shooters (Pavlov, Onward, Zero Caliber), Flight or Space Sims and the likes (Elite: Dangerous, Project Cars, X-Plane, Assetto Corsa, Euro Truck Simulator 2 etc.) that last as long as you like or till you get bored of em.

 

[Turuko]

alright alright alright

now gimme the VRange Box

 

[Van-d-all]

This is Fake News and another Meme, the recently released Asgard's Wrath is like 30-40 hours long:

Can you read? One example, in a sea of games means "virtually all".

But there are a lot of ports to VR in full game length

Which aren't really VR games. Those are regular games, with capability of VR I/O. However I'd argue that's actually where the future of this technology lies - VR being an alternative, immersive user interface to otherwise regular games.

 

[Dayyālu]

Wait, we have seriously VR cultists here? I mean, I'd argue it's indeed great for memeshit and for porn, but playing games optimally?

Furthermore, for those who say that STEAM WAS THE SAME VALVE IS THE FUTURE YOU CAN'T STOP THE FUTURE

Let me type a few words

Episodic Content

Steam Machine

Artifact

There's a limited chance that memestuff like VR can catch on, but Valve has also quite the tradition of massively fucking up when it's not buying talent. Maybe it's buying talent now, who knows, but they have to make it great and worth the money for a frankly unappealing system for the vast majority of users. On the positive, Steam is endless money, a failure will only reinforce their standard Valve time thing.

 

[Latelistener]

Doesn't sound too interesting and I'm not really into VR. Not sure why Valve is clinging onto it.

Of course there is a chance that it won't be exclusively for VR.

 

[Van-d-all]

Not sure why Valve is clinging onto it.

Because this time around, the technology actually backs it up. Input is sensitive enough to actually register movement properly, and hardware is powerful enough to render output that looks good enough to fool your brain. The one issue left is affordability, but given the device combines both display & controllers, it's not that far off already. It's a good investment, because for the first time, this technology is actually in a position to make it stick. It's no gamepad or smartphone, but everyone I know to try it, liked it, so it does have it's niche audience.

 

[whydoibother]

Time to dust off my Oculus Rift. I'll get to try Asgards Wrath and Stormlands while I am at it.

 

[FeelTheRads]

Are you trying to make posts even dumber than your extremely stupid rants in the "Epic Games" thread? Fascinating indeed.

Oh, really?
Yeah, Valve are saints and would never resort to such tactics. Just like Valve is god and Epic is the devil.
Even though like the imbecilic retard that you are (like all Steam fanbots) have failed over and over again to show how 1-year exclusives are worse than forever exclusives.

There is no such thing as an "Oculus Creator Edition" (fucking LMAO).

Ah, right, it was the "development kit". Nice try putting it as DK1. Trying hard to hide that you bought a piece of useless crap. Development Kit. LMAO. Developed anything lately on that development kit?

friends still playing on your AMD K6-2 450Mhz

Yes, anyone who doesn't consider VR an automatic improvement can't afford it. Talk about fucking coping. "You just don't have money to buy this awesome new tech, man!!!". Same thing with RTX apologists. Of which you are one also, if I remember correctly, because a retard can't be a retard if he's not full retard.

I'll probably have fun with the game and all the new gameplay mechanics and ways they thought of interacting with shit, while you and your buddies fling poo around and come up with new rationalizations why "new tech is shit" and try to talk about things you obviously have not the slightest clue about, since you haven't even tried it and come out looking like a dumbfuck to anyone who has.

Right, unlike your "rationalizations" about how VR is automatically an improvement and will replace everything? Really surprising you didn't get a dumbfuck tag already with your constant "new is better" shilling. Honestly, you're one step into becoming Fluent.
New ways of interaction. It's like reading the back of a fucking box.
That's exactly what I think about when playing games: how else can I interact with the game? I mean, mouse and keyboards? Those are for people who can't afford the amazing new ways of interaction.

 

[Dexter]

Can you read? One example, in a sea of games means "virtually all".

The statement that there are "virtually no" VR games with a price-point that are 2 hours long is closer to the truth than the one you made. There are a lot of "Free VR Experiences", some of which are cool, a lot of which suck ass which can be like 1-2 hours, but nearly none of the commercial titles are that short. What comes to mind is also either promotional stuff like Robo Recall that was also given away for free or some very few titles like Batman: Arkham VR or SUPERHOT VR. If you said that the majority of commercial titles were 5-10 hours long you'd be closer to the truth, although not very far off from your usual Indie game. I can recount more Strategy VR-only games like Brass Tactics, Skyworld, Tethered, Defense Grid 2 or AirMech: Command that were 10+ hours long than I can "~2h technology showcases" that people actually had to pay anything for.

Which aren't really VR games. Those are regular games, with capability of VR I/O. However I'd argue that's actually where the future of this technology lies - VR being an alternative, immersive user interface to otherwise regular games.

So no game that has VR and a normal monitor/pancake version counts, even though they're fully developed ports with a new interface and translated mechanics? Right.

Right, unlike your "rationalizations" about how VR is automatically an improvement and will replace everything?

You didn't really say anything worthwhile or refuted anything I said in your latest post, you just spewed some more retarded shit and indulged in externalizing your butthurt some more. But I'm curious about this part, can you quote me saying that?

 

[ZVERMIX]

If it's indeed a full game, I'm gonna buy a headset finally.
Always was tempted, but there was no real killer game I had to play in VR.
Everyone I know who owns a headset says it's worth it, and I liked it in brief tryout sessions.
Seems like if you can afford one and have a good PC, it's a reasonable investment for some unique experiences.

 

[Van-d-all]

So no game that has VR and a normal monitor/pancake version counts, even though they're fully developed ports with a new interface and translated mechanics? Right.

Does every fucking game with mobile/tablet/touchscreen capability count as a separate game? No.

 

[RRRrrr]

All VR games look like glorified mobile games. Both control-wise and graphics-wise. VR looks so shitty and clunky that I can't even watch gameplay videos. This is going to be so utterly shit.

 

[Dayyālu]

I can recount more Strategy VR-only games like Brass Tactics, Skyworld, Tethered, Defense Grid 2 or AirMech: Command that were 10+ hours long than I can "~2h technology showcases" that people actually had to pay anything for.

This looks less complex than your contemporary mobile game, but I'm frankly surprised they even tried to make a RTS in VR. It looks horrible and feels clunky as fuck, but I guess it's a given.

Honest question, considering that you seem to take this very seriously and have invested considerable resources in VR: can you suggest a shooter that sorta, looks and plays good? Because the vast majority of VR shooters I've seen looks inferior to goddamn Trespasser and worthwile only as a novelty? I'm legit curious: I never considered VR as nothing but memery, because, well, all games I've seen on VR look clunky and choppy. If Valve wants this to have any impact bar the HALF LIFE NAME forged into it, I'd like to see the competition.

(Yes, you linked Asgard's Wrath and while fairly interesting, the gameplay by itself looks like an inferior version of Skyrim if that's even possible).

 

[ZVERMIX]

while the newest "Oculus Rift S" iteration is kind of a joke

Why, is it bad? It buying the old Rift better?

 

[Doktor Best]

Lots of salty poorfags in this thread.



I for one enjoy shooting people in the face in Pavlov very much. That game alone is worth the 300 bucks i spent on the Occulus Touch bundle. Asgard's wrath, Lone Echo, Alien Isolation, Doom 3, Subnautica, Elite Dangerous and Superhot are pretty great too if i want to go singleplayer.

I tested the Vive in a shop and it indeed is uncomfortable as hell.

All in all the current generation up until Valve Index is of course still early adopter stuff so people are reluctant to spend a fortune on the Index when they can get revised hardware for much cheaper within a year or two. Therefor the technology lacks the mass appeal to get the games industry really in the mood to throw money at it yet. I am pretty confident that this will change when the new consoles are out with proper VR hardware.

Valve joining the fray with Half Life and Zuckerberg refusing to back out of his investment plan for Occulus are the first indicators of that.

I can recount more Strategy VR-only games like Brass Tactics, Skyworld, Tethered, Defense Grid 2 or AirMech: Command that were 10+ hours long than I can "~2h technology showcases" that people actually had to pay anything for.

This looks less complex than your contemporary mobile game, but I'm frankly surprised they even tried to make a RTS in VR. It looks horrible and feels clunky as fuck, but I guess it's a given.

Honest question, considering that you seem to take this very seriously and have invested considerable resources in VR: can you suggest a shooter that sorta, looks and plays good? Because the vast majority of VR shooters I've seen looks inferior to goddamn Trespasser and worthwile only as a novelty? I'm legit curious: I never considered VR as nothing but memery, because, well, all games I've seen on VR looks clunky and choppy. If Valve wants this to have any impact bar the HALF LIFE NAME forged into it, I'd like to see the competition.

(Yes, you linked Asgard's Wrath and while fairly interesting, the gameplay by itself looks like an inferior version of Skyrim if that's even possible).

Have you seen/tested those games in actual VR or only watched video footage? Because VR footage on screen always looks like clunky shit. Its a whole other thing if you experience it in person.

Inproper representation of VR gameplay on screen is the second biggest gatekeeper (besides the current console hardware) for VR right now imho. It relies almost completely on word of mouth.

while the newest "Oculus Rift S" iteration is kind of a joke

Why, is it bad? It buying the old Rift better?

From what i've read so far the Rift S has a much clearer and crisper image but lacks the contrast of the original Rift since it has an LCD screen opposed to original Rift OLED. It had some tracking issues initially but they appearantly patched that out. The second gripe with the Rift S is the fact that it only has software adjustment for IPD with a much more narrow range in which you get a sharp picture for your eyes. Oh and they cut costs on the audio so you kind of need to buy your own headset if you dont want plastic sound.

 

[Jenkem]

VR's Mario 64.

 

[Morgoth]

Even if it hits HL front and center, it's going to be a ~2h of a technology showcase disappointment not a meaningful story, as virtually all VR games to date.

Valve already stated that their VR efforts will be full-length games. They wanna approach this like Nintendo: Release a quality flagship game for their gadgets to make everyone rush out and buy said gadget.

That's the theory. They'll soon learn after release whether it's worth to further invest into VR, or drop it and move to other avenues. John Carmack leaving Oculus is perhaps a premonition that it might be the latter. I kinda hope so because I wanna play a normal version.

 

[whydoibother]

It looks horrible and feels clunky as fuck

Have you played it, or are you judging how it feels based on watching 2 minutes on YouTube? I know this forum is full of people talking out of their ass, but most at least put on the mask of legitimacy. Please have the dignity to pretend your posts can be separated from wet farts.

 

[Dodo1610]

I wait until autists Russians have made a non-VR mod but I am still happy that the VR people are starting to get more proper games in the last years. In the worst case I will enjoy the game on YT.

 

[J_C]

I know this forum is full of people talking out of their ass, but most at least put on the mask of legitimacy.

Yeah, right. XD

 

[Van-d-all]

John Carmack leaving Oculus is perhaps a premonition that it might be the latter. I kinda hope so because I wanna play a normal version.

Carmack left Occulus because it became PR shit hole focused on shareholder pep talks instead of actual technology. Zuckerberg targets utter normies, not even the casual gamer crowd, so they need a sellable product with inflated marketing more than anything. They spearheaded the technology just to get ousted by literally every bigger electronics developer. HP Reverb has twice the specs of Rift S for the same price.

 

[Doktor Best]

John Carmack leaving Oculus is perhaps a premonition that it might be the latter. I kinda hope so because I wanna play a normal version.

Carmack left Occulus because it became PR shit hole focused on shareholder pep talks instead of actual technology. Zuckerberg targets utter normies, not even the casual gamer crowd, so they need a sellable product with inflated marketing more than anything. They spearheaded the technology just to get ousted by literally every bigger electronics developer. HP Reverb has twice the specs of Rift S for the same price.

Same price? Last time i checked it was almost double the price of a Rift S. Is it that much cheaper in the US?

Also the Reverb kind of has a mixed reception because of tracking issues.

 

[Dexter]

So no game that has VR and a normal monitor/pancake version counts, even though they're fully developed ports with a new interface and translated mechanics? Right.

Does every fucking game with mobile/tablet/touchscreen capability count as a separate game? No.

I'm not sure why Ports like Skyrim, Fallout 4, Hellblade, The Forest, L.A. Noire (this wasn't a full port to be fair), Subnautica, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, Obduction, XING, The Solus Project, The Talos Principle, Alien: Isolation, Doom 3: BFG, all the Serious Sam games, and all the Space games and Flight/Racing Sims like Elite: Dangerous, No Man's Sky, EVERSPACE, Sublevel Zero, IL-2 Sturmovik, DCS World, X-Plane 11, Euro Truck Simulator 2, Project Cars/2, Assetto Corsa, iRacing etc. wouldn't count as "VR games" even though a lot of people played them in VR and I've had fun for dozens of hours with some of those, but whatever. I guess no cross-platform game counts as a "PC game" either, even though it has PC-specific features and you can play it well with Mouse & Keyboard just cause it also had a console release.

Honest question, considering that you seem to take this very seriously and have invested considerable resources in VR: can you suggest a shooter that sorta, looks and plays good? Because the vast majority of VR shooters I've seen looks inferior to goddamn Trespasser and worthwile only as a novelty? I'm legit curious: I never considered VR as nothing but memery, because, well, all games I've seen on VR looks clunky and choppy. If Valve wants this to have any impact bar the HALF LIFE NAME forged into it, I'd like to see the competition.

I'll be honest, I haven't played as much VR Shooters as some other genres. There's the obligatory "Arizona Sunshine" if you're into popping Zombie heads and since it was one of the first bigger VR Shooters and there's a new Walking Dead game in a similar vein coming out soon called "Saints & Sinners" that looks to have more of a story (and a competing VR Shooter called Walking Dead Onslaught): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FncrcmZ9NBY

For Counter Strike Multiplayer fags into VR (or against Bots), they've been mostly playing Pavlov VR and Onward for hundreds, some even for thousands of hours:


Zero Caliber was recently added to that Multiplayer Trio, although it's still in Early Access and closer to a Battlefield title. Oh yeah and PAYDAY 2 also has a VR Mode.

Gun Nuts absolutely swear by H3 or "Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades" although it's less of a Shooter and more of a "gun range" Simulator with some other game Modes, painstakingly recreated guns and a lot of US flags. Ben Kuchera of Polygon famously tried "reviewing" this and people ended up making fun of him and comparing him to an actual "gamer":


There's also "Gun Club VR" in a similar vein, although it's a lot less popular.

For SinglePlayer Arcade kind of stuff there's Raw Data (although more of a wave shooter), Superhot VR, and as "Oculus Exclusives" Arktika.1 by Metro-developer 4A Games, Defector (which is more of a Cinematic Shooter and got very Middling reviews) and Robo Recall, which was a short "experience" by Epic Games to Demo their Unreal Engine VR Support that was given away for free with Oculus Headsets that can be fun with the guns and shooting feeling really tight, better than a lot of other games:


If you want Stabby & Hacky, "Blade & Sorcery" and "GORN" are some of the Top titles, although they are more Sandbox:


Most of the Serious Sam games were also ported to VR and Serious Sam: The Last Hope is a rather short VR-only offshoot. DOOM 3: BFG also has a VR Mod:


Gunheart and Seeking Dawn were also two more recent Sci-Fi Bug Hunting Shooters I haven't tried yet that are less popular and there's an upcoming higher profile VR Shooter called Espire 1.

 

[Tehdagah]

Are people going to shell out for VR to play as their blasian waifu if they can't even see her without looking in a mirror?

Good news, it's a prequel.

Diablo Immortal was a spin-off and it still caused massive outrage over all the gaming community. Valve is the only company that gets a free pass for doing things every other company is crucified for.

 

[Van-d-all]

Same price? Last time i checked it was almost double the price of a Rift S. Is it that much cheaper in the US?

I'm from Poland.

Spoiler

The price differs by 100 PLN ~ $25, but it's mostly because of how much Rift S is overpriced here.