Half-Life: Alyx – The $1500 Video Game You’ll Probably Never Play

Half-Life: Alyx is challenging the notion of the "VR system seller."

[Babadook7]

“ Put it all together, and you’ll see that it’s really not unrealistic to suggest that Half-Life: Alyx is, essentially, a $1500 game for the unprepared user.”

Uh. Millions of users are fully prepared to take on Alyx.

It’s going to sell well.

[Anomander]

Game is phenomenal looking! Running with a i5 4670K, RTX 2070 Super, and 16GB of Ram. Played a few hours and no issues at all. Most immersive VR experience yet. Easy to get lost and just pick up things and not advance far.

[_SilverHawk_]

It's a quality vr system and is the best imo at the moment. Sometimes quality costs a bit more. I'm glad half life alyx has great reviews because I think vr is the best medium for games. Great games will entice more developers to make great games for vr which will make gamers buy more vr headsets.

[specialguest]

I just downloaded and tested it out. I'm running an i5 4670k and a Gtx 1080 w/16gb ram. No issues at all either. This is the most graphically impressive VR game to date. It's also very responsive in terms of picking objects up and throwing it. I've played Boneworks and sometimes objects don't project the way you want it to when you throw it

[PS4Gamer1984]

Weird, you and specialguest comments are pretty much the same thing, yet his like/dislike ratio for his comment is 7/0 while yours is 11/13. Just an interesting observation is all

[frank_a]

"Millions" is a HUGE overestimate, my guy. There are better ways to defend this game, to which I'd be on your side and agree with you on. But to say that it'll sell well is kind of fantastical.

[Casepb]

Not really, there are at least 10 million PC gamers with headsets already. I see HL Alyx selling at least 1 million this year. And as time goes on it will sell millions more no problemo.

[xTonyMontana]

Thing is with VR games, they sell well after launch. It's like a whole new platform, I'm buying games released in 2017.

[gamerben]

Alyx is THE killer app for VR though... Other games have done well but none were of this scope

[CaptainHenry916]

Using my Oculus Quest to play it

[Zeref]

Also there's VR headsets that are 300 dollars out there that can play this.

[traqueia]

Do we really need to keep posting about how a 500usd pc and a 180usd headset is enough to play it around here?

[roadkillers]

But is it enough to play Crisis?

[Double_O_Revan]

You still can't play that game on Max settings. Maybe some day...

[xTonyMontana]

Not even that, you can play it on an Oculus Quest without dedicated PC hardware.

[Anomander]

ahhh last I checked the price I paid was the price of the game...

[jeromeface]

I guess your headset was free huh?

[starchild]

Was your console and your TV free too?

[nowitzki2004]

LOL You are so dumb. And I am totally not sorry.

[FullDiveDerail]

A lot of us have been hard into VR since 2016. You dont need to be rich to be a VR gamer I dont even have a good income and i could get into it. It's just all about priorties..you might pay to match for vehcile that you only use when you go to work or just sets in your garage..or you might eat out all the time.

[Dom_Estos]

starchild6h ago
Was your console and your TV free too?

Nothing more to add to that, really. Those crying about it being VR only need to accept that eventually more and more big games like this are going to get made for VR. They were expecting - sorry, hoping - that it was a fad and it'd be dead by now. Well, here we are in 2020 and guess what...

[Anomander]

You guys are dumb, most of us who bought VR for PC bought it for the tech. Sure, there was always going to be games and other apps to the play, but it was about the VR experience.

That's like saying you need add the cost of a 4k tv to your console to the price of your games on Sony PS4

[Gaming4Life1981]

If you dont already have a gaming pc that can run vr I doubt that someone is really going to build a pc and buy a vr headset for 1 game.

I dont understand why people keep making these articles.

[FITSniper]

I think that's the point. That many don't have a gaming PC capable of playing it. Or even if they do, they don't have a VR setup.

[xenz]

But its an stupid argument. Its like that for every game. You need the hardware to play it.

[xTonyMontana]

If you can afford to spend £500+ on a graphics card, you can afford to buy into VR. A new Half Life scoring so highly will sell VR units.

[Gaming4Life1981]

@FITSniper

You dont need a high end gaming pc to play vr and I see alot of non vr players making that excuse. Most gaming PC's can run vr and if they cant then their computer is way out of date. I mainly use my laptop which is new to run vr but my computer that's still using a old cpu with ddr3 memory and a rx 580 can run vr.

My point was that the people that like vr have vr and the people that dont do not want/like vr. Vr is cheap so it's no excuse not to have it unless you dont want it. I just wish people would stop making the excuse making it seem like vr cost so much.

One more thing every article like this seems to think that everyone starts from scratch. If that were the case then the same thing can be said about consoles if someone had no tv, no console, and no game.

[Neonridr]

but if you have a gaming PC, then you remove a big hurdle out of the price of entry. That's like saying that someone won't go out and buy a PS4 + PSVR. But if they already own a PS4, then it's less cost to them.

Naturally in this equation the VR headset is more for the PC side than it is for the PS4 side, but that's also due to the tech inside the headset powering it.

[jeromeface]

@xtonymontana a 12 hour half life game after all this wait is a slap in the face to fans, especially considering it doesn't push the story forward considering its a prequel. But way to buy into valves tech demo to sell index's. VR is years away from being mainstream.

[Double_O_Revan]

Agree. Love Half-life, was devistated at the cliffhanger all those years ago in Ep 2, even more hurt they never finished the story. But even if my PC is capable of VR, I don't have a VR helmet. And I doubt I'll be buying one anytime soon. Really want to play this game, but I'm not buying a VR for one game.

[jeromeface]

you are not alone, not even hyped at all for a prequel tbh... they dropped the ball

[Dom_Estos]

A VR "helmet"?

LOL enough said, really.

[FullDiveDerail]

You would be mistaken if you think that VR is only worth getting into because of this one game. There are tons of amazing titles like Asgards Wrath and Lone Echo. Real high quality titles. None of us would be into VR if there was only one game worth playing ....do some research.

[FullDiveDerail]

Most of the people complaining never even played a Half Life game and they are just arguinig for the sake of it.

[Hungryalpaca]

Is any console game also the combined with the cost of the console as well?

What about people who don’t have 4k tvs or good speakers?

[Shinkus]

Technically any game on psvr is the cost of the console + the headset, so yes.

[generic-user-name]

Title is a fabrication.

[L7CHAPEL]

All this hype about valve being back, that it's a continuation or a revisiting of Half Life, just falls deaf on the ears of people that aren't interested in VR,
and don't want to make that investment just for this.
there's a really huge (much larger) audience that doesn't have VR, that would have loved to have had this game.
It's going to sell a tiny fraction of what it could have, and satiated an audience that's been clamoring for something half life for over a decade.
instead we got a bunch of conflicting interviews where they give lame excuses as to their "high creative artistic standards" as to why they couldn't simply finish with a third installment in a trilogy.
Or, not simply give a straight answer to their customers and their fan base cuz God knows that's too much to ask.
Some of us (a lot of us) will never use anything remotely like the current iterations of VR.
When I can put on a pair of lightweight glasses and hold a controller (the current style) in my hands and play it that way with the same level of immersion (and without the risk) that, I'll be interested in.
And not until...
Valve is going to go its own way, and do what it wants to, the way it wants to.
But they're not going to be convincing a lot of people to buy into VR.
This will bump the needle just a little, nothing more.
lot of people purchased headsets,
I understand they've sold out with different models here and there,
but then reality will set in not long after that, when they see just exactly how much ISN'T available..
funny how nobody ever talks about some of the medical reports, about the impending problems that'll be coming up from having a blue light screen less than 3" away from your eyes, and how continued exposure to that will cause(lots) problems, you know, little things like that...

[xenz]

Gabe has always stated that they envy Nintendo because of them making their own games to their own hardware. This is Valve doing just that. They are invested in this VR business, and for it to take off, evolve and become more mainstream, they know they have to make system sellers. I think they know that they could make much more money if they pushed it out as a normal flat screen game, but they are playing the long game.

You may not be interested in VR at this moment, but I bet you will be in a few years time when more developers, publishers and indie studios make more compelling AAA games for the medium.

[jeromeface]

Alienating your fan base by requiring hardware that's only useful for a very limited library and has a massive buy in to obtain is not the nintendo way. This is nothing more than using a popular IP to exploit a fanbase to buy an overpriced product. Not to mention you don't even push the narrative forward and make it a prequel. F off Valve.

[RazzerRedux]

"Alienating your fan base by requiring hardware that's only useful for a very limited library and has a massive buy in to obtain is not the nintendo way."

lol....yes it is. In fact, that is how most console generations start out entirely. You got to buy the new hardware to play a limited number of games. Typically, these consoles have exclusives that help increase adoption of the platform. Why this is suddenly a problem with VR....I have no idea.

[Hungryalpaca]

You know. People like you keep downplaying VR and it continues to sell well. For years now.

[L7CHAPEL]

It's not downplaying, simply not interested.
and define "sell well"
anywhere near as well as it could have sold on consoles? no.
anywhere near as well as it could sell without VR? no.
We'll see, it's just been released. if it hits 10 million there you go, the people that are looking for the system seller/equivalent after playing this, there isn't going to be a ton of things for them to continually play on VR.
What is the frequency of releases on VR?
how many reviews are you reading for things in VR?
It's got a very long way to go.

[jeromeface]

Yea, it's selling so well that everyone's making games for it... right? That's what I thought.

[Dom_Estos]

Yes, thankfully there are people out there that understand and realise the potential of it. I'd be losing interest, and hope, in the industry if VR died off. It's a technology that is simply too good to fail in the long run. It's been attempted and been a pipe dream for decades, but it's now an actual real life thing now.

[xTonyMontana]

"Some of us (a lot of us) will never use anything remotely like the current iterations of VR.
When I can put on a pair of lightweight glasses and hold a controller (the current style) in my hands and play it that way with the same level of immersion (and without the risk) that, I'll be interested in."

You'll never get that with a controller screen. I used to think like that but your brain can't comprehend it until you load into a virtual world and do the tech demo and something as simple as use a ping pong bat to hit a ball. It literally transports you to the world, the level of immersion is on a completely different level. I'm scared of spiders for example and the headcrabs scare the absolute shit out of me in VR.

[L7CHAPEL]

I'm not looking to be amazed by everyday things, in the virtual world.
it would have to be the level of depth and continuity that I'm experiencing now.
they're a decade away from that,
at least. (And that's conservatively)

[generic-user-name]

The game wouldn't exist if it weren't for VR. You say VR isn't doing so good but go ahead and compare it to the first generation of consoles and you'll see it's doing just fine for new tech. As a PSVR owner I've already got my killer app back near launch with RE7, VR transforms that game completely into a GOAT. Since then I've had Farpoint, Firewall Zero Hour, Astro Bot, Superhot, Skyrim, LA Noire, Beat Saber, Blood and Truth and I'm going to soon have an exclusive Iron Man game and the well reviewed Walking Dead Saints and Sinners not to mention Dreams support that's on the way. I'm pretty sure my PSVR has more exclusives than an Xbox.

As for the blue light scaremongering, blue light can mess up your sleep (SteamVR even has a night mode, a blue light filter) but there's no proof it causes actual damage to eyes. You get a lot more blue light beamed into your eyes by going outside at day time.

[jeromeface]

Keep telling yourself that. And you're right, it wouldn't exist if it weren't for vr, just shows that valve is willing to whore out their best IP to sell 1k index's and its sad.

[L7CHAPEL]

"No proof"
That takes time and research, but the basic medical causation is there,
Not to worry, you will find out for yourself.
The comparison of being outside in the sun versus VR, was really hilarious to me though.
Do people spend time staring at the sun unprotected, for hours at a time?
The same people that believe marijuana is harmless.
Lots and lots of medical evidence to the contrary continually mounting,
Just like VR.
Ask your optometrist.

[jeromeface]

This^

[generic-user-name]

"Do people spend time staring at the sun unprotected, for hours at a time?"

I was referring to indirect sunlight, not staring at the sun. But good job addressing only the blue light scaremongering and backing it up with "proof takes time", while ignoring all the other points.

Can I borrow your tinfoil hat?

[L7CHAPEL]

Your "exclusives" are the majority of the library for VR, and The Game wouldn't exist if it weren't for consoles either, now would it? personally I don't care what you play or what you play it on, point is valid.,
"Compare to the first generation of consoles" you said that yourself, and that's the point, it's still very far from being mainstream, I'm also not interested in Mobile, does that make things any clearer for you?
As far as the tin foil hat, read up on the subject, and ask an optometrist seriously.
Hopefully they'll make a VR game where you can lick the crack of Gabe's ass

[generic-user-name]

"Your "exclusives" are the majority of the library for VR"

Why are you putting exclusives in quotation marks? They are vr exclusive. And PSVR alone has 500 titles so congrats on being objectively wrong.

"The Game wouldn't exist if it weren't for consoles either, now would it?"

What?

"Compare to the first generation of consoles" you said that yourself, and that's the point, it's still very far from being mainstream"

The point is vr is already leaps and bounds ahead of where consoles were at their beginnings. I'm not watching a black screen and controlling a single white line, I'm already exploring tamriel.

"As far as the tin foil hat, read up on the subject"

I can find out about 9/11 being an inside job if I read up on it too. Depending on what sources I choose to accept and which ones I ignore, you seem to be ignoring the ones that say daylight is far more harmful than vr blue light (that has optional blue light filter that you conveniently ignore to suit your trash agenda).

I don't need a crack licking game, I'll be too busy with Half Life Alyx.

[porkChop]

I've actually seen quite a few people recommend not playing the game on the Index. For some reason the game causes really bad motion sickness on Index, which doesn't happen on the Rift or Rift S. It could potentially be fixed with a patch depending on what's causing the issue.

For example Angry Joe, Other Joe, and Alex all got really bad motion sickness on the Index. So if you have a Rift or Rift S, don't feel compelled to buy an Index just for this game.

[specialguest]

I'm playing it on the Oculus Quest with usb-C link compatible cable connected to my PC. The refresh rate is far less than the Index at only 72hz. I have not experience any motion sickness yet, but I'm not a VR virgin either. I still get motion sickness with some games though

[FlyingFoxy]

Haven't tried any VR myself, but I've gathered that the Rift S is probably the best balance of pro/con for the money, at least until a perfect headset comes along.

[porkChop]

Yeah. It's a great value. If I didn't have the regular Rift and 3 sensors already I would have gotten a Rift S.

[Dom_Estos]

Absolutely, yes. The only thing negative about the Rift S (relatively speaking) is that it's still tethered, but you'll quickly forget about that. Good luck finding one, though. The naysaying gremlins on here will make you believe VR isn't selling, when its actually selling out faster than the demand can keep up with.

[TheOffspring]

"For example Angry Joe, Other Joe, and Alex all got really bad motion sickness on the Index. "
Yeah I saw that video too. Those mouth-breathers tried to play it sitting down at different times, a game with a perspective that makes your brain think you're standing while moving with locomotion is obviously gonna give you motion sickness. Has nothing to do with the hardware.

[porkChop]

You're overlooking that they played both standing and sitting with both headsets, and they didn't get any motion sickness with the Rift S.

[CrimsonWing69]

I really hope this somehow gets posted to PSVR 2 or something. I’m a console pleb, but I’m absolutely into the VR scene and this is what o want to see more of!

[thejigisup]

Wished this title would make its way to psvr might have to wait until next gen

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

I'd be surprised if it didn't tbh - it has the largest install base and will be supported by PS5.

[xenz]

Valve talked briefly about it, stating that they are aware of Sony’s success with PSVR and that many customers would probably love to play their game on it. Not the exact quote mind you.

[FITSniper]

I'll buy it when I can play it without VR. If that's never, I'll live.

[RazzerRedux]

Console mentality. PC gamers apparently build a new PC, from scratch, with great regularity. The ignorance is hilarious

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

I wouldnt go that far, but a single component can cost a generation of a console.

Are PC gamers upgrading to PCI-e 4.0? Fairly sure the next gen console will support it. Isn't that going to be CPU, MB, GPU or that's not the case?

Maybe I am ignorant after all.

[porkChop]

If you're upgrading to PCIe 4.0 you'll need a new mobo and CPU. Probably new RAM unless your old RAM is compatible and still fast enough. And to make the most of your new CPU and prevent bottlenecking you might need a newer GPU.

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

porkchop - or just get a next gen console, sounds easier to me.

[Bladesfist]

I'm going to wait until the SSD improvements the console manufacturers pioneered make it to PC and then do my next big upgrade. As soon as the PS5 gets an exclusive I want to play (It was bloodborne that did it for me last gen / this gen?) I will pick one of those up too.

I don't feel an urgency in upgrading my PC as the GPU and CPU I have are faster than what's in the new consoles.

[RazzerRedux]

PCIe 4.0? lol....we are talking about playing Half Life: Alyx. Yeah....a new PC component can cost several hundred dollars. But.....

"porkchop - or just get a next gen console, sounds easier to me."

Sounds like you are spending several hundred dollars right there as well. And you still are not going to be playing Half Life: Alyx.

But to answer your question. If you need to upgrade to PCIe 4.0 what you will need depends on what you already have. If you have Ryzen CPU then all you need is the motherboard since this means you already have DDR4 memory and Ryzen will carry over with AM4 sockets. Intel is murkier but again, it depends.

"Probably new RAM unless your old RAM is compatible and still fast enough."

Maybe, not "probably". The vast majority of RAM being used is DDR4 at this point. It will carry over fine. If you are one of the minority out there with a "gaming" PC running DDR3 then yeah, you are well passed time for an upgrade, but not for the sake of PCIe 4.0.

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

Razzer - I was replying to you directly, and with next gen supporting SSD speeds and bandwidth that dwarf current PC's - I think a major upgrade is in store.

[RazzerRedux]

Yeah....and I responded directly. Again, the article is about what it takes to run Half Life Alyx. But fine....

" with next gen supporting SSD speeds and bandwidth that dwarf current PC's - I think a major upgrade is in store."

As I said, it depends. For example, my PC supports PCIe 4.0 already. Those new SSD that will be PS5 certified will work just fine in my current PC. Actually, I'll have more options than PS5 since I can choose other brands at the same speeds that didn't choose to get "certified" for a cheaper cost. And Microsoft has already announced DirectX 12 Ultimate which brings their DirectStorage APIs to PC implementing much of the same functionality next gen will provide.
https://www.pcworld.com/art...

So back at console. What are you going to do when PCIe 5.0 SSD arrives?
https://www.tomshardware.co...

Uh oh....consoles have static hardware and there is nothing you can do except buy a mid-gen upgrade 3 to 4 years later and hope 5.0 is included. So another "major upgrade" is in store and that is a hell of a lot more than what I'll pay for a new motherboard.

[isarai]

Thats like saying God of War cost me $1,963.00 to play...

Articles are seriously like fever dreams these days, they are just so damn abstract and nonsensical.

[xenz]

1500$ game? Thats so fucking stupid to say. You can play this at minimum specs at lowest graphics settings, buy a mixed reality set for about 200$ and you are good to go. I would estimate around 800$ + game. But then again - most people have an capable PC or only need to upgrade CPU, GPU or both.

And its not like this is the only good game VR has to offer. Stupid article

[Double_O_Revan]

Yes the $1500 label is a bit over exaggerated. But with my PC, I'm pretty sure I have the CPU, but most likely not the GPU. Plus I don't have a VR helmet. So even still, a few hundred for GPU and VR Helmet, plus game. So for someone like me, ballpark, $500+ is still pretty high for a single game.

[xenz]

I do agree with you on that. But with time, more VR games will come. We just have to be patient. I bet much will happen in that space now that alyx has been released to critical acclaim

[xTonyMontana]

I don't see these articles created for PSVR games quoting the PSVR price as needed. Opinion will change anyway if Sony do a new model and Alyx is a launch title. More people deserve to experience this.

[Casepb]

I've been playing it on an Oculus Rift S and it's nothing short of incredible. I could see the game coming to next gen consoles possibly. Crazier shit has happened before!

[FlyingFoxy]

A PC can do a lot more than a console can, so you can benefit from that as well. Plus the first time you buy is when you spend the most, after that you don't spend as much on upgrades because you can just resell your previous GPU for example, say 2-3 years later and then buy a new one.

[Dabbii]

Just imagine PS5 & PSVR 2 running Half- Life Alyx. Match made in heaven.

[SouljAx360]

If you're building a gaming PC or buying one, you're getting a lot more out of the deal than just playing HL Alyx. And that VR headset can do more than just HL Alyx. The game costs 60 bucks.

[DarkKaine]

I can't play it simply because I don't have the space. Found that out the hard way after I purchased PSVR. The moment I move my hand my fist is practically in my monitor.

[Magog]

Do you live in a shoe box?

[moujahed]

$1500?!? I’m literally playing it on my $399 Oculus Quest using Virtual Desktop with absolutely no problem. These articles are friggin senseless.

[ibrake4naps]

This is silly. As a PS4 player I don't say things like, "this Year's of War game is $400 and few will play it"

[pitythefool]

Oh ffs what a load of gibberish, so the first PS5 & XSX exclusives will be treated as $1000 + games, console plus tv right ?

And they’ll be alienating they’re fan bases since at that point those gamers will be the minority right ?

[InflectionPoint]

Half-Life: Alyx made its way into Steam's top 25 concurrent daily players on release day, peaking at 42,858 players. Seems to me this opinion article just lost a whole bunch of...'Steam'....get it?

[LanceLegstrong]

I remember when I needed a $1,500 PC to play Half-Life 2. I remember beating it at least thrice. This article is trash.

[OhReginald]

Real shame. I think it looks amazing. But I'll never be able to play it.

[Magog]

Never is a long time. People are still playing the first half life. If they release a PS5 version I'll buy a copy.

[Manubiggs]

VR is still very much a growing platform and this will give it a boost - but it will be a while before VR headsets are widespread. For those getting VR exclusively to play Alyx there is a significant price tag but the ROI will be the growth in good titles down the road that make full use of its capabilities. So the day 1 sales will not be comparable to tiels on other platforms but it is definitely a milestone for the industry. If it was coming to PSVR I might then buy a VR headset, otherwise Im fine waiting a few years till the VR industry matures.

[Dom_Estos]

I wonder if these asshole so called hack journalists writing bollocks like this would have said and complained about the same thing back in 1993 when Doom came out? And before anyone who thinks they are clever tries to tell me "Oh, but you didn't need a expensive VR headset back then to play that", well, you'd be missing the point. You still had to actually buy a functioning PC capable of running that back then, and back then that meant everything, including the monitor, so at least a grand's worth. The thing people are failing to wrap around their short sighted skull is that a VR HMD is a monitor, and eventually when the things become advanced enough, they'll potentially replace the desktop space as we know it traditionally. Why have one physical monitor on your desk, when you could have as many as needed in a virtual space? Not only that, but this author is talking nonsense about the cost. Most PC gamers will already have been keeping up tabs on hardware. An Additional 300+ is nothing to pay for what was essentially science fiction not too long ago.

[JesusBuiltmyHotrod]

I despise arguments like this, so short sighted.

1: it is their product, they can make what they want.

2: Not everything needs to be for everyone.

this mindset is trash.

[FullDiveDerail]

I guess if you are only going to play one game but there are dozens of other full on amazing VR titles.

[gamerben]

I guess animal crossing is 400 dollars?

Ff7 remake 350?