Valve Finally Announces new Half-Life Game, but...

[Fanatical Meat]

I only see these listed as minimum requirements (outside of a compatible VR headset of course). But this is a VR game, so that's expected.

Otherwise, these requirements are pretty low for a major game in 2019/2020, IMO.

View attachment 13474

Sort of, they are kind of high comparing to other games. I am not a VR fan however I am excited Valve is doing something different that requires a moderately new machine.

Here are the minimum specs for Mech Warrior 5 arriving around the same time

Minimum

OSWindows 7, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 (64-bit versions)

CPUIntel Core i3-7100, or equivalent

GPUNVIDIA GeForce GTX 770, or equivalent

RAM4GB

DirectXVersion 11

HDD80GB free space

 

[GodisanAtheist]

To be fair, VR is generally more computationally expensive to do than most standard games thanks to higher minimum FPS requirements and duel displays to drive, so I would expect the minimum for VR only titles to be higher than standard games.

I wouldn't consider those requirements particularly high for a VR only game. Maybe Source 3/ Source: VR or whatever special engine this is running on has a lot of VR specific performance tweaks baked in that other games ported to VR might relay on the GPU driver to provide.

 

[crashtech]

12 GB is low now? Wow. I've been out of the gaming loop for a while.

 

[EXCellR8]

There's no way they're expecting this to get "mostly positive" reviews on Steam. Ugh, at least the screenshots are kinda cool.

I didn't think they could fail any harder than with Steam machines--but this might just do it.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

There's no way they're expecting this to get "mostly positive" reviews on Steam. Ugh, at least the screenshots are kinda cool.

I didn't think they could fail any harder than with Steam machines--but this might just do it.

Earlier I read some dude from valve said there are no game mechanics that require VR.
Sounds like this announcement is testing the VR waters. Sounded like there easily be a non VR release.

 

[EXCellR8]

I don't know... the steam store page explicitly states that a VR headset is required.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

I don't know... the steam store page explicitly states that a VR headset is required.

View attachment 13478

- Well, yeah. Right now it definitely requires a VR headset. Once that channel runs dry, back port to a non-VR edition and rake in the bucks from all us normies.

In a way I'm glad to hear that the game does not have any VR specific game modes since a standard FPS will be easy to port, but at the same time that basically dooms this title to the same fate as so many other VR titles.

In a way, I was looking forward to Valve tapping the full gameplay potential of VR and work to convince holdouts like me.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

After a dozen years since a Half Life game I don't even know how to react. Bittersweet I guess. It's VR so it's unlikely I will ever play it.

Anyway it looks really cool. I hope it does well so they continue the story and we finally get the sequel we really want.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Couple of hours ago valve said “it is difficult to imagine Half-life Alyx without VR”

Who knows if my earlier comment is accurate or not.
Regardless it’s fun watching valve be valve. Zero coordination but for whatever reason it works.

Valve say "It's very difficult to imagine Half-Life: Alyx in a non-VR form"

"VR is essential to the experience of Half-Life: Alyx," Valve have told us following today's formal announcement of the…

www.rockpapershotgun.com

 

[Midwayman]

Earlier I read some dude from valve said there are no game mechanics that require VR.
Sounds like this announcement is testing the VR waters. Sounded like there easily be a non VR release.

That's planning to fail. Making a shooter that works well in VR is a completely different animal than pancake gaming.

All the salt from people is amusing though. We've hamstrung PC gaming for so long that people actually expect to run new cutting edge titles on a potato. Sorry guys PC games actually used to require a descent machine to run. Glad to see someone pushing boundaries a bit at least.

 

[Kaido]

 

[aigomorla]

looking at the the game i dont think its possible to port the game to non vr without a major overhall.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Ah god damn it, I watched the trailer after getting home. God damn Valve. This is the kind of thing VR needs: Beautiful graphics, iconic art direction, but most importantly, an experience standard gaming would have a rough time replicating.

I can see a "hit the use button" version of the game eventually delivering the story without the immersion, Valve knows there is a huge market there, but in this case I can see something being lost in translation.

That being said, they might have lead with their best foot forward, and the game can be a collection of variances on the same handful of game mechanics (stand in one place while holding off bad guys, rummage through stuff to find other stuff). That said: Valve, as bloated and ineffectual as they've become, wouldn't sacrifice their prime property on a gimmick. They have so much money now that they don't really have to.

 

[Stg-Flame]

As much as I love Half Life and hate Valve for leaving us with a major cliffhanger, I just wish they would let these franchises die. One final statement saying they have no plans of continuing the series and be done with it. Trying to revitalize a game after this long will never live up to the hype, so instead of making a Half Life 1.5 in VR, why don't they just make an original game?

This is Duke Nukem Forever all over again. Highly anticipated which will quickly fall flat on its face.

 

[UsandThem]

This has nothing to do with the announced VR game, but I saw this today when checking out Star Wars toys, and I thought it was pretty cool looking. It's not something I would buy, but it does bring back some gaming memories:

https://mondotees.com/blogs/news/new-half-life-gordon-freeman-1-6-scale-figure

 

[TidusZ]

As someone who has owned a Rift for about a year, it's about time a AAA game experience is coming to VR. The potential in VR is huge, but the lack of quality games after so long is bewildering. Hopefully enough people pick up headsets that there is more interest for producing VR games moving forward.

 

[jpiniero]

Trying to revitalize a game after this long will never live up to the hype, so instead of making a Half Life 1.5 in VR, why don't they just make an original game?

Easier marketing wise and the world/concept has already been built. The idea of a Half life VR game has been bandied about for some time, it's probally a tech demo that was expanded with some filler to justify full price.

 

[EXCellR8]

The potential in VR is huge, but the lack of quality games after so long is bewildering. Hopefully enough people pick up headsets that there is more interest for producing VR games moving forward.

Well, that's just the thing... AAA games are expensive to make, let alone something that requires even more expensive hardware for end users to play. Couple this with the fact that VR requires some additional horsepower in peoples' machines and you've got something that caters to maybe 1% of the PC gaming community. It's not like SteamVR is bundled with an i9 9900 and RTX 2080...

If there was anyone with the resources and backing to bring AAA to VR (and potentially fail big), it's Valve. I wish it was another Portal and not HL but here we are.

 

[BFG10K]

This is HL2 locked to Steam all over again, except VR will go nowhere because nobody wants to wear a Darth Vader mask to play games. This was a calculated ploy due to multiple storefronts encroaching on Valve's territory.

As for "Valve can make it happen", look at Steam Machines, and their Linux gaming efforts in general. Most Linux games on Steam are still either cross-platform Unity Indie titles or wrapped up in DOSBox, so no change there. Also still a ~1% desktop market share, and counting.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

As much as I love Half Life and hate Valve for leaving us with a major cliffhanger, I just wish they would let these franchises die. One final statement saying they have no plans of continuing the series and be done with it. Trying to revitalize a game after this long will never live up to the hype, so instead of making a Half Life 1.5 in VR, why don't they just make an original game?

This is Duke Nukem Forever all over again. Highly anticipated which will quickly fall flat on its face.

- I'd argue this is the right way to do it: Don't make a game that has to live up to the hype, do something in the same universe as a spin off title to ramp up interest and get things flowing again.

If HL:A ends up being a mediocre experience it doesn't doom the franchise: It was a sideshow to begin with.

 

[Aikouka]

As an added bonus, the game is free if you own either the Index HMD or the Index Controllers. I only own the latter, and the game is already in my library.

 

[Igo69]

Now? After so many years Valve releasing this!? Is it because other companies making their own platforms and moving away from Steam and Valve/Steam losing money?

Do even many people have VR these days?

What ever happened to Half-Life: Episode 3? Maybe it will be released in 2030 of this universe and this timeline?

 

[Stg-Flame]

- I'd argue this is the right way to do it: Don't make a game that has to live up to the hype, do something in the same universe as a spin off title to ramp up interest and get things flowing again.

If HL:A ends up being a mediocre experience it doesn't doom the franchise: It was a sideshow to begin with.

But you can also argue that this is only adding fuel to the fire. I know I'm not the only one who remembers people bombarding Valve with the constant e-mails and letters asking about Episode 3 and this is only going to spark that up again. Assuming it's good, people are going to start asking if they can make this, why can't they finish the story, which will inevitably lead to the disappointment they'll call Episode 3 or Half Life 3.

As I said before, I just wish they would let it die. No more spinoffs, no side projects in the same universe. Just be done with it officially and start a new franchise.

 

[EXCellR8]

As I said before, I just wish they would let it die. No more spinoffs, no side projects in the same universe. Just be done with it officially and start a new franchise.

Says you. The end of Episode 2 was a pretty considerable cliff-hanger; if it wasn't such a landmark series I might agree... but not HL. You need a proper ending to kill off a franchise and they did the exact opposite. That's a big part of why it's become what it is now.

I would agree that too much time has passed however, and a VR-only game that serves as a distraction from something else. Of course Valve knew this would build the HL3 hype train to even greater momentum; there are lots of people and insiders already stating that something else is in the works. Personally, I'd like to see a continuation and then a real ending; perhaps a Combine homeworld or something but something may be hinted at when we see HL:Alyx.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Just a random thought, this could be a smaller title to show off VR and there could Ben a true sequel coming after