Half-Life Alyx VR is the new Half-Life game. With this new entry, Valve is returning one of the most famous game series back to us after 15 years. Yeah, this is how much we had to wait for the new Half-Life game. People were expecting Half-Life 3 but instead, we are getting Half-Life Alyx VR. This time the story takes place between the events of Half-Life 1 and Half-Life 2. Players will take control of Alyx Vance that was a nonplayable character in Half-Life 2. Instead of a regular game, we are getting a VR game which could be a big deal depending on the outcome of the game.
Valve did not make any shabby announcement but instead quietly released the game trailer. I didn’t even know about it until I saw the trailer in the suggestion section of YouTube. It was a surprise and a damn good one. Half-Life is always revolutionary when it comes to gaming. This time Half-Life Alyx VR is trying to revolutionize the gaming through the virtual reality. This is the first big 100% VR title in the gaming world. Their announcement reminds me of the announcement of PS5.
Why is Half-Life Alyx VR such a Big Deal?
You might be thinking the same thing and it’s ok to think that way. Anything related to Half-Life is a big deal because it is the flagship product of value. They would never make less than a masterpiece. The series helped the valve to attract players towards the Steam platform.  Half-Life was the first FPS game that gives players full control of players through scripted sequences. It’s realistic gameplay and graphics were way ahead of time. The influence of the series is evident in the FPS genre. It changed the perception of FPS games. Half-Life 2 has revolutionary physics, animations, sound design, AI and narrative. Both games are one of the greatest games of all time. The new entry of the franchise is trying to do the same. This time the target is virtual reality.
It is the first triple-A game that is an exclusive VR. Surely we had many VR games but most of them are indie and the triple-A title only has few VR modes. Half-Life Alyx VR could be the game changer and pave the way for further virtual reality games. It took Valve 15 years to finally present a new Half-Life game. Now we knew that they were experimenting with Half-Life Alyx VR. The game is a Half-Life which is exclusive to virtual reality. This is the first big VR exclusive title that can be a game-changer for VR games. Valve spent 15 years trying to bring it to perfection and it might be the final push needed to propel virtual reality into the next phase.
Half-Life Alyx Valve can become the Bench Mark for Future of Gaming
As I said earlier, the game really is a big deal because it is the series that give rise to Valve. Half-Life is the reason for the creation of Steam. It was the games that brought Steam into the spotlight and ushered in a digital era. Basically, the history of this game is about revolutionizing video gaming. I think that they are going to do that once again with Half-Life Alyx VR. The game will once again boost up the users of Steam to the new heights. Fortnite was the reason behind the creation of Epic games and Half-Life is way more influential than Fortnite.
Valve is sparing no expense when it comes to developing their flagship product. Fifteen years in the making with lots of trial and error. Half-Life Alyx Valve product is something that can change how we see virtual reality games. The success or failure of Half-Life Alyx VR will decide the near or even the far future of virtual reality gaming. If the game becomes successful then it will propel the virtual reality industry forward. Many developers and publishers will start to make a name for them in this emerging industry. The success of Half-Life Alyx VR will motivate other developers. In case the game fails then the progression of the VR gaming industry will slow down to a great degree. I am not saying that it will stop but Half-Life Alyx VR will decide the progression pace of the industry.
High Odds and High Stakes of Half-Life Alyx VR Presents a Great Risk
The stakes for Half-Life Alyx VR are high and odds for it are high too. As we all know, virtual reality headsets are expensive which provides a limited audience to a VR game. According to the official Steam website, the supported VR Headsets includes Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality. The cheapest VR Head Set with accessories would cost at least $400.
There is also another problem, the game is only available on PC. A PC is necessary to play this game and your PC needs to support the VR system. You would need at least GTX 1060 or RX 580, Core i5-7500 or Ryzen 5 1600 and 12 GB RAM. The requirement for the game is insane and it leaves out the console players. Half-Life Alyx VR is not only VR exclusive but PC exclusive as well. It means that the only players able to play this game are the PC players.
There are lots of console players in the world most of them don’t have VR headsets for gaming. I think many would have bought VR headsets for consoles if the game was not a PC exclusive. The number of VR gamers is already low and when you subtract console players form that figure then it lowers further. Any console players that want to play the game would need to buy a VR and a PC which is something that most can’t afford. There is no doubt that most of the PC players that own a VR will buy it but the numbers of these players are limited. The odds and stakes for the success of Half-Life Alyx VR are quite high.
The Final Verdict
Virtual Reality is new technology and most of the entertainment products that we see in the industry are indie. Half-Life is the first major franchise that is getting into the VR industry with a triple-A title. The impact of this game will affect every aspect of the virtual reality industry. The game will provide encouragement or disappointment to all the major entertainment producers.
Valve is making a bold move with their most influential game. The success of it will make it a landmark in the gaming and the failure of it could be a huge blow to the VR industry. This is the first time that VR would be put to test with such high stakes. The trailers of the game show us something great but time, quality of the game and choices of players will decide the outcome.
