OT: Half-Life Alyx

[tuxbailey]

Not sure how many play PC/VR games here.

I finally broke down and bought Half-Life Alyx at full price. What a game. I am still at the beginning but this game is so well done. Even though my PC just meet the minimum spec and I am running at low fidelity, this is still the best VR game i have played in terms of graphics, controls, and game play.

I am simultaneously excited and scared to play this game :)

[Richard]

I have thought about this game longingly, but keep coming back to the VR equipment investment and balking. I did buy Black Mesa and have enjoyed that. Often circle back to the Half-Life games as they are defining.

Self-isolation for me features a lot of replays of New Vegas and ongoing War Thunder battles. I like to pretend that gaming sharpens the mind!

Just curious, what are the specs of the machine you play that "just" meet the minimum and what VR setup do you use?

[tuxbailey]

I have thought about this game longingly, but keep coming back to the VR equipment investment and balking. I did buy Black Mesa and have enjoyed that. Often circle back to the Half-Life games as they are defining.

Self-isolation for me features a lot of replays of New Vegas and ongoing War Thunder battles. I like to pretend that gaming sharpens the mind!

Just curious, what are the specs of the machine you play that "just" meet the minimum and what VR setup do you use?

Yes, VR equipment is a steep entry point. Good thing I have had my Oculus Rift for a year but the OCulus Rift S is hard to come by nowadays being always sold out. The Valve Index is supposedly in another tier, but so is its price :(

I have a fairly old system CPU wsie. I have the Ivy Bridge i5-3570K at 3.40 GHz that I overclocked to 4.5 GHz. 16 GB of RAM and AMD RX580 with 8GB of memory.

Most hardcore players are running Nvidia 2060/2070ti etc.

But even at that the game runs smoothly at low setting. I just encountered my first head crab and that was exciting. I am back to my old way of playing Half Life, which is saving often as soon as I clear an enemy. City 17 is awesome to explore in VR.

[R3awak3n]

I want to play this real bad but just can’t justify the investment. VR headset and I bet my computer could barely make it too. I have heard the game is awesome but valve, doesnt usually make bad stuff.

[Brusselsprouts]

I'm looking forward to trying this game. I have to upgrade my aging GPU and make use of the HTC Vive that's been sitting around.

[tuxbailey]

I'm looking forward to trying this game. I have to upgrade my aging GPU and make use of the HTC Vive that's been sitting around.If you have VR headset sitting around you have to try this. If the CPU is good enough a RX580 will work.

I just met the first vortiggant [sic] and interacting with him in 3D/VR was awesome. Almost fired a shot thinking he was a monster.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

[FlashUNC]

Good luck with reloading while fighting off a head crab.

[benb]

I'd like to try it for 10 minutes on someone else's rig. I've gotten to try a lot of the demos on some of the units as well as Google Glass, MS Hololens, etc..

The costs are still ridiculous and there still seem to be too many unsolved issues with VR games.

The graphics have gotten better but essentially they haven't really solved the issues that were an issue in the first wave of VR in the 1990s when VR was all the rage and hype.

More like what is the payoff vs spending that money on a new bike or a nice musical instrument or a camera or a drone or a fishing rod or a gun or new set of skis/snowboard or whatever else floats your boat.

[tuxbailey]

Good luck with reloading while fighting off a head crab.

I am dreading this. My MO walking into a new area is check my gun to make sure it has a full clip. If I a low I will empty and replace with a new clip.

It is "realistic" as I cannot just "reload" to a full clip. I have to make a decision to lose my partial clip or have full clip.

[tuxbailey]

I'd like to try it for 10 minutes on someone else's rig. I've gotten to try a lot of the demos on some of the units as well as Google Glass, MS Hololens, etc..

The costs are still ridiculous and there still seem to be too many unsolved issues with VR games.

The graphics have gotten better but essentially they haven't really solved the issues that were an issue in the first wave of VR in the 1990s when VR was all the rage and hype.

More like what is the payoff vs spending that money on a new bike or a nice musical instrument or a camera or a drone or a fishing rod or a gun or new set of skis/snowboard or whatever else floats your boat.

I hope you have a chance to try it. The graphic is immersive and the environment gives you a real 3D feel instead of just a FPS presented in a VR system.

[ThasFACE]

I'm a console guy, but I've always been really curious about gaming rigs and it's been a while since I've played with computer builds, so this game has me perilously close to piecing together a gaming setup.

Perilously...

[benb]

I hope you have a chance to try it. The graphic is immersive and the environment gives you a real 3D feel instead of just a FPS presented in a VR system.

Except you still can't walk around freely cause they still haven't figured out how to not make you get sick.

I've tried a lot of the demos.. I am not sure I think think VR is even a step forward in terms of immersion. As soon as I get to anything with the "warp to a new location" I'm mostly over it cause it breaks immersion more than playing the game through a normal screen & being able to move freely.

We had a lot of these games in the 1990s where you couldn't move freely.. they lost to the games where you could move freely in the long run.

I think the hardware would be more successful if the effort was heavily focused on flight simulators & driving games since those are genres that don't have the sickness issues. But those genres just don't have the popularity even though the enthusiasts there traditionally spend big money compared to the mainstream.

I actually think the current wave may have jumped the shark already before Alyx even got released. The hype has already died down a lot. Outside of the hardcore gaming press the normal tech press and the mainstream press are no longer even talking about VR like they were a couple years ago.

[tuxbailey]

Except you still can't walk around freely cause they still haven't figured out how to not make you get sick.

I've tried a lot of the demos.. I am not sure I think think VR is even a step forward in terms of immersion. As soon as I get to anything with the "warp to a new location" I'm mostly over it cause it breaks immersion more than playing the game through a normal screen & being able to move freely.

We had a lot of these games in the 1990s where you couldn't move freely.. they lost to the games where you could move freely in the long run.

I think the hardware would be more successful if the effort was heavily focused on flight simulators & driving games since those are genres that don't have the sickness issues. But those genres just don't have the popularity even though the enthusiasts there traditionally spend big money compared to the mainstream.

I actually think the current wave may have jumped the shark already before Alyx even got released. The hype has already died down a lot. Outside of the hardcore gaming press the normal tech press and the mainstream press are no longer even talking about VR like they were a couple years ago.

I do agree with the getting sick point. It is a good compromise (for me) using the teleport option for movement. I tried Pavlov and that could get me sick if I try moving too fast. I do have room scale set up with 3 sensors. But with the rift being tethered I can't move too fast. I guess the only way to solve this is the treadmill thing they showed in the "Ready Player One" movie.

For half-Life Alyx, I enjoyed a whole hour just playing with the gravity gloves. It is so intuitive to point at something with your fist, fling it so it flies to you and then catch it.

[benb]

Yah I think whether or not you’re okay with teleporting instead of moving freely is the deciding factor.

If we weren’t in the age of extreme dominance of the 3D shooter things might be different. I loved those games for a long time but it’s been almost 30 years since Wolfenstein 3D and Doom came out and I got bored at some point and VR goggles don’t change that.

A few absolutely killer flight or space sim type games would go along way for me. Those games are so far and few between these days.

A lucasfilm remake of X-Wing and Tie Fighter with VR could be amazing imo. Look around with the goggles, cockpit not as complicated as a real airplane, balance out accessibility but don’t make it as insulting as most of the modern flight games.

[tuxbailey]

So what enticed me to get a VR system was that I tried a PSVR driving SIM at my friend's home. I was driving an open wheel formula car at a track and that system really fooled my brain. Despite it only had 720P graphic, my brain was immersed enough that I thought I was pulling Gs on the track. So much so that I almost ripped the steering wheel from the chair. That is when I was sold.

Since I already had a mid-tier PC, adding a VR system when it was on sale over two Xmas ago was not a bad investment.