One of Valve’s Biggest, Dumbest Mistakes

One of Valveā€™s Biggest, Dumbest Mistakes:

Half-Life Alyx

Valve thought, VR was the future of gaming. Much the way, a tablet tile interface on a PC was. People had the cash to buy a $60 game, and $500 VR hardware. On top, having the high end hardware necessary to power the VR experience.

This was a terrible, foolish mistake on their part!

Valve cut out, a sizable portion of their loyal HL fan base, by doing this! Fans that have been anxiously waiting well over a decade, for a 3rd iteration of Half-Life. 

Still waiting for Half-Life 3

Valve should make a traditional, non-VR version of Half-Life Alyx. Something that can be done expeditiously, with modifications in the gameā€™s code.

Conversation 9 comments

  • erichk

    Premium Member
    17 March, 2021 - 5:31 pm

    <p>When mixed, augmented, and virtual reality started to become more and more of a thing, I kept thinking that I wanted to step my toes into those waters. I never pulled the trigger though. Like my LEAP motion controller, it's fun at first, then sits unused most of the time.</p><p><br></p><p>But that's just me personally. Maybe if I *did* try VR in 2021, maybe I'd get hooked.</p>

  • Paul Thurrott

    Premium Member
    17 March, 2021 - 5:43 pm

    <p>Yes. And while we're at it, HL 3 Episode 3. :)</p>

    • StevenLayton

      20 March, 2021 - 7:44 am

      <blockquote><a href="#618682"><em>In reply to paul-thurrott:</em></a><em> After all these years, it still a sore topic, lol</em></blockquote><p><br></p>

  • polloloco51

    18 March, 2021 - 8:23 am

    <blockquote><em><a href="#618739">In reply to illuminated:</a></em></blockquote><p>My point here was, Valve gave the middle finger to those waiting so long! Making them choose between, buying the game, and spending $500+ in order to play it. I feel they should have added a regular mode in the game! It could have still been, a groundbreaking VR game, with optional, traditional controls.</p>

  • angusmatheson

    19 March, 2021 - 12:22 am

    <p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Sony also invested big in playstation VR without a lot of reward. Facebook totally invested big leave in VR buying oculus – and it seemed like they got nothing from the purchase. My brother helped build a VR arcade in the 90s that crashes and burned. My dad took a sabbatical in 2001 and got into VR going to conferences with druggies and army generals and speakers who talked about how the VR revolution was coming. Magic leap and Oculus were going to user us into a VR decade last decade. And here we are…still waiting for the VR revolution. But I am still a believer. We are going to a world like the Oasis in Ready Player One. And it will be awesome.</span></p>

    • polloloco51

      19 March, 2021 - 8:25 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#618927">In reply to Angusmatheson:</a></em></blockquote><p>3D gaming was also supposed to be a hit back! Remember, all of the 3D ready TVs and games with 3D labels? Nothing amounted from it! Virtual reality is still up for debate, in my opinion. While, it adds to the gaming experience, it is still a luxury peripheral, not a standard. It's still going to take several years for prices to drop for VR equipment! Hence, a luxury peripheral!</p>

      • Greg Green

        20 March, 2021 - 10:46 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#618952">In reply to polloloco51:</a></em></blockquote><p>Part of the problem with vr as I understand it is the early systems required setting up a number of peripherals around the room to track the player. This required time and space the delayed the near instant gratification other games offer. </p>

  • spacein_vader

    Premium Member
    19 March, 2021 - 9:51 am

    <p>Modders already did this a year ago. Search github for Half-Life-Alyx-novr and enjoy.</p><p><br></p><p>The consensus was that the game doesn't really hold your interest without VR, things that seem clever in VR (picking things up, turning them over, unscrewing them etc.) are just dull on a flat screen with a mouse and keyboard.</p>

  • vladimir

    Premium Member
    20 March, 2021 - 12:42 pm

    <p>It's an amazing game in vr because it was built for vr. Exactly as No Man Sky, Subnautica and similar are half baked experiences in vr because they were built for flat, Half life alyx is a half baked experience in flat. I actually think Valve did great and I hope they do more vr games like this one</p>

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