A community effort to get the VR exclusive Half-Life Alyx fully playable in 2D and without the need for a VR headset is making strides. The latest release of the mod by the NoVR team now allows you to play the entire campaign from beginning to end in 2D.

While this is great for accessibility and will allow more people to experience the game without expensive VR equipment, keep in mind that the game was made exclusively for VR and the 2D version may be akin to playing Wii Sports without a Wii remote. Valve’s Robin Walker anticipated this happening back during the release of Alyx and is quoted as saying “As a result, what I’m confident will happen is that when people get that butchered version, and they’ll have lost all the things that we’ll have got from moving to VR, they will then understand very clearly why we made that choice.”

The mod is also a work in progress and the team have warned that future updates on their social channels may include indirect spoilers.

Change log

• updated gravity gloves - use on objects with E
• gloves can now grab any object from a distance including ammo and other pick ups
• gravity gloves sound effect added
• late game glove power added
• wooden planks can now be broken off doorways and doors with E
• the entire game is now playable from start to finish (no cheats or noclip needed for anything - bugs may still be present but a save reload will fix that - please post issues on out GitHub Issues board, some of these bugs are carried over from the original HLA release and can only be fixed by Valve)
• movement speed has been adjusted so you move a bit slower when walking with proper footstep sounds
• all cranks, doors, cabinets etc all now open by pressing E once or twice for some
• subway doors open more naturally now
• 33/42 steam achievements currently work (see section in the article on achievements for more details)
• combine fabricators are now functional
• various weapon upgrades can be selected for all 3 weapons (3 each)
• resin counter added to HUD
• stability fixes
• additional support for other mods (see section in the article for more details)
• and more!

Our biggest update yet is out now!

The campaign can now be completed from start to finish! Gravity Gloves are working, combine fabricators can be used to upgrade your weapons & much more!

Check the reply for the link that has all the details in an article and a download link! pic.twitter.com/rcxSMgO9Ew

— Half-Life Alyx NoVR (@HL_Alyx_NoVR) April 9, 2023

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Source
Official website

 

[RedoLane]

YES! I'm so gonna try it ASAP!

 

[Jayro]

Finally, the game is now worth buying!

 

[ZeroFX]

Cool, although in VR is another level. But i'd say it's a good makeshift way of enjoying the story.

 

[x65943]

Neat they have managed to make the game accessible to a wider audience, but also I feel like it will be a tad like playing radical dreamers for SNES and calling it Chrono cross

 

[The Catboy]

And now I can finally buy this game!

 

[Avalyn]

Seems pointless. Playing Alyx in VR is one of the most intense gaming experiences I have had.

 

[shaunj66]

Seems pointless. Playing Alyx in VR is one of the most intense gaming experiences I have had.

It's in my top 10 for sure. Just incredible.

 

[VinsCool]

Seems pointless. Playing Alyx in VR is one of the most intense gaming experiences I have had.

The point is that VR is not for everyone, and that mod was specifically made to address that situation.

The goal was to make the game somewhat playable without requiring the use of an expensive setup, or worse, a setup that would make a person feel dizzy, or uncomfortable, or just make any game unplayable in the first place.

Accessibility reasons, pretty much.

 

[Avalyn]

The point is that VR is not for everyone, and that mod was specifically made to address that situation.

The goal was to make the game somewhat playable without requiring the use of an expensive setup, or worse, a setup that would make a person feel dizzy, or uncomfortable, or just make any game unplayable in the first place.

Accessibility reasons, pretty much.

Why not just play a game that's designed for 2d then?

 

[diggeloid]

It's tragic that some people are going to meet Jeff for the first time in 2D

 

[eyeliner]

Wouldn't make more sense making it an FPS?
Weird, making it a 2d experience.

 

[x65943]

Wouldn't make more sense making it an FPS?
Weird, making it a 2d experience.

They did make it a fps

2d in the sense that it's just on a 2d screen with no depth

VR games have one screen for each eye so allow a truly 3d experience with depth perception

2d doesn't always mean like a super Nintendo game

 

[stompysan]

If this is the only way you can play Half-Life Alyx for accessibility or financial reasons, then this is a great way to do it. If you have access to or can have access to VR and are physically capable of playing it, it is 100% DEFINITELY worth experiencing it in VR. This is the best narrative-driven VR game we have ever gotten (IMO), and experiencing it as-is should be priority if possible.

 

[VinsCool]

Why not just play a game that's designed for 2d then?

...because they wanted to play a Half Life sequel and it only exists as a VR game, maybe?

 

[Pin1988]

This game is what VR was made for... No VR experience has even come close yet, I can't imagine this being any real good without vr

 

[wurstpistole]

Finally, the game is now worth buying!

It's sad to see the amount of people here failing to see that without VR, Alyx will be a mediocre experience at best. It's pinnacle VR and should by no means be experienced without it.

 

[SuperDan]

Whats the point>? its one of the standout VR games i have so many VR Games & trust its a bit like Wii Games alot are basic af ..but the good ones Half Life ..The Walking Dead Pavlov ect are amazing ... this just seems stupid

 

[Jayro]

It's sad to see the amount of people here failing to see that without VR, Alyx will be a mediocre experience at best. It's pinnacle VR and should by no means be experienced without it.

Most of us cannot afford VR, because they overprice the headsets as the same amount as the console/PC it's made for. It's ridiculous.

 

[x65943]

Most of us cannot afford VR, because they overprice the headsets as the same amount as the console/PC it's made for. It's ridiculous.

It's expensive but I dunno if I would say over priced, it's expensive tech to produce