With Half Life: Alyx launching imminently, it appears that the new game has lead to widespread shortages of Valve's VR headset, the Valve Index. Hardware production of the headset has been impacted by the outbreak of Coronavirus, but there will be new units going up for sale, early next week. On Monday, March 9th, the Index will be available for the first time since January, with sales beginning at 10 am PT. Supply is limited, but this will likely be your last chance to grab an Index prior to the release of Alyx. They'll be sold through Steam at the standard price of $999.99. For those unable to grab an Index, Half Life: Alyx will launch on multiple VR headset platforms, including the Oculus, Vive, and Windows Mixed Reality.

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[Jayro]

Yea, I grabbed a Rift about a year and a half ago, because the price was $399 (FINALLY reasonable). I do have enough money now, but I can't justify a $1k price tag to slightly update the rift. I'd almost rather drop $3k for a Rift S and a Laptop that can power it.

My biggest problem with VR is the inflated pricetag for shitty wired setups that don't have any rendering hardware inside them. They should t cost as much as a new game console or PC. They need to come down to the $199 or lower range and be completely wireless setups to be taken seriously.

 

[chrisrlink]

are valve index vr headsets the only ones that can play this game? if so i could see lawsuits towards valve for being anti competitive

 

[Jayro]

are valve index vr headsets the only ones that can play this game? if so i could see lawsuits towards valve for being anti competitive

No, they listed the Valve Index, Oculus, Vive, and one other.

 

[chrisrlink]

well thats good

 

[Xzi]

I just want hackers to bind the VR controls to keyboard and mouse, so all of us can play the game, not just rich-ass VR owners.

It's not that simple. There is no Z axis with keyboard and mouse.

My biggest problem with VR is the inflated pricetag for shitty wired setups that don't have any rendering hardware inside them. They should t cost as much as a new game console or PC. They need to come down to the $199 or lower range and be completely wireless setups to be taken seriously.

It's better to compare the price with a quality monitor or TV. VR headsets consist of two separate displays which have to have relatively high refresh rates and very low persistence. The Fresnel lenses used are far from inexpensive to manufacture, as well.

 

[Deleted User]

https://www.vg247.com/2020/03/26/half-life-alyx-without-vr-debug/

Turns out, Valve accidentally shipped a debug mode with Alyx that enables a wealth of options intended for testing.
The debug mode has since been taken out, but not before Valve News Network’s Tyler McVicker knew of its existence.

The debug mode allows for a wealth of other options that skip the required VR motions, turning them into button presses instead.
Doors, for instance, can be opened by hitting E on the keyboard, where you’d need to physically grab the door knob and twist it in VR.
In his datamining session, McVicker also managed to find commands to display classic Half-Life UI and HUD on screen.

 

[Deleted User]

https://wccftech.com/half-life-alyx-new-mod-no-vr/
New mod is out to play Half Life Alyx without VR headset.