I’m not playing Half-Life: Alyxbut I really want to.
Last month, I picked up the PlayStation VR2 as my first virtual reality headset and have been enjoying many of its games ever since, from Zombieland: Headshot Fever Reloaded on Horizon Call of the Mountain. Although the lack of exciting new library titles in the PSVR2 launch window didn’t bother me too much since this was my first VR experience, I still knew that there were only a few games that pushed the PSVR2 technology and provides Sony’s second VR. outing a clear identity.
A key criticism of VR that I’ve always been out there is that the medium is too fragmented to get me interested enough to pick up a platform. While I finally decided to bite the bullet and buy a PSVR2 and have played a lot of great ports on it, there’s still quite a bit I can’t play on it – namely the 2020’s Half-Life: Alyx. As I moved on from the early days of being impressed with anything I played in VR, I started looking for more fully formed experiences like Alyx which actively develops and develops the medium. Currently, the PSVR2 lacks many of those titles.
Great VR games I’ve yet to play disappeared from the PSVR2’s launch window library, and that cut into the headset’s early appeal the further we got from launch day. Although this seems to be a situation where Sony needs Valve more than Valve needs Sony, the creator of Steam and the Index VR headset stand to get something if it gets the critically acclaimed PSVR2 game.
Why PSVR2 needs Half-Life: Alyx
To view gameplay footage and reviews of Half-Life: Alyx, I can see why it was met with so much critical acclaim. It is one of the best looking VR games and one of the most comprehensively designed shooters on the platform. It justifies a $1,000 Valve Index purchase for many people and stands with the likes. Boneworks, Beat Saber, and Astro: Bot Rescue Mission as a sign of a VR release that just shows the kind of transformative AAA experiences that VR can create.
But from the list, Defeated Saber the same is confirmed for PSVR2, and even this does not have a specific release window. Unreleased games such as The Dark Pictures: Switchback, Synapseand Foundation journey looks neat, but doesn’t bring excitement like the tentpole AAA PSVR2 releases can. As my VR honeymoon period wears off, I’m becoming more aware of the library’s limitations and I’m left hoping that the platform has a future.
Seeing more games taking advantage of the technology and more high-profile ports of popular games on other VR platforms will give me the vote of confidence I need right now as a VR newbie. fan. The issues I see in the VR space become clear the more I work through the PSVR2 game library, and as someone with only one headset, I feel a little out of place. I don’t feel buyer’s remorse, because the headset is very powerful and already has some great games, but PSVR2 still doesn’t feel like a platform with a clear mission or identity. Getting more of its AAA VR classics ahead of the next major tentpole PSVR2 game release will go a long way toward fixing that.
And what better way to give the headset a shot in the arm than to bring the best gaming technology to the platform?
Why Half-Life: Alyx needs PSVR2
The biggest roadblock that stands in the way Half-Life: Alyx from the arrival of PSVR2 is simple: Sony is not the developer or publisher of the game. Because of that, Sony had to convince the historically sporadic Valve to put in the time and effort to create a PSVR2 port. It’s easier for Valve to sit on its winnings and not the port Alyx above, but there’s something Valve can get out of this if the company is still interested in VR and doesn’t want people tracking down workarounds to play the game on headsets other than the Valve Index. taking Half-Life: Alyx more platforms will serve to improve the VR medium as a whole; it is a rising tide situation.
Many other gamers like myself are exploring virtual reality games for the first time thanks to the PSVR2. Console-related releases provide access to a more casual gaming community than the hardcore high-end PC crowd that is now flocking to VR. By bringing a unique game like Half-Life: Alyx with PSVR2, Valve will entice more people to pick up a VR headset and encourage them to stick around. Even for someone who hasn’t played it, Half-Life: Alyx seems to be an experience that shows what makes VR such a special game. The medium will only look better in the eyes of many casual VR users like myself if it’s more accessible with more headsets like the PSVR2.
Instead, many people will see the value of VR gaming and AAA experiences tailored for it. It might even get some PSVR2 players to get more into VR and opt for a higher end headset. The VR medium is in a nascent phase where the big players need to build on each other, not create walled gardens. taking Half-Life: Alyx of PSVR2 will not only make Sony’s VR headset a better platform, but could be a solid road map for the future of the VR gaming medium as a whole.
So, Valve. I really want to play Half-Life: Alyx.
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