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Half-Life: Alyx. Now I’m interested.

Ralfi

Ralfi

macrumors 601
Original poster
Dec 22, 2016
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Australia
My personal fave game’s next instalment is getting the VR treatment, & I’m now finding myself interested in VR headsets.

Game won’t be out until early 2020, so i’m wondering if any new model VR headsets are due for release around then? If not, which of the current offerings should be the most future-proof?

https://half-life.com/en/alyx/vr

 
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I am so excited!

Can't decide on the headset though - the Index is not going to work in my apartment.

To answer your question, the Index should still be the most powerful VR headset (+ your rig) to experience HL: Alyx, but as noted, may not be the most practical solution from a setup perspective.

Just to toot my horn, I was on the team that published the world-first HL2 walkthrough on HL Fallout. Link below for nostalgia purposes (thanks to the web archive!)

Half-Life Fallout > HL2 Guide > Chapter I: Point Insertion

Half-Life Fallout - up to the minute coverage of the world's most anticipated game. HL Fallout is your stop for HL2 information, daily news, tips, downloads, articles, forums and much more.
web.archive.org
 
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The Index is up there in price, so I’m not sure it’ll be worth it for one game, unless they’re on sale.

MKBHD & Rene Richie both mention the Oculus Quest as one of the better tech products of the year. I guess that places it on my short list.
 
Ralfi said:
My personal fave game’s next instalment is getting the VR treatment, & I’m now finding myself interested in VR headsets.

Game won’t be out until early 2020, so i’m wondering if any new model VR headsets are due for release around then? If not, which of the current offerings should be the most future-proof?

https://half-life.com/en/alyx/vr

Click to expand...
Exciting! Fingers crossed it works on the current Occulus, it’s control scheme is simple, and it can be played while seated. :)
 
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Ralfi said:
My personal fave game’s next instalment is getting the VR treatment, & I’m now finding myself interested in VR headsets.

Game won’t be out until early 2020, so i’m wondering if any new model VR headsets are due for release around then? If not, which of the current offerings should be the most future-proof?

https://half-life.com/en/alyx/vr

Click to expand...

There's nothing like when your favorite game comes out in VR, for me, its DOOM and Star Wars (for that brief stint :() and No Man's Sky.

So, so awesome. Looks great!
 
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gkarris said:
There's nothing like when your favorite game comes out in VR, for me, its DOOM and Star Wars (for that brief stint :() and No Man's Sky.

So, so awesome. Looks great!
Click to expand...
For myself, I wanted no part of Fallout 4 VR because I play it with mods, two game controllers and occasional quick reference notes, and had no clue at how to interact with the game wearing a hood.
 
With all that’s going on, I missed the release of this earlier in the week....How are people finding it?!
 
Ralfi said:
With all that’s going on, I missed the release of this earlier in the week....How are people finding it?!
Click to expand...

As you may have already discovered it is already one of the best reviewed games of all time.

I have played a couple of hours and its awesome but scary. You suddenly realise half life is full of scary monsters which doesn't really occur to you playing on a 2D screen but suddenly actually being in a room with a head crab and having to scramble to actually reload a gun by popping the clip out, getting a new one in and pulling the slider back adds buttock clenching tension. Hmm did I say tension... no fear, yep definitely fear. But there is something amazing about pointing your gun at the window (just incase something leaps through it) while looking in a different direction and rooting around in a draw with your actual hand to see if there is another clip there. Your brain totally buys it as a real place and a real experience that's actually happening to you.
 
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whitedragon101 said:
I have played a couple of hours and its awesome
Click to expand...

Kick arse. What headset/PC/Settings are you playing with?

I can imagine the enhanced envelopment in a VR game done right, & i'm so glad the reviews are positive! My all-time fave franchise is pioneering the way into VR, & i'm so relieved - not many other development studios could have led the way.

VR is such a huge investment right now, but games like this will hopefully propel the tech into a true mainstream genre & hence pricing tier.
 
Ralfi said:
Kick arse. What headset/PC/Settings are you playing with?

I can imagine the enhanced envelopment in a VR game done right, & i'm so glad the reviews are positive! My all-time fave franchise is pioneering the way into VR, & i'm so relieved - not many other development studios could have led the way.

VR is such a huge investment right now, but games like this will hopefully propel the tech into a true mainstream genre & hence pricing tier.
Click to expand...


Oculus Rift S
i7-6700k , 16gb RAM, 980ti
Settings were automatically set to low so its pretty graphically demanding. However, low still looks good.
 
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Just saw a review saying the Samsung Odyssey Plus is the best value VR headset. It’s main issue are the controllers apparently. It also may be a bad fit & require additional strap/padding?

Would people still go for the Oculus Rift S over the Samsung?

Also, are these VR headsets all wireless? I’d hate to have a cable attached whilst playing...
 
Ralfi said:
Would people still go for the Oculus Rift S over the Samsung?

Also, are these VR headsets all wireless? I’d hate to have a cable attached whilst playing...
Click to expand...

All have cables at the moment but it doesn’t distract from the gameplay too much

If you can’t stretch for an Index then I would get the Rift S

there are adapters to allow wireless gaming but they are very expensive and typically only for the top end devices

At home we are using our original Oculus CV1 on a GTX 1660 super and Half-Life Alex looks stunning on medium settings and is the best and most immersive VR game we have played. If you own a VR setup it’s highly recommended but it is also terrifying at the same time
 
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Ralfi said:
Just saw a review saying the Samsung Odyssey Plus is the best value VR headset. It’s main issue are the controllers apparently. It also may be a bad fit & require additional strap/padding?

Would people still go for the Oculus Rift S over the Samsung?

Also, are these VR headsets all wireless? I’d hate to have a cable attached whilst playing...
Click to expand...

If you have money to burn get an index. Otherwise I would go with a Rift S because :

- Its controllers and controller tracking volume are better than the Samsung headset
- You get access to the Oculus eco system as well as steam
- RGB stripe really improves the image quality and the brightness of the image is better with the fast switch LEDs
 
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