Late Monday afternoon, Valve announced plans for a new VR game. Half-Life: Alyx is Valve's first foray into VR gaming, although many products are already available on the Steam storefront. Whether this is Valve's now-infamous Half-Life: 3 is not yet known. The company promised to share more information this coming Thursday, November 21 at 10 AM PST.
We’re excited to unveil Half-Life: Alyx, our flagship VR game, this Thursday at 10am Pacific Time.
— Valve (@valvesoftware) November 18, 2019
Can’t wait to share it with all of you! pic.twitter.com/BupFCxSrTw
Though details are sparse, initial reactions to the announcement are mixed. At the time of announcement, only about 1.03% of Steam accounts had an attached VR device, according to Valve's Hardware & Software Survey. Though the title appears to be a VR exclusive (possibly exclusive to the Valve Index), Valve has not yet provided information whether it is a mainline game or merely a spinoff, although reports have hinted at it being a prequel. Half-Life: Alyx presumably stars deuteragonist Alyx Vance, a companion to Gordon throughout the series.
Half-Life is a sci-fi series developed by Valve. The first game released November 18, 1998, to critical acclaim. Starring the crowbar-wielding Gordon Freeman, it used the Gold Source engine, a precursor to the ubiquitous Source Engine. Sequels followed, to similar critical and popular praise. The Orange Box, released 2007, featured Portal, Half-Life 2, and Team Fortress 2. Successful sales helped increase Half Life's popularity in the PC and console market. The third game, supposedly stuck in development hell, is a constant recurring joke among the fanbase. Popular sandbox game Garry's Mod, developed by Facepunch, makes extensive use of Half-Life's assets.
As the announcement is still in its infancy, TechRaptor will continue to follow up on Half-Life: Alyx as Valve releases more information.
What do you think? Is Half-Life: Alyx something you're already eager to see, or are you cautious and waiting until Thursday's announcement? Let us know in the comments below!
