{"id":838,"date":"2021-04-19T01:55:53","date_gmt":"2021-04-19T01:55:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/?p=838"},"modified":"2021-04-19T01:55:53","modified_gmt":"2021-04-19T01:55:53","slug":"the-end-is-nigh-because-of-valves-vr-obsession","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/2021\/04\/19\/the-end-is-nigh-because-of-valves-vr-obsession\/","title":{"rendered":"The End is Nigh … because of Valve’s VR Obsession"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This article originally ran under a different banner\/website in November of 2019 and is now being here re-uploaded for purposes of convenience and consolidation. Please enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HEAR YE!!!  HEAR YE!!!  LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!  I AM HERE, ON BEHALF OF VALVE, TO DISCUSS THE NEW HALF-LIFE <\/em>TITLE: HALF-LIFE: ALYX.  <\/em>After twelve years of the Half-Life <\/em>series\u2019 slumber, Valve is presenting a story within the Half-Life <\/em>universe.  Half-Life: Alyx <\/em>which will take place between Half-Life 1 <\/em>and 2<\/em>, amidst the Combine invasion.  You play as Alyx Vance as she\u2019s trying to stop the Combine invasion.  As Alyx, you will venture through City 17 solving puzzles and combating the Combine, all within the wonderful world of virtual reality.  Oh, I am sorry, don\u2019t you all have a VR setup?  No?  How awkward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Half-Life: Alyx <\/em>seems to walk the same path as Diablo: Immortals, Metal Gear Survive, <\/em>and Fallout 76<\/em>.  The title seems to be taking a dramatic shift in comparison to previous entries in the series.  While Diablo: Immortals <\/em>and Fallout 76,<\/em> seem to be cynically designed to milk more money from consumers, Half-Life: Alyx <\/em>doesn\u2019t have the same avarice motive.  Valve is hoping the new Half-Life <\/em>title will encourage people to pick up a virtual reality set, much like what Sony and Microsoft do with Xbox or PlayStation exclusives.  However, picking up a VR setup is very different from picking up a console. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s talk about monetary values.  Valve says Half-Life: Alyx <\/em>will be playable on the Valve Index, HTC Vibe, Oculus Rift, and Windows Mixed Reality.  The Valve Index bundle including the headset, controllers, two base stations, and a copy of Half-Life: Alyx <\/em>will cost you $990.  A similar bundle for the HTC Vive costs you $1098.  Both Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality boast cheaper bundles, but I question whether those bundles include everything you need to play VR.  I still find the VR set hard to justify when I was able to pick up a PlayStation Slim that included Marvel\u2019s Spider-Man<\/em> for less than the Oculus Rift and less than half of the Valve Index and HTC Vibe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Price isn\u2019t the only barrier to VR.  Space can be a factor.  Much like the famed Xbox Kinetic, some VR setups will throw hissy fits if they cannot locate you with its sensors.  Virtual Reality is almost impossible to use if you have any physical disability.  The video games industry, for better or worse, is growing and companies have been making some surprising charitable moves to make sure everyone can play.  Microsoft is leading the way with its Adaptive controller, designed for anyone who struggles with a traditional controller.  So it seems very jarring for Valve to be pushing technology that is very restrictive.  Even the simple act of having glasses, throw a monkey wrench into the VR plan.  If you have the money, space and are physically fit enough to take part in virtual reality, you will never know if your stomach will agree with VR.  Many people who have tried VR have praised it as a way to induce vomiting.  Frankly, whether you will take to VR seems like a huge gamble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A gamble that I argue isn\u2019t worth it.  Virtual reality seems like it is in the same place the Xbox One is in: they only have a handful of interesting titles.  I am not sure if platform holders know this, but it has historically been games that sold consoles and new technology.  I acquired a PS4 not for its power, but for Marvel\u2019s Spider-Man<\/em>, God of War, <\/em>and Horizon Zero Dawn.  <\/em>While titles like Half-Life Alyx <\/em>and Vader Immortal<\/em> seem exciting, I can\u2019t say they are enticing enough for my interest to be piqued.  With all these restrictions and lack of meaty content, the only rational response is why the first Half-Life game after its twelve years hiatus, is a virtual reality game?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There has been a trend circling through the games industry of publishers taking properties with brand recognition and slapping them onto something different.  I didn\u2019t make that Diablo Immortals <\/em>joke earlier for no reason.  Half-Life Alyx <\/em>very much reminded me of Blizzard trying to convince an audience of PC gamers that they wanted the latest mobile game that would try to shake them down for more coins.  While Blizzard and Bethesda are trying to hook some whales, Valve is clearly going the less cynical route.  However, whether it is small micro-payments that players lose track of or a massive down payment on fringe tech, it is very frustrating to fans of older franchises.  Am I against developers trying new things with their intellectual property?  That would be hypocritical for me to say as a fan of World of Warcraft.<\/em>  My umbrage stems from the catalyst of the change being money over creativity, and Half-Life Alyx <\/em>certainly blurs the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, more than any has shown me just how far the old Gods have fallen.\u00a0 While Valve\u2019s actions are not on par with the likes of Bethesda and Blizzard, it still has me hang my head in shame.\u00a0 Valve has a track record of impressive single-player titles that the market is clearly starved for, but the fact it is focused on a niche platform just showcases Valve\u2019s attitude.\u00a0 Valve cares not for being a developer, but platform holders.\u00a0 Valve wants to be to VR, the same way Nintendo and Sony are to consoles.\u00a0 Yes, they are well within their right to do so, but frankly, it is disappointing.\u00a0 It is especially disheartening when you see Capcom making Resident Evil <\/em>7 playable on standard means and VR.\u00a0 Why not do the same with Half-Life: Alyx?<\/em>\u00a0 Valve could probably do it but clearly, want to shift VR sets.\u00a0 It is a shame especially when a Left 4 Dead 3 <\/em>or Portal 3<\/em> would set the world on fire.\u00a0 Unfortunately, I officially, can\u2019t be excited about those announcements.\u00a0 If Valve did make those games, surely, they would be VR titles.\u00a0 The thought of Portal 3<\/em> on VR would be stomach-turning awful.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So if you are excited to have a killer Half-Life <\/em>game on VR, I will only say I am envious of you.\u00a0 If you wish to pelt the Valve office building with rotten fruit, I certainly won\u2019t stop you, but I won\u2019t join you.\u00a0 My only reaction from learning the Half-Life <\/em>series has awoken from its slumber to be a game only a handful of people will experience is a tired sigh.\u00a0 Valve could be doing more, but they won\u2019t.\u00a0 They are neither the hero we deserve nor need.\u00a0 They have turned their backs on us.\u00a0 We have certainly been forsaken.\u00a0 Allowing the end of the industry to be nigh.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article originally ran under a different banner\/website in November of 2019 and is now being here re-uploaded for purposes of convenience and consolidation. Please enjoy. HEAR YE!!!  HEAR YE!!!  LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!  I AM HERE, ON BEHALF OF VALVE, TO DISCUSS THE NEW HALF-LIFE TITLE: HALF-LIFE: ALYX.  After twelve years of the Half-Life series\u2019… Continue reading The End is Nigh … because of Valve’s VR Obsession<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-opinion","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=838"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/838\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":845,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/838\/revisions\/845"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}