‘Half-Life: Alyx’ Trailer Revealed, Release Date Set for March 2020

The game will be free for Index owners

Nov 21, 2019

Valve today announced Half-Life: Alyx a “full-length VR entry in the award winning series.” A new trailer gives the first glimpse of the game, and Valve has also revealed the Half-Life: Alyx release date, price, and headset compatibility.

Half-Life: Alyx is one of three VR games that the famed developer has been quietly toiling away on for the last several years. A trailer revealed today gives the first look at what Valve plans to unleash as both the company’s first full-fledged VR game and the first Half-Life game in 12 years.

Half-Life: Alyx Trailer

Half-Life: Alyx is set between the events of the original Half-Life (1998) and Half-Life 2 (2004).

“Alyx Vance and her father Eli secretly mount the resistance to the brutal occupation of Earth by a mysterious alien race known as The Combine. As Alyx, players take the fight to the Combine to save the future of humanity,” Valve said in today’s announcement. “Half-Life: Alyx was designed from the ground up for Virtual Reality and features all of the hallmarks of a classic Half-Life game: world exploration, puzzle solving, visceral combat, and an intricately woven story that connects it all with the characters iconic to the Half-Life universe.”

More of Today’s Half-Life: Alyx News

First Look: ‘Half-Life: Alyx’ Screenshots Are Classic Valve, with a Decade More Detail

Valve’s Gabe Newell: ‘We’re excited to return to Half-Life, VR has energized the studio’

‘Half-Life: Alyx’ Will Run on All SteamVR Headsets, be Free for Index Owners

Source 2 Tools Will Ship with ‘Half-Life: Alyx’ for VR Content from the Modding Community

Half-Life: Alyx Supported VR Headsets

Half-Life: Alyx is exclusive to VR, but Valve has affirmed that it will run on all SteamVR headsets. That covers every major PC VR headset on the market including Valve’s own Index, as well as Rift, Vive, Cosmos, WMR, and Pimax.

Half-Life: Alyx Release Date and Price

The company had announced earlier this year that the game would ship in 2019, but as of today it has delayed the title; the Half-Life: Alyx release date is March 2020. The game is priced at $60, available today with a 10% pre-purchase discount; Valve plans to give the game away for free to all owners of the company’s Index headset or controllers.

Ron

Awesome!
kuhpunkt

Not just free for owners of the Index. Having the Index controllers is enough!

Free game for me! :D
VR4EVER

Absolutely gorgeous! Preordered it in a blink of an eye.
- Jerald Doerr
  
  Your right! But I think you meant Breathtaking!
- Jon_Irenicus
  
  I hope by the time this is released, we have better looking headsets with higher resolution displays, with graphics cards to boot.
  - Immersive Computing
    
    We already have what you need? Index with 2080Ti, no complaints here about resolution nor graphics power.
    
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9f1c72cd0e34a02dd182d3d5bfededc6f9ef9e95e89a8141bef028bee50b31a5.jpg
    - Jon_Irenicus
      
      The hp reverb still has a higher resolution display for all it’s faults. That is what I’m talking about, these big companies are dragging their feet when it comes to be displays.
      - Immersive Computing
        
        It’s one thing to produce prototype display, to bring it to market in sufficient quantities whilst maintaining QA is not easy.
        
        It’s no secret that there have been problem with the Index displays relating to QA, my second headset had the vertical scan line problem and was returned to Valve.
        
        There is a lot more to a PCVR headset than just a higher resolution display, it’s a balancing act of competing factors, and Reverb suffers in that respect?
      - Jon_Irenicus
        
        The reverb has a ton of problems based on what I read, the index display is more uniform in terms of visual quality and has better colors, but ideally we want it all. Everyone has known for years that higher resolution can help get rid of the nasty screen door effect, and it’s taking too damn long for us to get past this nagging issue.
      - Immersive Computing
        
        The Index is cleverly designed (panel+optics) combined with diffusion layer, the screen door effect is heavily reduced. It’s the first headset I’ve used with “clarity” it’s actually good enough now, and very comfortable in terms of visual fatigue due to ultra low persistence and higher frame rate.
      - 3872Orcs
        
        Agree. And Valve did say Index is the best they could do with today limitations if I remember correctly, I’m only paraphrasing here from my faulty memory.
      - Immersive Computing
        
        It’s an impressive headset, no doubt. It’s ripe for modding to suit your ergonomics, I’ve had fun getting my Index just right. Finally found a use for the “Frunk”.
        
        https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c64c80aa4237a37c7b490890d7f013f245bc886844afa004b9229458a31b9f94.jpg
      - david vincent
        
        A Frunk fan wouldn’t be a better use ? (I heard the Index could get pretty hot)
      - Immersive Computing
        
        It’s actually a little cooler inside my index than my Rift or Vive as it’s better ventilated with the custom wide face gasket (more air gap around nose) and the lack of headphones keeps ears cool. I always use my index in a dark room so no light leakage.
        
        But I can definitely feel the displays getting pretty warm in 144hz mode (overclocked?), If I hold my hand against the outside of the plastic casing. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/21c1bd33f2cc9bf6c9f6d7637d941462a64b35453ba0a0e47d71cc4431e96871.jpg
      - The Bard
        
        Odyssey+ with OLED, built-in headphones, pretty high resolution is still the best choice. and for 299 USD when in promo-mode, not for 1000 USD.
antonio mora

VR might not be so popular for the masses yet but it managed to do what mainstream gaming couldn’t: Get a new Half Life game.
- crim3
  
  People still need to realize that all this time, playing 3D games on monitors was a temporary workaround for the real thing: VR.
  - aasdfa
    
    yupp its like black n white television, theres just no need to go back
  - Darwinian
    
    Not exactly. There are more genres right now that are more comfortable and successful to control using a mouse and keyboard than in VR. Not only is current VR innovation an example but also very true for competitive gaming. Ya can’t have inhuman CS:GO agility in VR.
    - asdf
      
      yeah but right off the bat would you rather watch cs:go where all the players are using kb:m or all are at that pro level but using vr equipment. once they come around even that will be better in vr and kbm will be a niche for people who look for just flat plane hand eye coordination. just a guess but seems right to me
    - Raphael
      
      Contractors is a good example of a fast VR FPS that looks and plays similar to CS:GO without the usual VR handicap.
Anne Bilodeau Stephane Hamel

Now that the Index is finally available in Canada, ordered mine today, we also get this little gem. Life is good. :)
- Oneben
  
  What??? Available where???
  - kuhpunkt
    
    In Canada.
  - Anne Bilodeau Stephane Hamel
    
    yep, in Canada.
    - Oneben
      
      Yeah, I got the Canada part. WHERE in Canada? My bad, I didn’t recheck Steam. SWEET
      - Anne Bilodeau Stephane Hamel
        
        Oops, sorry. Yeah I meant on Steam.
RockstarRepublic

Great, you get to be called “Honey” instead of Gordon. The game would have had more impact if they just stuck with Gordon.
- Zantetsu
  
  JHC, talk about nitpicking …
  - RockstarRepublic
    
    People have preferences. Crazy thought right? Immersion sucks you into a game, alienation pulls you out of it. Anything that can alienate the player is not something you should be calling a nitpick. But I get it, some of you would take whatever Valve throws at you and treat it like gold, even if it was Gabe Newell’s freshly laid stool. I am simply not one of those people.
    
    It is simply a fact, the game would have far more impact if they had the main character of the franchise (Gordon Freeman) as the playable character. This should be taken as common sense.
    - Zantetsu
      
      You need treatment for your Aspberger’s.
      
      Also, immersion sucks YOU into the game, as you said, and YOU are not Gordon (unless your name happens to be Gordon). So calling you anything other than your actual name would be immersion breaking by your logic. Which I’m quite sure is why they chose not to do it.
      - RockstarRepublic
        
        Hardly, you just don’t understand the meta aspect of Half-life, where you are Gordon Freeman often just referred to as the freeman. Its one thing to be called the characters name, its another to be told you are “honey”. Even worse if the female voice is used. Gordon was voiceless for a reason.
        
        As for Aspberger’s, that’s quite the childish insult you are attempting to throw out. Since you start with it in your response, its clear you wish to belittle a person first before attempting to talk down to them. You failed to have any impact in that regard.
      - Zantetsu
        
        Your implication that “some of you” will treat Gabe Newell’s stool like gold was quite insulting, I’m sorry your Aspberger’s doesn’t allow you to see that. Again, seek help.
        
        Glad that you believe you know better how to immerse the player in Valve’s game than Valve does though. Or is that the Aspberger’s talking too?
      - RockstarRepublic
        
        Yawn. Projection fallacy spotted. Go away please.
      - Robin Meade
        
        Waaah I have to be a girl in a game,waah!
        Waah I need to buy VR, waah
        Waah business is trying to make money, waah
        Waaah my pad is soaked with urine, waah!
        Waah, waaah, waaah!
      - RockstarRepublic
        
        Do you realize how dumb that response looks?
        I have 3 VR headsets already. VR has never been the dissatisfaction point. Playing as a female side character, turning this into a spin-off is simply not the Half-Life I (and other fans) wanted to play, a point made even in a published Forbes article. Yes I also do not want to play a female in VR, just as I am sure many females do not want to play as men in VR.
        
        If a business was after the most money, they would target what fans have wanted the most. Gordon Freeman, a continuation of the franchise, not a spin off. More men are likely to own and use VR headsets, they are the primary adopters of this tech atm, so it seems odd not to cater to that demographic. But see that’s just me using common sense and logic. As I said earlier, Gabe Newell could drop a stool and some of you would praise it. I may be a fan, but not that kind of fan.
        
        So unless you have something intelligent to say, please do me a favor and don’t leave childish comments like that again. Feel free to make an actual argument sometime.
      - Robin Meade
        
        Waaah Gabe Newell stool is not tasty, waaaah
        Waaah, I’m surrounded by unintelligent people, waaah
        Waaah, Why people can’t understand how wonderful I am, waah
        waaah, waaah, waaaah
      - aasdfa
        
        waaaaahhhhh i think i can make a game better then those who have revolutionized gaming multiple times in the past while i sat around eatin doritos waaaaaahhhhhhh
        
        unless you work for a game studio you have no ground to stand on in critiquing a game tbh. so much more goes into these decisions then just half thought out logic. These decisions are made for a reason and they dont need to personally keep you in the loop to make them. they have their reasons.
        
        seriously its so goddamn funny when someone thinks they know exactly what a game needs to be. if that were the case then go make it and be rich, otherwise your just huffing your own ass air.
      - RockstarRepublic
        
        I never claimed what you are saying. Thus you are creating a straw man argument to attack. Straw man arguments aka Strawman fallacy is a logical fallacy in which the other person misrepresents or adds to a person’s argument in order to make it easier to attack. It is absolute intellectual dishonesty and I am indeed calling you out on that behavior.
        
        Saying “unless you work for a game studio” is touching awfully close to the “no true Scotsman” fallacy. That is an argument that relies on Ethos (an appeal to authority) as an argument. Example, “Unless you work as a lawyer, you have no ground to complain about the law”, “Unless you are a forum moderator, you have no ground to complain about people’s posts”..ect. I am also calling you out on this behavior.
        
        Consumers can have opinions and criticism for products that are being presented. You don’t get to dictate consumer thought. As for me personally, I actually have some experience in the field you claim I have no business talking about. Both on an academic level and on a skillset level. Oddly enough I have met people more knowledgeable than many professional designers when it comes to the craft, the only difference is one simply did not choose to make it a career path. This is in part why the no true scotsman fallacy is stupid, its an appeal to authority not logic or reason.
        
        Do me a favor and think before you respond. Instead of create straw men arguments to attack, insult and belittle, try to actually make a logical argument. Less posturing, more substance.
      - Robin Meade
        
        Waaah I have the best ideas for the game, but those imbeciles trolls on the internet won’t allow me to implement it waaah!
        waaaah If I only could I would show the whole world how it’s done, waaah!
        Waaaah I dabble in pseudo-philosophical arguments with trolls while I could spend that time coding my most awesome game! waaah!
        waaah, waaah, waaaah
        What a fucking loser.
      - aasdfa
        
        you ere literaly complaining the main character was a girl… do i even need to say more?
        
        also you cant just throw out fallacies that arent there… thats more of a strawman fallacy then any fallacy you’ve accused people of using yet.
      - aasdfa
        
        lol when someone insults you, you cannot just say Projection Fallacy….. thats not how this works and its hilarious you think that it does.
      - kuhpunkt
        
        wtf is wrong with you. can’t even spell shit.
      - JmN
        
        most likely downvoted by his bots/mult accounts because everyone agrees with you
    - Dougie
      
      You have issues man. They own the franchise and have the right to take it in any direction they choose. Your attitude is why games are becoming bso poor these days, Devs trying to suit everyone who jumps on a soap box. Don’t like it? Don’t buy it. Keep quiet and get happy for something belse instead big being miserable that someone didn’t make the game you wanted so you waste hours wailing about it on line.
      - RockstarRepublic
        
        Care to point out where I claimed Valve couldnt take their own franchise where they want? You say I have issues yet you are the one injecting words and arguments I never made into my post, which is not only intellectually dishonest but quite defining for a person that has… “issues”.
        
        Your entire response boils down to creating a straw man argument I never made followed by “shut up and sit down”, which is basically the definition of bigotry. If you are willing to make an actual argument and be willing to read a post objectively, then try again otherwise please don’t waste my time by attempting to argue in bad faith.
      - Robin Meade
        
        waaaah, I just learned what straw man fallacy is and I’m going to jam it into EVERY argument, waaah
    - vtid
      
      To put a positive spin on your annoyance, perhaps they’re saving that playable main character for a proper half life 3/sequel game and don’t want to use him in this game too. Who knows.
      - RockstarRepublic
        
        Oh its entirely possible they have a larger plan laid out narrative wise. I never denied that. It could also be they want to put more people into VR first to see how well it does before committing to an actual sequel. The point is though many people want a sequel, not a spin off and some like myself have no interest in Alyx as a character or as playing her in VR. VR specifically can alienate the user more than usual, which is a unique challenge with VR.
        
        When we consider “Valve Time”, it still may take over 5 or more years before we see or hear anything about a true Half Life 3 IF it happens. So the annoyance can be understandable.
- Jerald Doerr
  
  Awww… Time to get woke put on VR look down and check out your Alex boobs! Or not and cry and walk around with a sore vagina about it anyways!
  - dfffffff
    
    Rev up that Alyx porn because the net is gonna flood with Blasian titties.
- Nads
  
  Bloody hell, some people are just born to complain. Appreciate what you are getting instead of complaining about what you aren’t getting and I promise you your life will be much happier!
  - RockstarRepublic
    
    This is a product not a charity. Appreciate Valve selling me a spin off? Do not be a gullible type that see’s consumerism as a charity. That said it is a simple fact that using Gordon, not Alyx as a playable VR character in a market dominated by men would sell better. This is not debatable. It is also a fact a lot of the fans wanted a sequel, not a spin off.
    
    I never said this would be a bad game. Good grief.
    - aasdfa
      
      exactly its a product they made the way they see fit. not the way you as an individual see fit. turn your damn brain on, the world doesnt revolve around your ego.
      - RockstarRepublic
        
        Who said the world revolves around my ego? Could you project any more than you already have? Its a message board, I have an opinion over Valve’s choice in direction, you got triggered and started attacking me. I suppose in your world everyone must agree with you right? Isn’t that the definition of “world revolving around ego”? Think more before you respond.
      - Robin Meade
        
        Waaaah, I have the right to post wherever and then spin that is you that is the problem waaaah
      - aasdfa
        
        Theyre selling a product and youre criticizing it as if theyre making it just for your own liking and the way that you think would be profitable and successful. So i’m saying you think the world revolves around you and your clearly high ego by making such blatant and wrong statements.
        
        Now, how does me saying “the world doesnt revolve around you” transfer to me thinking the world revolves around me? Thats how stupid you are lol
        
        You cant just say im projecting and that makes it true. All i said was they make the game they want, not the way you as an individual want…. how is that me projecting literally anything? The only thing it could be projecting is that I do not think game studios make games for me as an individual because that would be crazy and that you do think that they make games just for you.
    - Robin Meade
      
      waaaah, I refuse to play it. Take that Gabe! waaaah
  - david vincent
    
    Yeah, Aristotle wouldn’t be proud
    - RockstarRepublic
      
      Oh, the father of logic and reason wouldn’t be proud? That’s an odd statement to make. Aristotelian thought is based around objective reasoning, it does not mean people cannot have opinions or come to different conclusions.
      
      It is in fact LOGICAL to claim that the game would have MORE impact if the MAIN CHARACTER, the icon of the franchise, was used. So far none of you have argued otherwise, just instead attacked my character or used emotional appeal.
      
      Aristotle pushed the philosophical concept of logos (appeal through logic and reason), where as both of you have used pathos (appeal through emotion and belief). Do you think Aristotle was a fan of pathos? I don’t so. You would have to look to Plato for that. ;-)
  - Jamantha
    
    This is a comment section Nads. Not a praising section.
    This is why people read reviews for affirmation rather than for critical analysis.
- Rabid67
  
  You may be right but,There is a possibility that this could be getting us caught up with all the characters involved. Bringing everything up to date. Just like they do with several tv series Then bam HL3. Would be sweet.
Kyokushin

Can we say Half Life 3 confirmed?
- Andrew McEvoy
  
  Lol
- Anne Bilodeau Stephane Hamel
  
  More like 1 1/2 since timeline wise it sits between HL1 and HL2. Unless you mean you want HL3 as well? :)
  - Jerald Doerr
    
    HL1 1/2. That would be a great name!!
jeremz pou

Awesome trailer !! Graphics, physics, art design, gameplay, all looks gorgeous !!
Alex

Legendary
Dave

Wow this looks amazing, and proper gameplay too. Super excited, can’t wait!
MatBrady

The best reason to upgrade to an Index.
This is what Zelda BOTW was to the Switch.
It also looks like the killer app VR has been waiting for.
I’m all in.
- david vincent
  
  You mean the best reason to buy a VR headset
  (since the game runs on all PCVR headsets)
  - Brian Brown
    
    Well you only get the game free if you have an Index. I know it doesn’t make economic sense, but there are a lot of people buying the Index knowing HL:A comes bundled. The Valve Index is the number one best seller on Steam for the last couple of days, while HL:A is number 17.
the vast majority

Wow, Looks great.
Hivemind9000

Which came first though, the chicken or the egg?
- Gus Bisbal
  
  What two elements are you referring to?
  - Hivemind9000
    
    The headset or the game. Both have been in development for some time…
Jerald Doerr

Valve has done nothing but help VR and there not being greedy about it… Fact is Steam makes so much money VR is probably just a fun hobby to keep them busy on the side….
User With No Name

I admire your efforts to keep this troll account going with the same two boring jokes
sebrk

That marks an Index for me. Getting it next week. This is awesome!
- aasdfa
  
  mine showed up this week. its insane the improvements from the vive and all this news just makes it even better
sebrk

Imagine spending your limited time on this earth to be a shite troll on the internet that nobody really cares about.
david vincent

Looks great but I hope we’ll have bigger environments than we see here (because shooting at people from only 2m away is meh).
Jimmy Ray

I don’t get complainers about holding off until higher resolution. Back in the 70-80’s if this thought process was going on there would probably not be gaming. Plus I would have missed out on some great experiences. Don’t miss out. VR is the non couch generation.
- Jerald Doerr
  
  Nothing ever good till 5 seconds before your dead……..
NooYawker

Wait, if I buy the knuckles I get the game for free? I have both in my cart right now.
- aasdfa
  
  i hope you figured this out before buying but right you do not need to buy the game if you buy the knuckles
  - NooYawker
    
    I’m slow but yes I figured it out. Already got them too. Right before they went to back order.
david vincent

BTW the backlash of the half-life fanboys is hilarious (“I don’t want a VR game”, “VR is a gimmick”, “I don’t want to play a woman”, etc.)
The Bard

Odyssey+Black Friday 2019 sale for just 229$ by Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HS7R1RT
Jarilo

Can not wait, will be a VR title unlike any other.
Raphael

The game works on non-Valve HMD.

‘Half-Life: Alyx’ Trailer Revealed, Release Date Set for March 2020

Half-Life: Alyx Trailer

Half-Life: Alyx Supported VR Headsets

Half-Life: Alyx Release Date and Price

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