Potentially the biggest moment in gaming for, well, a long time, as Valve’s Half-Life: Alyx reveal looms on the horizon.
The game launch combines two of the most anticipated advances in modern entertainment, that being virtual reality and Half-Life, and has the potential to change the gaming landscape in a way that Google can only dream of.
Jabs at Stadia aside, there is no more anticipated title in the PC sphere than Half-Life 3, the successor to Valve’s critically acclaimed HL2.
That game had the sort of impact on the space that few, if any have managed before or since, and the barren years and jokes about Gabe Newell not being able to count to three have done little to quell the fans’ desire for a follow-up.
The story always went that while people at Valve would have liked to make that happen, they didn’t want to put out a game for the sake of it, which seems a little inconsistent when you consider the Artifact debacle, but that’s for another time.
Now, though, it seems they have their motivation, with the desire to reboot their classic series as they move us into the future of gaming…maybe.
What time is the Half-Life: Alyx reveal?
The Half-Life: Alyx reveal will take place at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm GMT / 7pm EST on Thursday, November 21st, 2109.
Game-changer?
The reason for the maybe is that virtual reality has been touted as the future of gaming for some time already, alongside the more difficult to understand augmented reality.
The latter has made big strides with the likes of Pokemon Go bringing AR to millions via their smartphone, but the virtual equivalent requires far more in terms of resources and investment from the average player, and the majority have seen no real reason to upgrade from their current system, if VR is in fact an upgrade at all.
That brings us to the second problem with VR, outside of needing a dedicated room and many moneys to make it happen, which is a lack of interesting titles.
While PC and console gaming have pushed the envelope, or simply made you walk for hours on end to deliver one in the case of Death Stranding, VR has made do with what it can, and most of the titles released look fair clumsy in terms of gameplay and execution.
Right now, it seems like you won’t get much change from $1,000 if you decide to invest in Valve’s Vive headset, developed in collaboration with HTC, so it’s tough to imagine adoption is going to accelerate much for one game being released, but there is no denying that VR does lack a reason to get into it right now, at least in terms of titles you want to play, and this could be the kick in the virtual pants the industry needs.
Or, this could be another Artifact of course. The idea Valve is infallible is long-dead, and this week could end up being one of the biggest in their modern history, with Riot and Epic having stolen their limelight in 2019.
If it succeeds, Alyx and Vive could be the pairing that changes the face of gaming as we know it, in a way that only Valve can.
