An in-development mod for Valve's Half-Life: Alyx is making progress towards making the game playable without a VR headset, coping with the technical and gameplay limitations of a title normally designed around total immersion. At the moment two of the game's 11 levels are said to playable, owing to mechanics that still need to be reworked.
Half-Life: Alyx first launched in March 2020 and remains one of the most popular and high-profile PC VR releases. It's ideally designed for the Valve Index, which supports features like finger-tracking, but also works on any major headset, which has helped to broaden its appeal. The Index does cost $999 with Half-Life: Alyx included, however, while an Oculus Quest 2 is $299. On top of this gamers must own a reasonably powerful gaming PC, which can run thousands of dollars for the best graphics. But those without headsets may be able to experience the newest Half-Life installment.
SoMNst's No VR mod (which is not yet publicly available) lets players control Alyx's weapons and hands with a mouse and keyboard, simultaneously keeping the camera steady, Kotaku notes. Players can also control her omni-tool, a device used to interact with machines and solve Pipe Dream-style electricity puzzles. The final goal of the mod is to bring the gameplay as close as possible to Half-Life 2, though aspects like combat might need rebalancing by others to avoid being too easy or too difficult. In the meantime, two modders - Optimus97 and Nicklaus - are collaborating with SoMNst on alternate versions of the game's menu and crafting systems. In the regular VR release, players can occasionally insert their guns into a machine and get upgrades like burst fire, but the UI requires tapping on in-game buttons.
The personal motivation for SoMNst is said to be his life in Argentina, where VR headsets are hard to come by even for people who can afford one. The technology is prohibitively expensive outside of rich countries, and in some of those like Japan homes are often too small for room-scale experiences. Half-Life: Alyx tries to get around this with "teleportation" movement options and the game's gravity gloves, which can snatch up small objects at a distance.
Some gamers have held out hope that Valve is still working on a Half-Life 3 that will work on flatscreen PCs and possibly consoles. There's been no firm evidence of the project since Half-Life: Alyx was launched, but the game does conclude with teasers, so it may in covert production until Valve has something to show. The company has little reason to hurry since most of its revenue now comes from third-party sales on Steam.
Source: Kotaku, SoMNst/Youtube
