Half-life Alyx reminds me why VR will never be mainstream

[Larry the Cacodemon]

So after letting my Oculus gather dust for a few years I finally decided to go through the hassle of setting it up again for Half-Life Alyx after all the hype surrounding that game to see if it was worth it. Instead, I was just reminded of why I put the Oculus away in the first place.

I simply cannot use VR for more than 30-40 min at a time. No matter how much I try to adjust the headset or fiddle around with settings, the same thing always happens: Things are fun for 20-30 min, then my eyes start becoming extremely dry to a point of literally hurting very badly (I try blinking often but it makes no difference). Then not long after I start experiencing minor headaches that quickly go away after I stop using the Rift.

This is why I gave up on using the Rift last time. It's not that there aren't any fun games, it's just that it's so uncomfortable to use that it doesn't even matter. That's not even mentioning other problems like sweating and heat.

To be fair, Alyx is a fun game. And I agree that it's the best VR game to date. But that isn't saying much. That said, while otherwise fun Half-life Alyx is a good example of how VR will always impose annoying limitations to game design that would not exist otherwise. A good example is limiting the speed of the action and slower pacing, because otherwise the game would be unplayable for most people in VR. VR games have to be slower paced to work. Period. Nobody is going to play something like Doom Eternal in VR.

Then there's all the annoying gimmicks. It appears to be an unwritten rule that every VR game must have annoying mini-games that take advantage of the motion controls. And indeed, Alyx is full of them. Want to unlock a force field? Mini-game. Want to open a computer console? Mini-game. Want to use a weapon upgrade station? Mini-game. It's just annoying and does nothing except slow down the pacing of the game.

Which brings me to the next point. As cool as I felt it was walking around inside of a Half-life level while headcrabs leaped into my face, I still feel VR is largely just a gimmick. A very, very cool and impressive gimmick. But still ultimately just a gimmick. Was it really insane and cool to have a headcrab leap into my face the first few times? Was it really cool looking at ceilings and seeing actual life-size barnacles there? Yes.

But those things were only cool the first dozen times. Then the novelty wore off.

Same with the guns. Being able to point and shoot your guns with your actual hands felt super cool at first, but after a while you realize that it's still ultimately just the same kind of point & shoot combat that you are use to having in non-VR games except your aim is worse and hitting things is harder. Which btw forces you to aim slowly and carefully, thus lowering the pacing of the game.

Truth be told, I'm already getting bored of Alyx and I'm not even half-way through the game. The initial wow factor of the VR stuff has already started to wear off, and all I'm left with is a generic half-life game with fancier graphics. Fancier graphics which I can't even properly enjoy anyway because the resolution on the rift is too low. Game easily looks 10x better on youtube playthrough than on the actual rift simply because the videos are high res and crisp compared to looking at it in-game through the actual rift.

And the best part? Despite having a very high end gaming PC (Has a 1080 and 16 GB RAM, can play Eternal at 2560 resolution at highest settings with 60+ fps) Alyx still recommends I play at the lowest settings in order to have good performance. Despite the fact I have a better gaming PC than literally 90% of people. If I bought an Index which has higher resolution than the rift my PC might not even be good enough to play it with a decent framerate...

I'm sorry but VR will never be mainstream. Even this new flagship game has not been successful in debunking the idea that VR is ultimately just about wowing you with an initial coolness factor that then quickly fades away after a while. It's still just a gimmick in the end.

Is Half-life Alyx a good game?

Yes.

Has it discredited the notion that VR is just a very technically impressive gimmick?

No.

Truth be told I hope Half-life 3 will just use conventional M+K setup.

[b0nehead]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Caduceus:

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Wanted514:

You're being a little over dramatic I think? 5% bad apples and suddenly you need to soap box for the rights of the poor op and the poor people who don't have or want VR for whatever special .0004% reason? This thread has been pretty reasonable but you need to bring drama from other threads in here when the OP are totally different in every case.

I see one thing from you. No mouse icon next to your name = you don't own alyx
I have to assume you probably dont like VR or don't own it for whatever special reason - assumption

I've seen one thing from most non VR owners. Since you like to put everyone in the same basket. Whining peeps that want pity for their 1001 reasons why they can't or don't want VR. Poor babies can't play their first world video games. PAHHHLEASE!

Wow, nice assumption. I didn't even put anyone in a basket. Just talking about them forum in general. I want to play Alyx, but I don't own a headset. I even said "a few bad apples"

Don't talk if you don't read what someone says, please. You can view my previous posts in which I do defend VR users multiple times. I love VR and I love standard gaming.

STFU and STFD :)

ow, Karl writes a genuine post and a good chunk of the replies are "you're weak", "Ok Boomer", or "you just need to play more"

"The sheer amount of arrogance, ignorance, and over all lack of sympathy in this one forum is worse than most of the other forums I have been on."

"I'm not saying every VR gamer says this, or that the others don't have a few bad apples, but this forum is ripe with problems, and leaning toward one side being currently a lot more visibly worse than others."

Passive agressive are we..

Your last paragraph clearly shows you're claiming majority. You come into a tame thread of like 2 hit and run posts out of 20+ reasonable responses and opinions and focus on negativity and soapboxing how terrible the VR community is "in general but leaning to majority" when compared to the magical other steam forums you visit. Sounds like baloney to me.

So tell me. how do you really feel and what's bother you.

[✠ sleepnaught ✠]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Caduceus:

Ursprünglich geschrieben von E-PigPan_de:

Now i remember, his topic is basically the thing that started the whole story.
"never be mainstream" well assuming this is everybodys problem.

Also I can relate to him, he is probably just sad he cant enjoy VR.
THe first time I tried I also felt so sick, so sick I hated trying it again, thoguh the games were fun. I didnt play for over 5 months. Considering this I wouldnt be suprised if he is just mad and then tries to make up more arguments to make somekind of a rant post.

And again, complaining about gimmicky puzzles... as you said these interactions are only possible with VR, that´s why they are here. Why would anyone not include them. And idc if he likes it or not. From a devs view this only makes sense to include them.

He then proceeds to limitations in VR, which there are plenty of contrary examples. Also kinda strange hearing from a person who gets sick after 20 minutes that he is annoyed by games being too careful with motion sickness.

Then he writes about headcrabs getting old. Well duh , it´s called gamedesign, everything gets old that´s why it´s totally fine that a game does it a dozen times and then it should think of something else, which HLA does.

I agree with those points actually.

I should clarify that I'd also call VR a gimmick, but personally. I find it to be one of the coolest gaming gimmicks out there, but that's just me. VR is just an extension off of regular gaming, so it technically isn't needed, but it's probably one of the few gaming gimmicks I'd love to see thrive in the future. I just hope my blood pressure fixes itself when i get older. Even without VR, it sucks cause it effects me everyday; getting out of bed, at work, exercising, etc.

I dont know what issues you have with blood pressure, but it won't fix itself. I suggest you speak to a physician about that. It will only get progressively worse if you don't.

[Awesome!]

Meanwhile I played and beat Half Life Alyx in only 2 play sessions totally 9 hours lol. My longest VR play session was 8 hours straight of Fallout 4 VR. I felt completely fine during and after the session.

[ｗｉｓｅ狼]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von  Sir_Mossy :

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Sheogorath:

So you have to forcefully make yourself sick in order to get "accustomed" to VR. I'll pass then, thank you very much.

And I guess that person who took up cooking as a hobby and burned themselves/the food multiple times was wasting their time, or the whittler that cut his hands multiple times trying to learn how to do so? What about the skateboarders that have had their fair share of scrapes and bruises due to falling, or the BMX rider who's had a broken bone or two?

Something being a hobby doesn't mean you can't have any form of adverse affects from it. If you like something, you'll push through a bit of discomfort to do it. Surfers literally get bit by sharks and continue to surf, so what's the point in being a whiny baby about a little headache every now and then?

Great point, no pain no gain; and in this case, for me at least, I have no problems doing the most ridiculous movement in VR so his issues are not everyone else's.

[Tony Soprano]

I agree with the topic creator, well said.

[Amogus]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von SierraWolf:

Ursprünglich geschrieben von  Sir_Mossy :

And I guess that person who took up cooking as a hobby and burned themselves/the food multiple times was wasting their time, or the whittler that cut his hands multiple times trying to learn how to do so? What about the skateboarders that have had their fair share of scrapes and bruises due to falling, or the BMX rider who's had a broken bone or two?

Something being a hobby doesn't mean you can't have any form of adverse affects from it. If you like something, you'll push through a bit of discomfort to do it. Surfers literally get bit by sharks and continue to surf, so what's the point in being a whiny baby about a little headache every now and then?

Great point, no pain no gain; and in this case, for me at least, I have no problems doing the most ridiculous movement in VR so his issues are not everyone else's.

Most people are willing to put up with some discomforts, pain, or even flat out suffering for their hobbies if they enjoy doing them enough. Being a brat like Sheogorath about a little headache when people have lost limbs doing their hobbies is the saddest thing you can imagine.

[b0nehead]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Egon Spengler:

I agree with the topic creator, well said.

Doesn't own game, check. Must be on your other account with the VR headset you own.

[Asclepius]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Wanted514:

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Caduceus:

Wow, nice assumption. I didn't even put anyone in a basket. Just talking about them forum in general. I want to play Alyx, but I don't own a headset. I even said "a few bad apples"

Don't talk if you don't read what someone says, please. You can view my previous posts in which I do defend VR users multiple times. I love VR and I love standard gaming.

STFU and STFD :)

ow, Karl writes a genuine post and a good chunk of the replies are "you're weak", "Ok Boomer", or "you just need to play more"

"The sheer amount of arrogance, ignorance, and over all lack of sympathy in this one forum is worse than most of the other forums I have been on."

"I'm not saying every VR gamer says this, or that the others don't have a few bad apples, but this forum is ripe with problems, and leaning toward one side being currently a lot more visibly worse than others."

Passive agressive are we..

Your last paragraph clearly shows you're claiming majority. You come into a tame thread of like 2 hit and run posts out of 20+ reasonable responses and opinions and focus on negativity and soapboxing how terrible the VR community is "in general but leaning to majority" when compared to the magical other steam forums you visit. Sounds like baloney to me.

So tell me. how do you really feel and what's bother you.

I'm not implying a majority of VR gamers are a problem. Again, my point went soaring right over your head. I'm just saying I see more problems coming from the VR side than the other side. I'd also like to point out I haven't been in the forum that long, and even some of my least offensive post get the VR side completely riled up. I went after both groups and guess which group messed with me and which didn't? I'll leave that to you.

I'm allowed to be passive aggressive if I wish to be. You did not read my post, and that's a cardinal sin to me. Usually you earn it if you don't properly read. Now go read it again till you understand what I am saying.

If you wonder how I feel. I feel confused that there is so much hostility. I point out one thing and I get dog piled with nothing but insults, so yeah. Not my fault you can't take separate yourself from your group identity. \_(✧-✧)_/

Edit: Anyways... keep proving me right about the crassness of the VR side. I'm on both sides of the argument, so whateves. lol

Ok, let me explain something in simple terms. I am insulting the VR side, yes? Well, I also love VR too. That would mean I am insulting myself!?!?!? No- I'm not that dumb. What I am actually doing is pointing out a problem that is rapidly growing inside the VR community before it bursts like a volcano. It is this entitled, crass, and rude attitude. I won't truly fight it the whole way, so I take points from both sides of the argument. There's always going to be idiots on both sides, can't do anything about that. I'm just saying right now in the fourm there seems to be a common trend that non-VR users suck. It almost sounds like some people with fashion, lol.

If anyone that doesn't use VR complains it is followed by all the points I originally laid out.

[Asclepius]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von ✠ sleepnaught ✠:

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Caduceus:

I agree with those points actually.

I should clarify that I'd also call VR a gimmick, but personally. I find it to be one of the coolest gaming gimmicks out there, but that's just me. VR is just an extension off of regular gaming, so it technically isn't needed, but it's probably one of the few gaming gimmicks I'd love to see thrive in the future. I just hope my blood pressure fixes itself when i get older. Even without VR, it sucks cause it effects me everyday; getting out of bed, at work, exercising, etc.

I dont know what issues you have with blood pressure, but it won't fix itself. I suggest you speak to a physician about that. It will only get progressively worse if you don't.

Yeah... It has been getting worse recently, which sucks. I really need to do that.

[Xee_Zomboy]

I agree with you on one very important thing. Half Life 3, if it ever comes out, should NOT be VR.

Gordon is capable of doing some loud ♥♥♥♥. Putting him in VR would slow the game down far too much and feel very wrong, especially since it really just does not feel all that great to swing a crowbar in VR, at least not to me when I tried it in Boneworks (Though it did feel kinda good to use a knife to headbutt stab those crab helmets).

For the record I would NEVER play Doom Eternal in VR. It would thoroughly destroy the experience of having full body control with only a keyboard and mouse or controller.

I AM, however, quite open to the possibility of other prequel-esq spin-offs such as Half Life Barney or Half Life Shepard. Hell I'd love a VR game where you'd play a Vortigaunt or a Headcrab like back in Half Life 1, that would be absolutely fabulous.

At the end of the day don't give up on VR just because it causes you minor discomfort, it causes us all discomfort for awhile. You just have to build up a resistance to it. Slow burn your gameplay until you can comfortably play.

[Awesome!]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Xee_Zomboy:

I agree with you on one very important thing. Half Life 3, if it ever comes out, should NOT be VR.

Gordon is capable of doing some loud ♥♥♥♥. Putting him in VR would slow the game down far too much and feel very wrong, especially since it really just does not feel all that great to swing a crowbar in VR, at least not to me when I tried it in Boneworks (Though it did feel kinda good to use a knife to headbutt stab those crab helmets).

For the record I would NEVER play Doom Eternal in VR. It would thoroughly destroy the experience of having full body control with only a keyboard and mouse or controller.

I AM, however, quite open to the possibility of other prequel-esq spin-offs such as Half Life Barney or Half Life Shepard. Hell I'd love a VR game where you'd play a Vortigaunt or a Headcrab like back in Half Life 1, that would be absolutely fabulous.

At the end of the day don't give up on VR just because it causes you minor discomfort, it causes us all discomfort for awhile. You just have to build up a resistance to it. Slow burn your gameplay until you can comfortably play.

If you think VR is slow, then play Serious Sam 3 VR and come back and tell me that. It's basically as fast as Doom.

[Asclepius]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Xee_Zomboy:

I agree with you on one very important thing. Half Life 3, if it ever comes out, should NOT be VR.

Gordon is capable of doing some loud ♥♥♥♥. Putting him in VR would slow the game down far too much and feel very wrong, especially since it really just does not feel all that great to swing a crowbar in VR, at least not to me when I tried it in Boneworks (Though it did feel kinda good to use a knife to headbutt stab those crab helmets).

For the record I would NEVER play Doom Eternal in VR. It would thoroughly destroy the experience of having full body control with only a keyboard and mouse or controller.

I AM, however, quite open to the possibility of other prequel-esq spin-offs such as Half Life Barney or Half Life Shepard. Hell I'd love a VR game where you'd play a Vortigaunt or a Headcrab like back in Half Life 1, that would be absolutely fabulous.

At the end of the day don't give up on VR just because it causes you minor discomfort, it causes us all discomfort for awhile. You just have to build up a resistance to it. Slow burn your gameplay until you can comfortably play.

You hit my biggest concern right on the head: Game Speed.

VR tends to be much slower and through, while mouse and keyboard tends to be on the other side of the spectrum. Gotta admit though, glory kills in VR may be cool. :D

[Jackerino]

After the initial honeycomb factor wore off, i'm honestly inclined to agree with some of these points. I wasn't playing it because of how fun it was, I was playing it because I wanted to experience more of the world, which I guess was the point.

I'm a very avid VR user and i'm really good at handling VR, I can have play sessions that last 6-7 hours, and i'm usually just limited by how charged my Vive Controllers are, or by what time it is. I wait until after my girlfriend goes to sleep to play VR so I don't lose time with her for vidyuh gaems, and that definitely contributes, but otherwise, after the first hour or so, I was playing because it's an incredibly immersive Half-Life game, not because it was really fun.

I love the game a lot, it's incredible, but there's some things I just really dislike. I didn't find the puzzles very fun, the hacking ones especially, they tended to just become annoying, and there were multiple times where I just didn't want to finish the puzzles (but still did anyway) because I felt like it wasn't going to be worth it. I don't like some of the changes, like how the Antlion fights are, I wish their entire bodies were vulnerable, and you would have to shoot their limbs and thorax to do critical damage, instead of those being the only way to damage them, I felt like the combat was still very slow even for VR, as i'm used to games like Boneworks or Take and Hold in H3VR, where combat is much more fast-paced, or even just HL2 in VR thanks to Gmod VR with VR weapons; I disliked how the weapons were all one-handed because it made me feel like a dork waving my one hand around everywhere, and overall the game just seriously didn't give anything to people who are already experienced with VR. A lot of the comfort options honestly disoriented me more than I ever got in VR. Especially that weird falling limit where you fall in slow motion. I hate that so much.

All-in-all, I just really, really hope Half-Life 3 isn't like this. I'll be really disappointed. A lot of the new cool things in HL:A just made me want to see these improvements in Desktop. The VR interactions didn't wow me, because a lot of the VR stuff has been rather normalized in other VR games, and it's honestly just-.. Standard VR practice, but in grandma slow mode. However, the new visual technology, the glass tech, the improved fluidity of NPC's during combat, seeing old enemies in a new beautiful light, that all appealed to me a lot, and stuff like that was what made me really love HL: Alyx.

[zacharyb]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Xee_Zomboy:

I agree with you on one very important thing. Half Life 3, if it ever comes out, should NOT be VR.

Gordon is capable of doing some loud ♥♥♥♥. Putting him in VR would slow the game down far too much and feel very wrong, especially since it really just does not feel all that great to swing a crowbar in VR, at least not to me when I tried it in Boneworks (Though it did feel kinda good to use a knife to headbutt stab those crab helmets).

For the record I would NEVER play Doom Eternal in VR. It would thoroughly destroy the experience of having full body control with only a keyboard and mouse or controller.

I AM, however, quite open to the possibility of other prequel-esq spin-offs such as Half Life Barney or Half Life Shepard. Hell I'd love a VR game where you'd play a Vortigaunt or a Headcrab like back in Half Life 1, that would be absolutely fabulous.

At the end of the day don't give up on VR just because it causes you minor discomfort, it causes us all discomfort for awhile. You just have to build up a resistance to it. Slow burn your gameplay until you can comfortably play.

Well by the time Valve makes a HL3 I imagine VR will be a lot more refined and overall better so any problems currently with VR might not be a problem in the future. Plus VR games don't have to be slow, that was a design decision by Valve.

Also after watching the interview with Gabe maybe we won't get another Half Life until we have Brain Interface Devices. :P

[Awesome!]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Caduceus:

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Xee_Zomboy:

I agree with you on one very important thing. Half Life 3, if it ever comes out, should NOT be VR.

Gordon is capable of doing some loud ♥♥♥♥. Putting him in VR would slow the game down far too much and feel very wrong, especially since it really just does not feel all that great to swing a crowbar in VR, at least not to me when I tried it in Boneworks (Though it did feel kinda good to use a knife to headbutt stab those crab helmets).

For the record I would NEVER play Doom Eternal in VR. It would thoroughly destroy the experience of having full body control with only a keyboard and mouse or controller.

I AM, however, quite open to the possibility of other prequel-esq spin-offs such as Half Life Barney or Half Life Shepard. Hell I'd love a VR game where you'd play a Vortigaunt or a Headcrab like back in Half Life 1, that would be absolutely fabulous.

At the end of the day don't give up on VR just because it causes you minor discomfort, it causes us all discomfort for awhile. You just have to build up a resistance to it. Slow burn your gameplay until you can comfortably play.

You hit my biggest concern right on the head: Game Speed.

VR tends to be much slower and through, while mouse and keyboard tends to be on the other side of the spectrum. Gotta admit though, glory kills in VR may be cool. :D

Again, play Serious Sam 3 VR.