I Finally Played Half Life: Alyx...

[@tecinplace1316]

My favorite piece of trivia is that chapter 7 of Half Life Alyx has 3x more physics props than all of Half Life 2, HL Episode 1 and HL Episode 2 combined

[@Katnippps]

3? half life 3 confirm????

[@thepixeltavern]

@@tecinplace1316 thats pretty crazy where did you learn this? Or did you count 😆

[@tecinplace1316]

@@thepixeltavern The IGN interview with the Half Life Alyx team. I can't post links without this getting flagged as spam but the article's name is "Valve Reveals How Half-Life: Alyx's Most Terrifying Chapter Was Made - IGN First"

[@thepixeltavern]

@tecinplace1316 ooo actually i think i remember watching that. Thank you for the info very much appreciated :)

[@vibaj16]

@@tecinplace1316 That articles only says it's (probably) more than 3 times as many physics props as HL2. It doesn't mention the episodes.

[@gazzofdoom]

One thing that you didn't mention that is the most immersive part of Alyx I found was: I had too many healing items and ammo and couldn't "carry" any more... Until I picked up a packaging crate which I filled up with all the excess ammo and healing items I could be bothered to carry around through levels with me. Was epic.

[@GetMadz]

Just finished Half Life 2 for the first time last night and… wow.

[@IfItsNotFun]

It's hard for me not to feel that Valve has the best designers in the industry. Going through the developer commentary and hearing each and every decision for each detail of their games, and the insane amount of play-testing and iteration to ensure that their intended experience and vision for the game is the experience that is conveyed to the player, is crazy. They have clear visions and design goals for every aspect of their games, and they just put such an effusive amount of effort into achieving those goals; it's honestly insanely wonderful. I don't know if I really know many (if any) other developers that put that amount of care and detail into their games and the end result, and I think Valve holds a special place because of it.

[@Ninjablast360]

So glad you talked about the spoilers in the end. Always great to hear people's thoughts on the last part of Alyx. Probably the best thing about making a video about a game that's multiple years old. Also thought the ending bit was going to be Green Hill Zone for a second lol

[@TroubleConnor]

Now that you have a VR headset, I highly recommend you play BoneWorks after you get some stronger VR legs. There's also an amazing mod for half life 2 that allows you to play it in VR. And here's a list of some other VR games I recommend • Until You Fall • I Expect You To Die • Moss • SUPERHOT VR • Vertigo • The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners • Battle Talent • Into the Radius • RUMBLE

[@PowerUpT]

That moment with Jeff stood out too me too, it made the blood drain from my face. I love how the whole theme of this game is doing things you don't want to do (Like the health chargers with copious needles and many dark areas), it's a very compelling focus for a VR game.

[@Kritigri]

I'm so here for Jon's VR era. I, too, have limited VR experience by way of PSVR. In fact, I didn't even find Wipeout that nauseating! Would love to get a Quest someday. Am currently recovering from my first ever (and hopefully final ever) bout of extended vertigo, though, and right now the sound of a VR headset sounds vomworthy XD

[@Co-opSource]

PSVR 1 or 2? A Quest is much better at tracking and visual fidelity that really help w nausea. Best of luck!

[@Kritigri]

@@Co-opSource PSVR 1. Thank you!

[@JazzemYT]

Oh wow, I just finished Half Life Alyx yesterday for the first time myself! Glad you loved it as much as I did, Jon :)

[@inceptional]

By the way, next you definitely have to try RE4 VR on your Quest, as it is right up there. Even the direct Quest 2/3 version is one of the best games I've ever played in VR. And my next game will probably be Metro Awakening, although I think I'll go with the PC version there.

[@TheJoeyBeans]

I also just picked up a Quest 3 seeing it on sale. Alyx being $20 was a nice "stars aligned" moment too. Really excited to hop in. Trying to play Arkham Shadow a bit first to get my VR legs ready.

[@thepixeltavern]

I got a rift s just before Half life alyx came out. Still the best reason to own VR. Literally nothing has come even close to it 5 years later.

[@thepixeltavern]

Also Jeff is a Brutal segment. Spoiler: When you have to push the button in the elevator when your trapped in with him is terrifying

[@lopez3486]

Vertigo 1 and 2 are just as goodb

[@thatbasedgamer7607]

Batman Arkham shadow, Metro awakening, walking dead saints and sinners just to name 3 and two of those just came out

[@thepixeltavern]

@@thatbasedgamer7607 im not saying there is nothing good. I also haven't played any in the past year. But from what I have played and what seems to be the discussion online, Half Life Alyx is still the best VR game available. There is other good ones but it seems to be the most high quality game on the market

[@LARVideos]

In terms of graphics, and how much it means to the fans. I agree. In terms of anything else? Lots of games have come close or surpassed Alyx in many fields.

[@LARVideos]

A big correction here. People THOUGHT you needed to buy Valve's 1000 dollar headset, but Even the Quest 2 came out shortly after. The Oculus Rift and Rift S were out before the game was even out and could also play it. It was NEVER all that expensive to play Half Life Alyx. Besides the gaming PC. But if you play PC games, you probably already had one of those.

[@fireaza]

THIS! Everyone moans "Oh, I can't play it because it's exclusive to the $1000 Valve Index!" despite Valve putting the logos of the compatible VR headsets in the trailer. Including Oculus'!

[@TrashHeap64]

I played Alyx with the Quest 1 on launch day. It had USB support by the time it came out as well as various wireless methods like Virtual desktop and ALVR

[@MeatNinja]

And it wasn't super demanding. It would run fine on a 1070

[@Nick2054]

Great video as always, and good call on getting the 3s. My favorite design element (other than the unmatched interactions) is a sometimes possibly overlooked one. They did an excellent job portraying colossal, life sized environments. However, unlike many VR games, the playable level layouts are very compact and efficient. There is almost no unnecessary movement which really cuts down on motion sickness while still giving the impression of a true to life scale.

[@noisykestrel]

This is probably the best single player VR game so far

[@AlexTheHorrid]

I’m playing half life 2 on my steam deck! It’s amazing with gyro! I’ve never finished episode 1 and 2 but I’m planning on doing it now, the workshop also makes it so fun

[@NipplesTheEnchilada2323]

Because of this game, people made Half-Life 1 & 2 VR Mods. I heard from my brother that the mods are pretty good ways to play the two games.

[@RyderPlatinumWarpstar]

Valve may be one of the best video game companies out there. While they have a KILLER PC application, they sadly don’t make games often. But when they do… they are just… beautiful.

[@bubbledoubletrouble]

6:21 If you have a Windows 10 or 11 PC with a WiFi 6 or 6E adapter, you can set up a hotspot and then use Steam Link on a Quest 3 to connect directly to it and play wirelessly. The direct wireless connection means no additional latency from having to communicate through a router.

[@PixelShade]

Just started to watch the video! Good for you John! 🥳 I've been playing games since the mid 80's (Yes! I'm an old man!) and HL:A was, in my opinion, the biggest leap we've had in gaming history. For me there was no contest. The graphics, the sense of presence, the interactivity. This was further elevated by HL:A being my first experience of VR. Now I'm sold, and I hate the fact that gamers write it off as a "gimmick". HL3 needs to have a VR mode. It desperately needs it!

[@samik83]

Definitely. Will be quite disappointment if the next Half-Life installment wont be a VR game. Theres really no going back to flat screen games after playing Alyx.

[@fireaza]

Gamers write it off as a "gimmick" either because they don't _want_ it to be good (i.e their parents won't buy them a headset and they don't like the idea that they're missing out on something cool) or they're petrified of change. The idea of not being able to play familiar games in familiar genres with familiar rules, terrifies them.

[@Larry]

Do you own a PSVR2 Jon? Those work with Steam now via an adaptor! But The Quest I feel is by far the best VR headset on the market. Sony really should have made theirs standalone too.

[@doyle8711]

Welcome to VR! HL Alyx is amazing and was my first VR experience. I would recommend looking into the Flat to VR modding scene there are some incredibly talented people making VR mods for games old and new. There's even a HL2 VR mod on steam free for anyone who owns HL2. Would be great to see more VR videos on GVG.

[@JustinCardiff]

I don’t know if that was generic wipeout VR footage, but the game is so much better with all comfort settings turned off. It’s so immersive, it’s my favourite VR game.

[@Kranitoko]

I started playing it couple days ago. Im 4 hours in and still only on Chapter 3 of 11 somehow. Its great fun, if a little finicky. I play so that I can just move and turn smoothly with the joysticks but the problem I'm having is when I panic move from enemies, and so I unintentionally press the right stick back and end up teleporting where i dont want to be... And I cant turn it off as its used to vault things...

[@needsart]

I really want to get a PSVR2 PC adapter so I can play this it looks so awesome

[@ItzJunker]

You gotta do RESI 4 vr next, my favourite immersive vr experience behind alyx

[@CMak3r]

Alyx in VR is something else, it’s a Revolution. It’s physically accurate, somewhat scary, and completely immersive. Playing on a monitor after Alyx doesn’t seems right.

[@Gusmed007]

My favorite VR experiences: 1 - Playing Super Mario 3D Land on Citra VR 2 - Playing Doom in VR (QuestZDoom). 3 - Half Life Alyx 4 - The 7th Guest VR 5 - Resident Evil 4 VR 6 - Portal 2 VR Mod 7 - Batman: Arkham Shadow

[@soniasquishy]

Alyx is pretty good! If you want a look into another big 'complete'-feeling VR game, I'd look into Boneworks (and perhaps less-so, its mod-focused sequel, Bonelab). They can be a bit buggy, but I can imagine that with Valve at the helm, and enough development time, we could see a Half-Life game as fundamentally engaging as it.

[@RhombusLabs]

Air Link works excellently if you have the WiFi 6E setup. It's worth the upgrade to play your PC games from another room or without a tether at least.

[@doyle8711]

Virtual Desktop and Steam Link are both great options too.

[@TheKryce]

So glad to see you talk about VR! We don't have enough non-tech bro types talking about it, even though there's a ton of great stuff

[@Ninjaeule97]

I played Half Life Alyx this summer after upgrading my PC after 10 years which was needed anyway and getting a used PSVR2 Headset for 350€. One of the best decitions I have ever made. Go play it if you can it's a masterpiece. With all the additional Half Life content being in the works (HL2 RTX, HLX, Project Borealis and the Blue Shift mod for Black Mesa) as well as coming out this year it's a great time to be a Half Life fan right now.

[@Patichu]

As a longtime VR fan it's great seeing people enjoying this medium I have loved for years. But I do have 1 complaint. 16:00 yes while Half life alyx is absolutely phenomenal and I do recommend it I do not recommend it as a first VR. Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with it and I do love it but not every VR Game is going to be as good as Alyx and it may set the bar too high for many people and turn some people off VR when they see what the majority of VR games are like which sucks considering there is some underrated VR titles that will be skipped over because the are not as pretty or large as alyx.

[@funkysloth2902]

Welcome to VR Jon, it's the freakin' future of gaming!

[@Aaronnoraator]

My favorite gaming KZbin channel and my favorite game franchise? Hell yeah, brother

[@sonicsean34]

While not the point of the video I just wanted to say I love how cozy Jon’s game room looks (as does his jumper) I can easily imagine him spending hours on those CRTs just living the best life and showing his faves to his kids hehe

[@AbruptAvalanche]

If you're looking for another VR game, there's one called Windlands 2 that's a bit of a hidden gem. It doesn't compare to HL: Alyx, but it's a ton of fun swinging around and shooting robots with a bow and arrow. You can play through the whole thing co-op with friends too!

[@grant9637]

I highly recommend you play the half life 2 vr mod as well. It incorporates a lot of the cool vr only stuff from alyx like the real reloading but for the most part its just half life 2 seamlessly in vr. I do get motion sick in the vehicle sections though

[@Funboringness]

Now that you have VR, try out emulating 3d games, such as the virtual boy, or 3ds, or any 3d movie, heck its such a good way to do it for cheap

[@AbruptAvalanche]

11:57 I don't think any game has matched the feeling of dread I got from realizing what I had to do at this part. After opening it, I jumped so hard that I bumped into my TV and pulled the cord from my headset (no damage thankfully). 10/10.

[@thepixeltavern]

Thanks Jon, this video made me go and upgrade my VR to the same headset. Steam Link works really well. If you enjoyed Half life Alyx i highly recommended checking out the Hald Life 2 VR mod. It's fan made but officially approved by Valve

[@thecamobot]

Playing Half Life Alyx at launch felt monumental, wish I could do it for the first time again 😢

[@kreejo]

Haven't watched yet but wanted to say, I had a mini heart attack for a second thinking that Half Life 3 had been announced or something!!

[@vibaj16]

I'm guessing it'll be announced and maybe even released next year

[@MikeDest]

I put playing Half Life: Alyx up there with playing Mario 3, Mario 64, or Doom for the first time when they came out.

[@dkdevil3490]

John, I strongly recommend boneworks now that you’ve got a VR setup. If Alyx felt representative of VR as it exists now, Boneworks feels representative of its future potential. You get a complete physics enabled body! It’s a bizarre and enlightening experience. But be warned! It is far more nauseating than Alyx.

[@StrikerXL_BE]

Amazing episode John!

[@fireaza]

F.Y.I, while you would assume that playing wired will provide the best visual quality, it actually doesn't. Regardless of if you're playing wired or wireless, the Quest is still sending a compressed video from your PC to the headset! Wired is really only useful if you don't have a router or the router you have is ancient. You really want to look into a wireless setup, the freedom is a game-changer. A wifi 6 or 6e router should do the job just fine, ideally you'd use a separate router just for the headset so there's no risk of other traffic causing lag spikes. I've heard a lot of people like the Puppis S1 since it's cheap and plugs in via USB, so you don't need to run ethernet cables. I don't have one myself though.

[@mitchellrogers5130]

Youre missing out on the pancake lenses the Quest 3 has, it results in so much more immersion over the fresnel lenses of the Quest 3s

[@fireaza]

Lacking them DOES make the 3S a lot cheaper. For many people, price is more important than quality. I personally have a Quest 3 though!

[@mitchellrogers5130]

@@fireaza I think thats what bothers me lol people are too careful when it comes to VR so they end up having a lesser experience because most people tend not to believe in it. Now people are picking up the 3s and all of a sudden VR works for them.

[@AshleyCornell-s5y]

Thanks for the forecast! I need some advice: I have a SafePal wallet with USDT, and I have the seed phrase. (alarm fetch churn bridge exercise tape speak race clerk couch crater letter). What's the best way to send them to Binance?

[@markcampbell8590]

Another thing I love about Half Life Alyx is that the writing is still as smart as ever. There's some genuine funny moments in this game.

[@cody9409]

NEAAAAR FAAARRRR WHEREVER YOU AREEEEE

[@vboyz21]

Post more videos about NoE Vs NoA. Those are so entertaining and highlight the issue that Nintendo is desperately trying to americanise English when they don't even speak the language!?!

[@FrazzaJazz]

Try Boneworks sometime if you enjoyed Alyx that much. Seriously one of the best games ever

[@mattcy6591]

Closing thoughts spot on. The third half life game already exists and has existed for the last half decade under people's noses the whole time.

[@vibaj16]

the true HL3 is coming

[@LolaliciousSmiley]

Nobody else has reported on the in-universe SCART compatibility of this game, so thank you.

[@reeceramsdall9897]

Where did you get the 3s for £250? Cheapest i can find it is £275 currently

[@_Rerr_]

You should mention that the valve index gives you a free copy of alyx

[@WatchM3Fail]

Now you’ve gotta play resident evil

[@inceptional]

Now, imaging what it must be like on a proper high-end VR headset. . . .

[@G.Freeman92]

I used a Quest 1 and it was brilliant. Wired headsets are an absolute no for me.

[@mattymatt2323]

Ive played through it fully on 5 different headsets

[@remarkablezeal9568]

It would be wild if they revealed Half-Life 3 at the Game Awards and followed it with a Kingdom Hearts IV gameplay trailer, back to back.

[@vibaj16]

imagine we get HL3 before GTA6

[@MeatNinja]

Every year it's the same thing with the game awards: disappointment. And that's coming from a relatively positive person, lol.

[@Mitzi_DelverVRC]

I loved Alyx, but I was never able to finish it. Upgrading the sights on my pistol completely ruined my aim and there was no way to undo it. I'll restart it someday.

[@BasVoet]

Your heart will go on.

[@agahnim0196]

Well... to be fair, Half Life was back 5 years ago, when this came out. :P

[@LARVideos]

Now try Into the Radius. Graphics aren't as nice, but it takes VR mechanics way further.

[@Caolan114]

I'm not a half life fan, I have 1 on steam and 2 physically on pc but I'm not really a PC gamer In terms of VR It has to be seen to be believed

[@5persondude]

Jon, you *have* to play Boneworks. Do it or I’m unsubbing

[@Rashomon20s]

No Jon...you’re in your *VALVE ERA NOW* 🔥

[@thepixeltavern]

Are you able to tell us where you got it for £250? Cheapest i can find is £275 in argos

[@GVG]

It was temporarily £255 on Very

[@thepixeltavern]

@@GVG thank you very much :)

[@thepixeltavern]

Looks like they moved it up to £275 as well. Still a good deal thougj

[@georgejpg]

They're not clips, they're magazines or shells.

[@Joeynator3000]

...I miss DOG. lol

[@justjack8989]

At launch I played this game on me rx580 4gb

[@trapez77]

Hey Jon have you played nikoderiko?

[@faceurhell]

Alright Half-Life: Alyx may be immersive, but does it have horse armor?

[@hmon661]

HL3 confirmed!

[@JoRoBoYo]

I wish there are some kind of hl2 remake. I play hl2 so much that i can't play it anymore. 😂😂😂

[@doyle8711]

There's a VR mod if you have a headset which makes it a very different play through.

[@idleeric8556]

Very entertaining! 👍😀

[@AlexanTheMan]

Alyx is most certainly Virtual Boy 2 worthy

[@mattcy6591]

Next up play HL2VR

[@gustavobarandas2012]

What year is it 😂😂😂😂😂

[@foxmccloud9609]

I have been having hard time with Half-Life games...They are way too hard...

[@enid9911]

I don't like vr because I don't like moving my obese arms

[@SuperFirstSecond]

I wish I was as optimistic as you are about Half-Life 3 being actively developed. Valve has no mandates, so things just get worked on whenever anyone feels like it. That's a healthy work environment from a creative perspective, but it also means very few games actually get finished. I would not be surprised if a dozen or more titles have been cancelled/put on indefinite hold since 2011. That said, its been nice to see them do all the updates on HL1 and HL2 to keep them going on modern hardware, and the Portal Switch ports.

[@kakophonien6514]

ah yes, a bit of misinformation... great review of the game tho

[@Spacething7474]

it's pronounced "alks"

[@enorma29]

Alyx was supposed to be VR's killer app... but not many people were going to purchase a VR headset when you also have to purchase a bigger house in order to use it.

[@fireaza]

Dude, I played Alex in a tiny-ass Japanese apartment. You only need enough space to stand in-place and not hit anything when you extend your arms. SteamVR only supports a maximum play area of 5m x 5m anyway, the idea that you need a monstrous playspace for VR is nonsense. Nonsense told by people who are looking for excuses to not buy a VR headset.

[@thenonexistinghero]

Such an awful experience on a Q3S with a garbage resolution and trash lenses.

[@doyle8711]

My first time was playing it on a Quest 2 and I loved it. Not everyone is a VR snob.

[@thenonexistinghero]

@@doyle8711 Quest 2 was fine back in the day, but not today. Q2 and Q3S for PCVR is almost the same, only difference is that Q3S has 'slightly better video quality. Technically it's a decent amount better but since the resolution is the same as a completely outdated device there's not much of a noticeable improvement. Besides that, Q3S should be bashed as much as possible because it represents everything that's wrong with the modern market. Instead of pushing for lower prices for hardware already released, they're keeping the price of that the same until the end of its life and just release half-assed cheaper versions. Chances are they'll release a more expensive pro version as well like next year. Instead of Q3S for $300, we should've had a regular Q3 for $350-$400 by now.

[@happygamer42O]

vr is trash

[@DONPOPACAPO]

Third, fake fan here! 👎

[@j4mezhong]

Half life is so back. Plays a 4-5 year old be game that most people can’t play unless they had vr. Okay kid

[@MeatNinja]

Yes!! Makes me so happy when people get to appreciate HL: Alyx 🥲