Half-Life: Alyx's Developers On VR's "Chicken And Egg" Problem

4 years 1 month ago

The critically acclaimed Half-Life series making a return nearly 13 years later as the virtual reality-exclusive Half-Life: Alyx was a shock to some fans. The VR medium is still a bit of a niche market in 2020, whereas Half-Life appeals to a wider audience. There are plenty of VR headsets available to buy now, but there's still the issue of affordability, accessibility, and the type of open space requirements and commitment that only serious VR consumers may be willing to accommodate. And then there's the issue that Valve level designer Dario Casali refers to as VR's "chicken and egg" situation.

In an interview with GameSpot, Casali broke down some of Valve's priorities when it comes to developing for VR, and how its choice to make Half-Life: Alyx a VR exclusive plays into that strategy.

"[When] we were working on the Vive and The Lab, we really believed in the VR platform," Casali told GameSpot. "We looked around and noticed that a lot of the content that was available for [VR] was not as we would traditionally see as AAA, completely full games… how we would traditionally define a Half-Life product."

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Chloi Rad

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