How Valve Should Make Half-Life 3
4. Support Both VR And Non-VR Players
As much of a groundbreaking title Half Life: Alyx was, there were still some detractors who bemoaned its exclusivity to the VR platform.
On top of needing a pricey headset to play, the game also boasted some beefy system requirements from top-tier GTX 1060 graphics card to a whopping twelve giga-bytes of RAM. While there was a tinge of disappointment, the game's massive critical acclaim and overjoyed reaction from the fanbase mostly overshadowed these criticisms in the weeks that followed.
However, the latest entry in the Half Life franchise, for all its qualities, ended up being streamed far more than purchasesd. According to gamesindustry.biz, Half Life Alyx reached 43,000 players on launch day, placed against 300,000 viewers on Twitch.
This is good by VR standards, but analysts have said it could been far more successful had it reached a larger audience. Valve may have made a brilliant return to single-player titles in 2020, but by doing so it cut its install base dramatically. For the next mainline Half Life title, they'll have to go all in, broadening the release across VR and non-VR setups.
With the skilled team and huge resources at their disposal, Valve should be capable of making a single version of Half Life 3 with headset features packed in for those who have . They can both build on Alyx's foundation while also converting the third entry into a more recognisable state. We trust they won't pull a Bethesda and ask fans to pay again for VR functionality.