Half-Life: Alyx Players Are Working Out How to Play Without VR

Less than a week after launch, one Half-Life: Alyx player has discovered a way to get the VR exclusive game working without the need for a headset. Tyler McVicker, the person behind Valve News Network and well-known investigator of the developer’s games, held a livestream where he datamined Half-Life: Alyx. The stream shows him exploring environments using a floating camera, all without using any VR equipment. His key discovery, however, is the existence of a developer console command “vr_enable_fake_vr_test”, which when inputted causes Alyx’s hands to appear in the world, and allows weapons to be fired. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/23/half-life-alyx-review"] This is a very, very early step - the hands are awkwardly placed on screen, the guns fire despite being unloaded, and the camera still floats freely through walls and objects - but the existence of the console command suggests that Valve has a set of tools built into the game to allow the game to be played without a VR headset. It’s likely this has been included to allow developers to test certain elements of the game without strapping on a headset every time something has been tweaked. This is very early days for non-VR modding potential, but the fake_vr_test command may make the journey easier for those who wish to embark upon it. Combined with the traditional FPS HUD that is used in Alyx’s spectator mode, there’s some groundwork for a proper non-VR mod. Valve itself knows that a non-VR mod for Half-Life: Alyx is inevitable. Talking to Polygon, designer Robin Walker said “I know it’s going to happen.” Walker says there are people at Valve concerned about a non-VR mod, but that he himself is not worried. “It will clearly demonstrate to people why we did this in VR,” he said. Basically, he believes Alyx won’t be as much fun as a traditional FPS. “I think people will [after playing a non-VR mod] then hopefully have an even greater understanding of why we decided to build the product in VR than they do now,” he added. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-valve-game-review&captions=true"] For more Half-Life: Alyx, take a look at the Death Stranding Easter egg that’s been found in the game, and this math teacher who performed a lecture from inside the game. If you’re just about to play, here’s the things the game doesn’t tell you that you really should know, and if you’ve already finished then here’s our (spoiler filled) breakdown of the ending. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter.