PC Master Race Half Life 3?

[Zarjazz]

... I wouldn't put it past Valve to make all their future titles VR exclusives because yano, they gotta flog as many VR sets as poss!

You seem to be forgetting the fact that HL2 required this new tech called Steam to install and play it and how much hate that got because it was pretty fucking buggy and terrible back then. So doing something like that wouldn't be new for Valve or many other tech companies.

 

[Scouse]

Why does it have to be VR?

Quite obviously (and please to be referring to this post to check whether I'm clairvoyant enough for you): What they'll say on Thursday is that the gameplay experience in Half-Life: Alyx can only be delivered through the use of VR and the controllers that come with it.

VR isn't pc gaming its a different new thing

As one of the original geeks who suffered the abuse actual geeks got (you fucking losers!) because they're early adopters of fun new things that the masses (console users) never understand then I don't give a fuck whether it's the future of "PC gaming" - as long as it's an advancement of gaming experience and gameplay.

I never bought into consoles because they're entirely shite - the proliferation of their disabled control system has held back level and game design simply because large amounts of people don't like to use a keyboard and mouse - which is vastly superior to console controllers in the majority of situations (noteable exceptions aside - for which I bought controllers for my PC).

Inevitable cross-platform development means that although the PC is always technically miles ahead of their pauper-bretheren the gameplay experiences that can be driven by the "master race" are hobbled because design has to take into account this cross-platform disability before the money men will sanction development costs. (Hence my point about innovation only happening in the indy sphere - that niche is where things are different - and graphics don't matter for that).

Along come Valve, who take a fucking large chunk (like 30% of a majority of PC games sales) who can make a massive loss, if they like, trying to drive a change in the market. All in the rich-man vanity-pursuit of more fun.

They don't give a fuck about mass adoption. They're happy for their best work to be niche - and if that niche happens to mean only people with a fair bit of disposable can join in (just like people who bought the Voodoo Graphics Cards and Pentium-90 processors to run Quake were in the 90's (or geeks who made that priority spending call)) - then tough shit.

Valve obviously think that it's good enough a gaming experience to risk spunking a bit of their most precious and protected intellectual property on this (with the caveat that they're using a secondary character* - so they clearly still see this as a risk).

and absolutely should not be seen as the next thing for pc gaming.

Meh. It requires a powerful PC as well as a bit more hardware. But if you want to call it "VR gaming" then fair enough. Frankly, I don't give a shit if VR makes "PC Gaming" redundant - because if it does that it can only be because it's so much better than the current best experience.

If Valve manage to make PC gaming obsolete then good on them.

Progress. It (may be) faaaaantastic






*Edit: So yeah, Alyx. Makes sense if the game is radically different to not blow Gordon on it. Plus - it's quite possible that they'll announce a for-PC/console version of HL3 - with Gordon - which heavily ties story-wise into HL:Alyx at the same time. (Double-whammy rule for big announcements - look what we trailed, plus we've got *this* extra to make you all wet, and undercut all you whiny @Gwadien and @BloodOmen bitches who are feeling all left-out). < but this is a stretch goal and not part of my clairvoyance

 

[Scouse]

Especially since many experience motion sickness etc with the tech.

They'll get better at that with higher resolutions and refresh rates. The PS4 VR made me sick after about 5 minutes. A mate of mine who worked on a VR game said that a single frame rate drop from 90fps to 89fps on the higher-end stuff was really jarring - so they had to massively simplify their graphics models.

Valve's hardware does 144hz I think. It'll have to go up (all these console peons who have said that 60fps is "enough" (or now 30fps "minimum") are kidding themselves - I had a 120hz cathode-ray tube in the early 2000's and it looked like the graphics were painted on at 120fps (and I could still see the benefit of higher).

Also, you apparently get better at handling it as your brain gets used to it - so you can spend longer and longer at it. Input lag from head turns has come down drastically etc. - especially on the higher-end hardware.

And that's the crux really - it's the high-end stuff you'll need. You'll be buying poverty-sickness if you buy the shitter stuff. (and remember - it's still 1st Gen enthusiast-hardware really.)

 

[JBP|]

Talking of VR, Mrs JBP| and I had a quick play on an oculus quest (we only did a bit with the tutorial).
Anyway now she wants one but said only the quest as it's wire free. I would prefer to get a rift s so I could have access to a bigger library, but that will require a graphics card upgrade minimum.
What should I do?

 

[Scouse]

What should I do?

Ignore the missus, go big and expensive, or suffer "if only" for the duration of your ownership.

Being an early adopter is expensive

- plus, I'm waiting until Thursday before I press the button on the Valve VR thang. Gonna see what they say.

 

[JBP|]

Ignore the missus, go big and expensive, or suffer

I don't want to spunk a shitload of money on it.
Bought an xbox one x earlier in the year when I got my 4k tv, I only have COD WWII to play on it and dont find time to play that often.
Mrs JBP| has Crash Bandicoot for it and played it Once.

I fear VR kit would just be another dust collector.

 

[Scouse]

If time/cash is tight then it's a non-starter really.

I'm waiting until Thursday to see how potentially awesome the sauce is...

 

[Exioce]

Expecting Half Life-themed Robo Recall, and would be happy with that.


View: https://youtu.be/wq8EXq4elis

 

[Scouse]

I notice how there's not a lot of movement in that Robo Recall game...

Anyway - with Valve's resources you'd want to be looking at a game-changer or why even call it half-life?

 

[Exioce]

You've got complete freedom of movement with teleportation and are constantly warping in behind enemies and positioning yourself.
Basically just dodging, ducking and swaying in real life with your feet usually planted - not running around your gaming cave. Seems to work the best for these sorts of games.

 

[Moriath]

I got a rift s and love it. Mrs likes beat sabre. Haha

much prefer the functionality of the pc connection over wire free. Asgards wraith is a cool game . Not on the quest.

 

[caLLous]

Locomotion is the one headscratcher for first person shooters in VR. I use my Rift mostly for driving games. It'll be interesting to see what Valve do but I'm sure it'll work, they're known for pushing boundaries and they wouldn't half-arse it.

 

[Moriath]

Mentioned this before but you can play games in rift that were not made for it like witcher and i think the original h, series using vorpx at vorpx.com i think.

 

[Ormorof]

Expecting Half Life-themed Robo Recall, and would be happy with that.


View: https://youtu.be/wq8EXq4elis

After playing that for a few hours i find it hard to play shooters where i cant rip an enemys arm off and beat them to death with it

 

[Scouse]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2W0N3uKXmo

 

[Scouse]

Fuck it. Valve Index: Bought.

 

[caLLous]

Pre-purchased the game. I don't give a fuck, it looks incredible. Genre defining game for VR.

 

[dysfunction]

Fuck it. Valve Index: Bought.

What the whole set? That's £900!

Pre-purchased the game. I don't give a fuck, it looks incredible. Genre defining game for VR.

It does look pretty incredible. I'm really tempted but the VR headsets are not cheap

 

[Scouse]

What the whole set? That's £900!

Yeah. I've been harbouring a want for a while but needed a reason.

Don't know how much use it'll get in the long run - it depends on how much fun it is

 

[Scouse]

Genre defining game for VR.

Hope so

 

[Gwadien]

Gabe tells Scouse to buy a VR set.

Scouse buys a VR set.

Scouse is meant to be a communist

 

[Scouse]

Gabe tells Scouse to buy a VR set.

Scouse buys a VR set.

Scouse is meant to be a communist

You're just jelly.

I was right with my clairvoyance too - they say they can't replicate the gameplay experience with a keyboard and mouse.

#smug

 

[MYstIC G]

I think this will either make our break VR as a gaming experience. It's the first VR game that's actually peaked my interest at all.

 

[dysfunction]

I'm definitely tempted by this game as it looks awesome.

Can I spend £900 on something I might not really use a lot. Probably not* as I have a ton of more pressing things I can spend money on.

* doesn't mean I won't though

 

[caLLous]

I'm now thinking of cancelling my pre-order for the game...

...because I've looked into the Index more and the "knuckles" (individual sensing of each finger) controllers look brilliant. The screens look far better than the Rift CV1 as well, so I might just flog the Rift and upgrade.

 

[dysfunction]

I'm now thinking of cancelling my pre-order for the game...

...because I've looked into the Index more and the "knuckles" (individual sensing of each finger) controllers look brilliant. The screens look far better than the Rift CV1 as well, so I might just flog the Rift and upgrade.

The reviews reckon that the Index is the best vr system in the market.

On another note I noticed that the Alyx game needs 12gb of RAM.

 

[DaGaffer]

VR sets ruin my hair so I'm not interested

 

[Scouse]

12Gb RAM.

Can't be having any swapping to hard (or solid state) drives during the game eh? Compute cycles'll be important to keep that 120fps up.

Gaff, your kids fuck your hair. Presuming you've any remaining

 

[MYstIC G]

VR sets ruin my hair so I'm not interested

I don't think you're supposed to use a VR headset as a pair of pants...

 

[DaGaffer]

I don't think you're supposed to use a VR headset as a pair of pants...

You do if you're doing it right.