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Valve's Index VR Headset Sold Out After Half-Life: Alyx Announcement (In Some Regions
The announcement of Half-Life: Alyx has led to shortages of the Valve Index VR headsets in some regions, as many fans are clamoring to return to City 17 and learn more about the Half-Life universe. The proponents of VR have wanted a mainstream game that can sell the concept to the masses and a new entry in the Half-Life series might just have the name recognition to pull it off, even if it's not the Half-Life 3 which has been teased for so long.
The most recent entry in the Half-Life series was Half-Life 2: Episode Two back in 2007. It has been over a decade since Half Life: Episode Three was announced, and most fans assumed Valve would just skip straight to Half-Life 3. The lack of any Half-Life news, coupled with the incredible success of Steam, led many fans to believe the series was on an extended hiatus that might never end. Valve recently announced the next Half-Life game would be a flagship VR title called Half-Life: Alyx, which is set between the events of Half-Life and Half-Life 2 and follows Alyx Vance as she attempts to save her father from the Combine.
The announcement of Half-Life: Alyx has prompted a rush on the sales of Valve Index VR Headsets across North America. According to Road to VR, all of the different Valve Index packages are listed as out of stock in both Canada and the US, even though Half-Life: Alyx isn't due to be released until next March. The units are still available to purchase in other countries.
It's not surprising to see Valve's proprietary VR headsets selling out in specific regions, as Half-Life: Alyx is appealing to the company's die-hard fanbase. It also helps that Half-Life: Alyx will have exclusive content on Index, making the platform ideal for the longtime Half-Life fans who want to experience the game to its fullest.
There was a huge buzz surrounding VR a few years ago, yet it hasn't taken off in the way many fans had hoped. The VR experience isn't consistent for everyone and lots of people have comfort issues when playing for too long. A lot of VR games have to make accommodations for character movement in order to stop players from becoming nauseous and not everyone is willing to shell out a couple of hundred dollars if they aren't sure how they will react to the hardware. There can be a lot of barriers to entry for those curious about VR gaming (the least of which is the steep entry price) which is why a game like Half-Life: Alyx might be the big title that is needed to sell the concept and encourage more gamers to dip their toes into virtual reality. Right now, players will have to wait until March 2020, when Half-Life: Alyx releases, to find out.
