The hype for Half-Life: Alyx appears to be real, as most packages of the Valve Index virtual reality headset were sold out a week after the announcement of the virtual reality exclusive.
The headset-only, controllers-only, and headset with controllers package for the Valve Index were sold out in the U.S. and Canadian stores of Steam, Road to VR reported. Instead of the order button, customers see a “Back in stock soon” message.
The Valve Index is still available through the complete package, which includes the headset, controllers, and base station, for a price of $999. However, the bundle advises customers that delivery will be before December 25, so the wait may still take almost a month.
The stock shortage, however, is apparently only affecting customers in the U.S. and Canada, as the U.K. store of Steam displays the normal delivery time of four to eight days.
Half-Life: Alyx, a new game in the franchise that takes place between Half-Life and Half-Life 2, will be free to anyone who buys the Valve Index by the end of the year, explaining the sudden surge of demand for the VR headset.
It was confirmed that Half-Life: Alyx will be compatible with all VR headsets for the PC, but another factor behind the sold-out stocks is that the game is expected to run the best on the Valve Index, partly due to the advanced finger-tracking technology of the system’s controllers.
The seemingly early success for Half-Life: Alyx bodes well for fans of the series, who have been clamoring for Half-Life 3 for years. Valve programmer David Speyrer said in an interview that more Half-Life games — possibly Half-Life 3 — may follow in the future, depending on how gamers react to the VR exclusive. Speyrer also recommended players to finish Half-Life 2: Episode Two before playing Half-Life: Alyx, which hints that the game may lay the groundwork for the long-awaited Half-Life 3.
Valve is reportedly busy in the virtual reality and augmented reality space, as anonymous sources claimed that the company was working with Apple for “AR head-mounted display devices” that may be released as soon as the second half of 2020.
