Valve’s new Index VR headset is getting a significant sales boost thanks to the upcoming gameHalf-Life: Alyx. Valve sold approximately 103,000 Index headsets, a jump of over 100% over the previous quarter, according toNielsen’s SuperData.
This made the Valve Index the best-selling PC VR headset of the quarter, outselling the substantially cheaper Oculus Rift S. At $1,000, the Valve Index is one of the most expensive headsets on the market, but it is on back-order after demand exceeded supply during the holidays.
Players won’t need a Valve Index to playHalf-Life:Alyx, as it will run on other Steam-compatible headsets including the Oculus Rift andHTC Vive. However, all Index purchases include a free copy of the game, and Valve Index is the most powerful Steam-compatible headset.
Valve ishoping to have the Indexback in stock in time forHalf-Life: Alyx‘s launch, and the game’s announcement coincided with the headset’s sales boost. It will be the first Half-Life game to launch in over a decade, albeit not the elusiveHalf-Life 3that fans have been asking for.
Half-Life: Alyxoccurs between the events of the first two games and stars Alyx Vance. It’s a full-length first-person shooter like the other non-VR Half-Life titles. Depending on its reception and fan support,Valve could also use the gameto decide whether to continue producing more Half-Life games.Based on the memes, however, it’s pretty clear players want a third traditional game.
As with nearly all Valve games,Half-Life: Alyxwill be available exclusively through Steam. The service is a juggernaut among digital game stores today, and its success can be traced directly to the Half-Life series whenHalf-Life 2launched in 2004 on Steam.Half-Life 2is still considered one of the best video games ever made and its mandatory Steam connectivity encouraged naysayers to give the new service a try.
In celebration ofHalf-Life: Alyx‘s impending release, the entire series is currently available to play for free on Steam through the game’s launch in March, though no final date has been revealed.
