Best VR Headset to Play Half-Life: Alyx

Half-Life: Alyx is just around the corner, and although the plot will not touch anything related to the story of our beloved Gordon Freeman, we are already looking forward to transporting us back to the Half-Life universe on March 23 . And that is that transporting us will be practically literal, since the new delivery will be enjoyed exclusively in virtual reality. So, do you already have your kit ready to play? We tell you the options that you can consider.

VR Headsets compatible with Half-Life: Alyx

One of the essential requirements to play the new Half-Life: Alyx will be to have a system compatible with SteamVR, so you must have a viewer compatible with the platform to play. Taking into account that there are several in the market, we will list all the models that you can acquire so that you have an idea of the options you have in case you need one. According to manufacturers, the options you can choose from are the following:

The best: Valve Index

Valve Index

This we could say that it is the most appropriate viewer to play Half-Life: Alyx, basically because it has been developed alongside the game. Starting from the base that is the reference model to play Alyx, we will have to take a look at its components to later compare it with other market options. And other than the viewfinder, the most complete Valve Index pack includes two controls and two base stations (detection lights).

This model can be purchased in different versions, although as we will see later, the most complete option will help us have the best gaming experience in Half-Life: Alix.

How much does it cost?

The different versions that we can find in the market are the following:

  • Valve Index VR Kit : 1,079 euros.
  • Valve Index headset + controllers : 799 euros.
  • Valve Index : 539 euros.
  • Controllers for Valve Index: 299 euros.
  • Base station: 159 euros (one unit): 159 euros.


Another of the best: HTC Live

Vive Cosmos Elite

Another option with more tradition in the market is the proposal of HTC. Las Vive currently has a wide variety of versions, so we can choose one or the other according to our needs, our budget or, as we will see later, our intention to dive more or less into the Half-Life universe.

How much does it cost?

The different versions that we can find in the market are the following:

  • Live Cosmos Elite (viewfinder, controls and positioning lights): 1,009 euros
  • Live Cosmos (viewfinder and controls): 799 euros


The cheapest: Windows Mixed Reality

Samsung Odyssey+

Microsoft also has a proposal for virtual reality beyond the mixed one proposed by Hololens. For this it has the help of Samsung, since with the HMD Odyssey + we can also play Half-Life: Alyx, although its distribution is quite limited for a simple reason: they are especially economical.

How much they cost?

  • Samsung HMD Odyssey + : $ 229

The most practical: Oculus Rift

Another of the most veteran in the world of virtual reality could not miss the appointment. In your case, there will be several options to play the new Valve game, because although the brand offers a complete solution with drivers especially for use in computers, the independent version, Oculus Quest, will also be able to work with the help of Oculus Link , a fiber optic cable that establishes a link with a computer.

How much does it cost?

  • Oculus Rift S : 449 euros
  • Oculus Quest : 449 and 549 (64 and 128 GB of internal memory)

How to play Half-Life: Alyx?

This is the question that will practically decide your purchase of the viewer, since Half-Life: Alyx will allow different game modes that will be directly related to the space you have at home to play in virtual reality. As you can see in the previous list, there are viewfinder models that have positioning lights. These elements will create a virtual room that will allow us to move through the virtual environment, so we can directly move into the Half-Life universe.

In case of not having the headlights, or the space necessary to move, we can always play sitting and move with the teleportation method, or continuous movement with the help of a joystick, either from a point A to a point B, or moving the character continuously across the stage.

Control will also be affected by the type of command we have, and that is where Valve’s option could be the best in realism. And it is that in Half-Life: Alyx the hands will have an important role in the game experience, since with the controls of the Valve Index we can move the hands with a constant tracking of our fingers, being perfectly replicated in the virtual experience.