A copy of Half-Life: Alyx comes for free for anyone who purchases a new HTC Vive Cosmos Elite. This new VR headset offers an upgraded tracking solution with more robust construction. Players who buy into this bundle will also get a free 6-month premium membership to VIVEPORT Infinity, the premium app store subscription for the HTC Vive line.
The Cosmos Elite plus Half-Life: Alyx is available now, but it’s pretty pricey at $899. This makes it a pretty high-end competitor to the Valve Index, which due to shortages for that game hardware, there are some arguments to be made for picking up this new VIVE entrant to the market if you’re really looking to grab a new high-end piece of VR hardware and don’t mind losing out on the Index controllers.
The Valve Index also comes with a copy of Half-Life: Alyx, improved SteamVR 2.0 base stations, and the controllers as well. So if you’re willing to wait, it may be worth it for you. It’s also about $100 more expensive than the HTC Vive Cosmos Elite.
It’s important to note that the bundle is not applicable worldwide, as buyers in China, Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, India, Malaysia, Singapore or Ukraine are not eligible for the bundle.
And aside from the launch of the new VR hardware, it looks like Valve is very excited about the upcoming game. By building off of the story of Half Life 2: Episode Two, Valve is looking to make a big splash with hardcore fans.
“Half-Life means a lot to us, and it’s been incredibly rewarding to refamiliarize ourselves with its characters, setting, and mechanics,” said Valve reps in a recent interview. “There are Half-Life: Alyx team members who have been at Valve since Half-Life 2, and quite a few who go back to the original Half-Life.” The developer has said that Half-Life: Alyx will be “return to this world, not the end of it,” and that the company is hoping to recapture the fans who have been waiting for more story content and the like for many years.
