‘Half-Life: Alyx’ may become a PlayStation VR 2 game

Sony hasn’t exactly been vocal about its upcoming PlayStation VR2 headset. But one insider has claimed that Valve’s PC virtual reality FPS game Half-Life: Alyx is coming to the PSVR2.

What happened? — It all started when gaming YouTuber Benji-Sales tweeted out that Half-Life: Alyx was an amazing game and one of the most immersive VR experiences he’s ever had. He expressed a hope that Valve and Sony might be able to “work out a deal” to bring the title to the PSVR2.

The podcaster and co-founder of Xbox fan site XboxEra, Nick Baker, then claimed that the game was definitely coming to the PSVR2 and was something of an “open secret” in the gaming industry. “From what I’ve been told, they have. Not sure when it’s happening though,” Baker said.

Silent Sony — While this shouldn’t be misconstrued as an official confirmation, these Half-Life: Alyx rumors are just one of many topics Sony has been silent on publicly. At CES this year, Kotaku’s former editor-in-chief Stephen Totilo asked a Sony rep if the company would offer backwards compatibility for the PSVR2, allowing users to play original PSVR games.

Sony’s response? No comment. While that’s technically neutral, it doesn’t exactly sound promising for fans of the original PSVR games either. Sony has yet to reveal the release date for the PSVR2, though some believe that its starting mass production in China very soon and may be released by the end of this year.

Next-gen specs — So what do we know about the PSVR2? For starters, it is called the PSVR2 — until two days ago, even the headset’s name hadn’t been officially confirmed. We’ve also learned about some of the headset’s specs. As expected, the PSVR2 will have and OLED display with an 110 degree FOV and USB C cable connection to the PS5. The resolution has confirmed to be at 2000 x 2040 per eye with refresh rates of 90 Hz or 120 Hz.

What’s surprising and exciting about this headset is all the motion sensing and tracking that will be going on. The PSVR2 will have four cameras for the headset and controller as well as an eye-tracking camera for each eye. And there’s a built-in microphone for in-game comms with friends, too.

One confirmed game — While Half-Life: Alyx for the PSVR 2 is still just a rumor, a game called Horizon: Call of the Mountain has been confirmed for the new headset. It’s an adventure game set in a tropical world where giant robots roam freely among humans. Few other details are currently known about the game, but you can check out the official trailer below.