zlacker

There's pretty strong rumours that they actually have been working on a new Half-Life. People are hoping it releases with their new hardware in 2026.

>>jonny_+(OP)
Imagine HL3, Portal 3 et L4D3 but all linux only. oh my

>>aloisd+N1
A killer app is a great way to sell a "console". Windows port can come later.

>>pphysc+C2
Doubt it, considering Deadlock still only has Windows builds a year into alpha.

https://steamdb.info/app/1422450/depots/

>>jonny_+(OP)
Are the rumors still hinting at a VR-only experience as they did a couple of years ago when Half-Life: Alyx released, or is that no longer the speculation? Because that would be unfortunate for me, I'd have to play with a bucket in hand.

>>codefl+b4
Valve recently said outright that they have no VR titles in development.

https://www.roadtovr.com/valve-no-first-party-vr-game-in-dev...

>>codefl+b4
Seems unlikely with the steam machine coming? I haven't heard any sign of it specifically being frame only

>>codefl+b4
From interviews with the Alyx devs, it really sounded like the only reason they didn't call it HL3 was fear of not living up to the name.

Given the org structure at Valve, it's going to take someone with massive hubris to say "I can be the one to lead the HL3 project."

That or Gabe getting off his megayacht to lead it (or tell someone their project is worthy of being called HL3).

>>strbea+R4
pretty sure they don't have a totally flat org structure anymore but I might be wrong

>>aloisd+N1
Unfortunately for Linux, the recent ram price increases are reason not to move (if thinking about a new pc).

>>jonny_+(OP)
Yes, I too have dabbled in that strongest of drugs called hopium.

>>Ylpert+O5
Why would you need a new PC to swap operating systems?

>>Ylpert+O5
> Unfortunately for Linux, the recent ram price increases are reason not to move (if thinking about a new pc).

Can you elaborate on why high RAM prices mean Linux is less attractive? Do you believe a usable Linux environment uses more RAM than a usable Windows 11 environment?

>>codefl+b4
I believe for the next Half-Life, latest rumors indicate it is actually back to 2D. During the press event last month, they were also pretty clear that no VR game is currently in development at Valve.

A huge missed opportunity imo, but maybe playing HL3 on a theater sized screen is nice enough.

>>strbea+R4
They decided to make it a prequel for fear of not living up to the name, the decision was made much earlier. If you're at all familiar with the contents of Alyx and the Half-Life franchise it wouldn't have made any sense to call it HL3.

>>jshear+m4
Maybe they finished it...

>>hamdin+I7
Ah, haven't gotten the chance to play it yet. But the same implication - we'll need someone at Valve with a big enough ego to take up the mantle.

>>jshear+m4
They also said there was nothing coming for SteamDeck in terms of better hardware about a week before they launched the OLED.

>>KaiMag+W6
Some rumors from ~1yr ago indicated they were looking into making it an asymmetric co-op game where one player would be Gordon Freeman on PC and one would be Alyx in VR. Of course, they could have dropped that by now.

>>aloisd+N1
Orange Box 2. Then in another few decades we'd get Orange Box: Alyx.

>>Kruton+Kc
Did they? AFAICT what they actually said was not to expect a faster Steam Deck any time soon, which was true, because the OLED version had basically the same performance as the original and in the two years since they still haven't released anything faster.

https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/21/23884863/valve-steam-deck...

>>oarsin+U6
They are assuming you’d build a new machine for Linux, I think.

OTOH Windows 10 support ran out recently so I guess there are a lot of unsupported Windows machines that could be perfectly fine as Linux refurbs.

>>strbea+Gc
I don't think that's how the people at Valve think. These people usually have lifetime dreams to work at Valve well before they do because they admired those early games so much, which if you know the story were held up to very high standards internally and repeatedly. They spent their lives being hyper critical of their own craft and admire Valve because they don't a release subpar product as a rule. So collectively they'll have a LOT of collective ego tied up in whatever that product is, but it's not like "I own this", that would be highly anathema.

>>Kruton+Kc
OLED has the same HW as the LCD, with only very minor differences

>>KaiMag+W6
I'm sure they've tried making it hybrid, aka VR optional. I'm curious if they'd be able to make it work. If not, I don't expect a VR only HL game again.

>>aloisd+N1
this would be basically what they did with steam

>>codefl+b4
Leaks disproved this in 2023. HLX is a single player non-vr PC game.

>>hamdin+I7
In a narrow sense, it did move along the story point at the end of HL2 (I won’t explain how because there’s no way to do so without massive spoilers). But yeah, it would be weird to call in HL3 just because of that.

>>KaiMag+W6
Calling Half-Life 2D somehow feels right and wrong at the same time but I get what you mean.

>>jonny_+(OP)
These rumors come from Tyler McVicker who regularly gets things wrong and makes stuff up in order to get clicks on youtube. I have no idea why anyone still takes him seriously in 2025.

>>seaal+14
Deadlock is an F2P live service game with a (very) Early Access release & development model.

Entirely different situation than bundling a finished HL3 + Steam Machine to achieve big sales.

>>brain_+Wo
I think that fits with how they think. HL3 has mythical status. We've already seen Valve devs make a major game in the HL universe and intentionally avoid "making HL3" due to this mythos. It takes a lot of confidence to say "Hey guys, I'm putting together the team to make Sistine Chapel 2."

(To be clear, I'm not saying it's a matter of ownership and personal brand. But someone needs to start the project and form a team around it. I don't think they're worried about personal brand, it's more an issue of reverence for the franchise.)