In 2016, HTC shipped the Vive with wand-like tracked controllers powered by Valve’s technology while Facebook shipped Oculus Touch. Valve debuted the high-end Index VR headset earlier this year in tandem with the Index Controller - a new type of tracked VR controller which straps to each hand around the knuckles and palm. Half-Life Alyx is available for pre-order now on Steam for around $60 and slated for release in March 2020, but it’ll be free to owners of the Valve Index VR headset. The artist also told us core interactions in the game, like “picking up, holding, dropping, throwing, and manipulating” objects “end up being better on Index Controllers because we were developing them in concert with the game.” The intriguing detail comes to us in a lengthy answer from Bronwen Grimes, Technical Artist at Valve, in response to a question we sent the company about the highly anticipated game. Valve’s upcoming VR game Half-Life: Alyx works with all tracked PC VR game controllers, but some optional interactions are only possible with the company’s own Index Controllers.
