Valve's Half-Life: Alyx Released - Linux Build Still Coming

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Valve's Half-Life: Alyx Released - Linux Build Still Coming

Valve today released their Half-Life: Alyx virtual reality first-person shooter game and built atop their Source 2 engine...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Half-Life-Alyx

[dweigert]

I'll be spending the next few hours with Alyx. Bets on the number of girls with that spelling of their name 9 months from now?

[PluMGMK]

Wait, this thing actually released on time??

[chocolate]

If you don't care about your own platform (SteamOS and tangentially other distributions), why should publishers? Releasing on Linux second gives the message that it's always an afterthought despite the investments in the graphics stack. It makes it look like those investments weren't worth it. I was hoping Alyx would release on the same day for all VR-ready platforms, just for this.

[SyXbiT]

If you don't care about your own platform (SteamOS and tangentially other distributions), why should publishers? Releasing on Linux second gives the message that it's always an afterthought despite the investments in the graphics stack. It makes it look like those investments weren't worth it. I was hoping Alyx would release on the same day for all VR-ready platforms, just for this.

While I would generally agree. Valve does care about Linux, and all regular (non-VR) games release on Linux day one. VR is a special case, and Linux isn't quite there yet.

[ix900]

Would be interesting if he gets it to work well enough to be really playable considering all the various problems right now: https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues/3681

[Ironmask]

If you don't care about your own platform (SteamOS and tangentially other distributions), why should publishers? Releasing on Linux second gives the message that it's always an afterthought despite the investments in the graphics stack. It makes it look like those investments weren't worth it. I was hoping Alyx would release on the same day for all VR-ready platforms, just for this.

It's a lot more a problem with Linux than it is with Valve. I actually find it really cute and ironic that Gabe said Windows is "developer-hostile" when they can get software published for it way faster than on Linux. The way you word it makes you sound like you're some pointy-haired boss who doesn't understand software stacks. It's flat-out more difficult to publish on Linux (even the FSF jokes about this) and they're doing everything they can to streamline that, in fact I'd hazard a guess there are more people working on the Linux stuff than actual games at this point.
It's admirable what they're doing to try and accelerate Linux desktop adoption, but they really are pushing what the ecosystem is current capable of. I can't even imagine what sort of hell they would have to go through if not for Steam streamlining the publication and installation process. In short, it would be like the pre-Snap world. As in, just no proprietary software to begin with, so no games. And even then Snap is far from perfect when you consider what publishing software is like for Windows and macOS and their ecosystems.

[Volta]

I think it's not too smart to invest in snap. You know unity, upstart.

[swagg_boi]

While I would generally agree. Valve does care about Linux, and all regular (non-VR) games release on Linux day one. VR is a special case, and Linux isn't quite there yet.

I agree with you not agreeing...

VR gamers make up a small minority of even Windows PC Steam users... I can't imagine how few people are VR gaming on Linux (Linux gamers like myself being another small minority of Steam users). They may have gone through without the Linux port being done yet just to finally release a Half-Life title on time

[ix900]

I agree with you not agreeing...

VR gamers make up a small minority of even Windows PC Steam users... I can't imagine how few people are VR gaming on Linux (Linux gamers like myself being another small minority of Steam users). They may have gone through without the Linux port being done yet just to finally release a Half-Life title on time

Valve always (or almost always, if not) does Linux after Windows. Eg, game streaming came after. Its just how it is. Alyx would be no different.