Tech Talk

Best Answer: No. Valve has worked to ensure that Half-Life: Alyx is an amazing experience no matter what VR hardware you're playing on. Controllers with touch sensors will deliver a more "authentic" experience for Alyx's in-game hands. However, the actual gameplay won't be very different, even if you're still rocking a first-generation HTC Vive.

• A powerful VR experience: Oculus Rift S (From $399 at B&H Photo)

How does the experience differ?

You may be wondering how Half-Life: Alyx's gameplay experience might differ depending on what hardware you're using to experience it. Thanks to Valve's efforts to make Half-Life: Alyx as accessible as possible, you'll have a great experience playing the game no matter if you are using Valve Index controllers, HTC Vive controllers, Oculus Touch controllers, or even Windows Mixed Reality controllers.

Part of the magic comes in Valve's software excellence. The Half-Life: Alyx team has worked hard to ensure that even older VR hardware can deliver a solid gameplay experience by custom-tailoring the input methods for each type of controller. That means more advanced controllers will have their advanced features automatically enabled.

It also means that less sophisticated controllers won't put players at a disadvantage just because they don't have the same number or configuration of buttons. The main inputs in the game consist of grabbing, either physically or through the Russells gravity gloves, firing guns, or touching items to interact. While the Valve Index's advanced hand recognition makes Alyx's hands look more realistic, the end result isn't much different from a gameplay perspective.

How about movement and aiming accuracy?

Despite some pretty massive differences in tracking accuracy between headsets, Valve has worked to ensure that Half-Life: Alyx maintains a level of continuity between controller and tracking types when playing the game. Many Windows Mixed Reality headsets, for example, only utilize two cameras to track controller and player movements. While that's fine for many simple VR experiences, players have found that fast-moving games like Beat Saber or games with precise movement requirements are more challenging to play on those headsets.

Valve created an impressive interpolation system in Half-Life: Alyx that works hand-in-hand with your headset's own tracking methods to better estimate what you're trying to do in the game. That means times where you're holding one controller in front of another like you would when holding a pistol with two hands, won't result in janky movement or loss of tracking. Instead, Valve's behind-the-scenes software is smart enough to understand that oddities in tracking are just that; oddities, not intentional movements, and it can help guard against these frustrating situations automatically.

What you have is fine

At the end of the day, that means you don't need the nearly $300 Valve Index controllers just to enjoy Half-Life: Alyx. You won't get a gameplay advantage when using these controllers, which is the key component to why you don't need them for Half-Life: Alyx. If you've already got a SteamVR-capable headset, like an HTC Vive, you will see enhanced immersion by purchasing Valve's impressive controllers, thanks to the Index controller's ability to more accurately interpret what real-life hand movements should look like in a virtual reality game.

If you've got another headset that's not SteamVR-tracked, don't worry, your experience won't be lesser just because you don't have the Index's finger tracking abilities. You'll still be able to easily pick up objects, operate guns and other puzzles, and manipulate the virtual world in a way that hasn't been done in a VR game to date. It's an amazing, must-play experience any way you encounter it.

Middle-ground price, top-tier performance

Oculus Rift S

$399 at B&H Photo $399 at Best Buy

Simple and affordable

The Oculus Rift S is far easier to set up than its predecessor, and it's also less expensive than its rivals. A perfect combination? We certainly think so.

Affordable VR accessories you'll use every time