Valve’s new Index VR headset is getting a significant sales boost thanks to the upcoming game Half-Life: Alyx. Valve sold approximately 103,000 Index headsets, a jump of over 100% over the previous quarter, according to Nielsen’s SuperData.
This made the Valve Index the best-selling PC VR headset of the quarter, outselling the substantially cheaper Oculus Rift S. At $1,000, the Valve Index is one of the most expensive headsets on the market, but it is on back-order after demand exceeded supply during the holidays.
Players won’t need a Valve Index to play Half-Life: Alyx, as it will run on other Steam-compatible headsets including the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. However, all Index purchases include a free copy of the game, and Valve Index is the most powerful Steam-compatible headset.
Valve is hoping to have the Index back in stock in time for Half-Life: Alyx‘s launch, and the game’s announcement coincided with the headset’s sales boost. It will be the first Half-Life game to launch in over a decade, albeit not the elusive Half-Life 3 that fans have been asking for.
Half-Life: Alyx occurs between the events of the first two games and stars Alyx Vance. It’s a full-length first-person shooter like the other non-VR Half-Life titles. Depending on its reception and fan support, Valve could also use the game to decide whether to continue producing more Half-Life games. Based on the memes, however, it’s pretty clear players want a third traditional game.
As with nearly all Valve games, Half-Life: Alyx will be available exclusively through Steam. The service is a juggernaut among digital game stores today, and its success can be traced directly to the Half-Life series when Half-Life 2 launched in 2004 on Steam. Half-Life 2 is still considered one of the best video games ever made and its mandatory Steam connectivity encouraged naysayers to give the new service a try.
In celebration of Half-Life: Alyx‘s impending release, the entire series is currently available to play for free on Steam through the game’s launch in March, though no final date has been revealed.
