Some interesting bits here:
https://www.pcgamer.com/half-life-alyx- ... g-we-know/Minimum System Specs
MINIMUM:
OS: Windows 10
Processor: Core i5-7500 / Ryzen 5 1600
Memory: 12 GB RAM
Graphics: GTX 1060 / RX 580 - 6GB VRAM
Alyx will feature "all the hallmarks of classic Half-Life" including "world exploration, puzzle solving, visceral combat, and an intricately woven story that connects it all with the characters iconic to the Half-Life universe." The story is set between the events of Half-Life and Half-Life 2 and sees Alyx and her father Eli secretly mounting a resistance to the brutal occupation of Earth by the Combine, mysterious invading aliens. "As Alyx, players take the fight to the Combine to save the future of humanity."
"Early on we decided it was important that playing as Alyx felt different to playing as Gordon Freeman," says Coomer. "Alyx being an active participant in conversations made it much, much easier to incorporate narrative into the game in natural ways, and as a result there's a higher density of storytelling over the course of the game."
While Alyx was portrayed by Merle Dandridge in Half-Life 2, the younger version of the character in Half-Life: Alyx has been recast. This time Alyx will be played by Ozioma Akagha, an actor who has starred in a number of videogames including Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and Mirror's Edge: Catalyst. "Casting choices are incredibly hard, especially considering the time gap," says Coomer. "But when we heard Ozioma's performance we knew we'd found the right Alyx."
Maybe it's not a surprise—it's hard to imagine a Half-Life game without the mysterious G-Man, who even appeared in the mostly Gordon Freeman-less Half-Life: Opposing Force and Blue Shift. But it's great to have it confirmed, and once again G-Man will be voiced by Mike Shapiro.
We'll also see the return of the alien Vortigaunts, once again voiced by Tony Todd. Ellen McClain (the voice of GLaDOS in the Portal series) is returning as the sinister synthesized voice of the Combine Overwatch.
Alyx's father, Eli Vance, will make an appearance, although he's been recast after the sad death of his original voice, Robert Guillaume, in 2017. "The new voice of Eli, James Moses Black, has big shoes to fill," says Coomer. "But we're all excited about his performance and can't wait for players to hear it." Black has appeared in This is Us and 24: Legacy, among many other film and television roles.
Before the Zero Point Energy Field Manipulator (sorry, gravity gun) was invented and given to Gordon Freeman in Half-Life 2, Alyx had gravity gloves. We can assume these can be used in a similar fashion as the gravity gun, to lift, pull, and throw objects around. But there's probably a lot more you can do with them in VR. A screenshot also shows them displaying what we assume is Alyx's health status—three hearts are shown on the left-hand glove.
Original Half-Life writer Marc Laidlaw left Valve in 2016 after 18 years with the company, so he won't be taking the lead on Half-Life: Alyx. "As with all Valve games, the writing is a collaboration between the writers and all the animators, actors, and the level designers who implement the narrative within the game itself," says Coomer. "While Marc hasn't worked on Half-Life: Alyx directly (he's probably lying on a beach somewhere), he's been generous with his time answering all the writers' questions throughout the game's development."
Alyx's store page on Steam notes that you'll be able to rip headcrabs off your face and throw them at Combine soldiers.
Gabe Newell is excited
"Virtual reality has energized us," the Valve founder says. "We've invested a lot of ourselves in the technology. But we're also game developers at heart, and to be devoting ourselves to a VR game this ambitious is just as exciting. For that to come in the form of Half-Life feels like the culmination of a lot of things we care a lot about: truly great games, cutting edge technology, and open platforms." It's odd hearing Gabe Newell talking openly and candidly about a new Half-Life game. Maybe the Half-Life 3 jokes will stop now? Nah.
Half-Life: Alyx is undoubtedly optimized for the Valve Index and its knuckle controllers, but Valve isn't limiting the hardware you can play it on. It'll be compatible with the HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality, Oculus Rift, and Oculus Quest if you have the PC link cable.
It'll also support room scale, standing, or sitting play, and includes three movement options: teleportation, "shift" (which means you "smoothly zoom" between points), and regular analog stick walking and running.
Owners of any part of the Valve Index kit, including just the controllers, will get Half-Life: Alyx free. Those who own any Index hardware before the end of 2019 will get a few bonuses, including "alternate gun skins to embellish Alyx's arsenal."
It'll be Steam Workshop compatible, too, according to the official site. "A set of Source 2 tools for building new levels will be available for the game, enabling any player to build and contribute new environments for the community to enjoy. Hammer, Valve’s level authoring tool, has been updated with all of the game's virtual reality gameplay tools and components."
That's most of the article to be fair.
I've got an i5-6600k. I've not had any issues with games so far as my pc was hi spec when I got it, but do steam games flat out refuse to load if the specs aren't met? I've got 32gb of ram and a 1070 so those aren't an issue.