Valve reportedly cooking native Linux version of Half-Life: Alyx, optimized for Steam Frame VR

Valve just unleashed an entire Steam hardware platform including the new Steam Frame VR headset, with rumors that the developer is working on a native Linux-based version of Half-Life: Alyx, and optimized for the Steam Frame.

In its unveiling of the Steam Machine, Steam Frame VR headset, and new Steam Controller, Valve told Digital Foundry that: "Half-Life: Alyx is a great experience when streamed from a PC to Steam Frame, and we are looking into making it a good standalone experience as well".

Half-Life: Alyx should work on the Steam Frame when it launches, but it's an x86 game, but Valve is using an Arm-based Snapdragon processor inside of its new VR headset, unless you're streaming from your PC to the Steam Frame, using Valve's new VR headset in standalone runs the game using its on-board Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen3 chip, which is an Arm-based solution.

• Read more: Valve Steam Frame VR headset: plays your entire Steam library, uses Snapdragon chip

Valve has a new "Frame Verified" status for its games and applications for the Steam Frame VR headset, with games needing to be optimized for the new hardware, before they're given the Frame Verified status.

In a report from UploadVR, the outlet explains: "Valve representatives think they can get Half-Life: Alyx running performant in standalone, but they're not promising it yet and it's clear there's still a lot for them to do".

• Read more: Valve's new Steam Machine console, 4K 60FPS gaming with FSR, SteamOS
• Read more: Valve's new Steam Controller: TMR thumbsticks + touchpads for unique design
• Read more: Valve says third-party Steam Machines may come with different levels of hardware

It would be a huge deal to see Half-Life: Alyx running natively on the Arm-based chip inside of the Steam Frame VR headset, but you'd only have around an hour of battery life as the headset consumes around 20W of power running native Arm-based games. When streaming games to the headset, you'll enjoy a much longer 3 hours of battery life as the Steam Frame uses around 7W when streaming games through the 6GHz included dongle from your PC.

Half-Life: Alyx natively on the Steam Frame with the new Steam Controllers would give gamers the taste they need to understand what Valve can do with VR and the Half-Life franchise. I personally used the Valve Index controllers (the ones that strap around your hand and give you individual finger movement in the game) and played through Half-Life: Alyx when it was released, and it was the most revolutionary thing I've ever played.

• Read more: Valve rumored to not be working on one, but TWO new Half-Life games says leaker

This is the kind of experience Valve wants you to have on its hardware, and Half-Life: Alyx is just purely a TEASE of what we can expect to see from Half-Life 3... the perfect system seller for its new Steam Machine and Steam Frame headsets. Although, the main Half-Life 3 game will be launched on PC as a PC game not in VR, while a second release would happen that's compatible with Steam Frame, in full VR.

Rumors of two new Half-Life games started in August 2024, with known Valve leaker Tyler McVicker suggesting we'd see two new Half-Life games: one that runs on the PC with a mouse and keyboard, and the other is for VR. He said that the games would be separate, but you'd be able to play together between PC + VR, where the PC version is playing Gordon Freeman, and the VR user is playing Alyx Vance.

The cooperative parts of a new Half-Life game would be pretty damn cool to see, as Valve has always been a champion of puzzles and gameplay. Valve has been working on next-generation physics, fluids, destruction, and so much more behind the scenes for Half-Life 3... so a surprise release that is two-player? Oh boy.