Half-Life fans were initially very excited when Valve announced Half-Life: Alyx, but that excitement was tempered slightly when it turned out Alyx was a VR-only experience. However, a mod has now removed the need to use a VR headset (sort of).

As VGC reports, the mod unlocks a number of non-VR debug commands Valve removed from the game before launch. They would have used them internally to carry out testing without needing to repeatedly put on and remove a headset. By re-enabling the commands, the game can be played using a keyboard and mouse instead, but only partially.

Robin Walker, designer on Half-Life: Alyx, has stated previously that he knew a non-VR mod would appear and that he's looking forward to it because, "We have a lot of things that we can say to them about why we made that [VR-only] choice and why we think it’s turned out well, but at the end of the day the game will explain to them why, once they get a chance to play it or see it somewhere."

With the mod enabled, it's possible to move around, pick up objects, and spawn weapons, but you can't use the Gravity Gloves and you're ultimately not going to have a true experience of the game. It sounds like the experience will be more akin to playing a slightly broken, pre-launch build. Even so, that may be enough for some gamers who don't have, and have no intention of purchasing a VR headset anytime soon.

This is the first mod, though, and it seems likely others will attempt to improve upon the experience and unlock access to the Gravity Gloves and whatever else is lacking without a headset. It would only be a fool who bet against Alyx one day being fully-playable with a keyboard and mouse thanks to the efforts of a determined modding community.

Further Reading

PC Game Reviews