Fan Brings Half-Life: Alyx City 17 Scene to Standalone Meta Quest 3
A *Half-Life: Alyx* fan has achieved a remarkable feat by bringing the opening City 17 scene to the standalone Meta Quest 3, without needing a connected PC. While the Meta Quest 3 is known for its wireless capabilities, it typically requires a PC to play graphically demanding VR games like *Half-Life: Alyx*. However, developer Boris Novikov has taken the game’s assets—sound, physics, and models—and recreated the City 17 scene in Unity, making it playable on the Quest 3.
The experience, demonstrated in a video, showcases the player navigating City 17 and interacting with objects. While there are occasional frame rate drops, the scene runs at a solid 72 FPS at times, proving the Quest 3’s power. Novikov’s success is attributed to the device’s XR2 Gen 2 chipset, which he believed could handle such demanding VR content.
For those interested, Novikov has made the APK available for download, allowing Quest 3 users to try the experience themselves. However, the demo is not compatible with older Meta Quest devices like the Quest 2 or Quest Pro, due to hardware limitations.
This breakthrough hints at a future where demanding VR games may become playable on standalone devices, as VR technology continues to evolve.
