We knew it wouldn't be long, but it was still pretty quick: just a week after the release of the VR-only Half-Life: Alyx, a mod that lets you play on your desktop with a mouse and keyboard, no VR headset or controller required.

Before you pay $60 for Half-Life: Alyx: Before you buy Alyx, let me warn you: the Alyx MK (Mouse & Keyboard) Edition mod is a pre-alpha version. This mod is very junk and will not allow you to play HL:A all the way through using the mouse and keyboard like Half-Life 2. You have to enter a lot of console commands to get it to work, and many of the game's features still don't work at all. You can play it, but frankly, it is no fun at all.

The mod consists of a package of modified setup files that will allow you to run HL:A on your desktop. There are two setups to choose from: one is a "fake VR" mode, which allows you to use Alix's gravity gloves and weapons, but you cannot use WASD for movement and must use a lot of no_clip console code to progress through certain areas and sequences.

In the other mode, you can walk around more naturally with the WASD keys and pick up objects with the E key, as in Half-Life 2, but you cannot open doors or press buttons because you have no hands and must use Half-Life 2's default weapons. In other words, both modes of mod are missing.

But both are pretty cool, with limited functionality. I see this as a reason for people who don't have VR to buy the game, as opposed to people who already have the game and have played it in VR to try it out. At least for now, this is a pre-alpha version of the mod and we will see how it develops.

You can find it at Nexus Mods. The modder has also released a video explaining the configuration adjustments and console commands needed to get the most out of this mod.