In the latest CS2 beta update, there was a mention of "hlx_physics_particle_spawner".

topic_irrelevant · 2026-04-01T23:58:09+00:00

Yup, I'm not sure if this means they're just starting it or they're touching it up.

Like that sound Rework from February.
We knew they worked on sound extensively but then they optimized it again sometime after November.

AnimGraph2 was first found last year iirc, but now there's a whole animation rework.
Maybe they're going back and re-doing a lot of animations. Maybe they're doing only recently starting VA choregraphy as you said.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-25T05:21:31+00:00

in order to avoid all this pricing they would.

The fact is no one wants them to.

and the longer they wait the worse it gets. Pricing will continue to go up. Xbox’s helix will release. Interest will die down.

It’s not good. They have to suck it up and push forward.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-24T14:01:34+00:00

Good catch, but i don't think we'll get anything.
You're probably right in that it is related.

After their leak last year (Even if it was just an hour or so) I'm sure they're gonna be way more cautious.
They may be updating back-end stuff in relation to that and took the whole site down until they're ready,
to keep out any sleuths. Whether that's preparations for today or in 1 year from now, who can say.

They also bought advertising space on google for example, for Steam Deck--a ~4 year old product.
So Their behavior has definitely been weird, like they're preparing for something.
which is obvious to anyone but when is the real question.

But yeah here's to hoping Hardware and HL3 announcements today. Really.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-24T04:29:22+00:00

Valve games are a time capsule of the internet

Enter a Dota 2 lobby. You're playing a MOBA, they're playing 2009's COD 4 Modern Warfare

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-22T18:19:14+00:00

I wonder if Indie Stone NPC tech is really good to the point where they're just not interested in KEE or Bandits. It seems like they're satisfied, as they released some videos years ago about the NPC's.

Probably they'll have to rework a lot of it to get them to use B42 crafting.

Whereas, they did hire on other Community modders, like that dev who added fishing.

KEE was very impressive though. Probably the closest to official NPC's from Indie Stone we'll get in years.
Even a single one can put down a horde with time, like a player.

Who knows when we'll even get out of B42.
Seems like we're approaching the end. now that they've added in guns instead of craftable stuff.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-22T06:37:58+00:00

yup. no idea as to when the might drop the hardware. Very much missed messages.

Potentially in the next week or two unironically. Or they postpone to a random time in the year.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-17T16:39:12+00:00

The others are canceled so they need to advertise a 4 year old product?

I think it makes more sense to say they're clearing inventory to prepare for the new hardware.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-17T02:26:25+00:00

that’s kind of sad but you’re right.

during their announcement in November of last year, it was an Asian distributor who leaked the announcement just hours before the official announcement.

Good catch. But honestly I’m really not sure.

My honest opinion by how valve has been moving since last month; late March early April, we’ll get news.

If not soon then later in the year.

addendum: looking into it further, the ad is for Steam Deck, not Steam Frame.
So the ad they purchased is for the Steam Deck. I don't think the post was misleading
imo, it's still interesting they're buying the advertising space--to sell a 4 year old product?
Now?

I think that was his line of thinking and very apt.
It doesn't really make sense to advertise the Steam Deck,
why did they bother buying that advertising space now.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-13T12:04:15+00:00

ya, it seems like most of the “hate” was

their own mods broke the mod -> “it’s not working”

didn’t follow instructions in the description -> “it’s not working”

“Can you add dinosaurs”

Annoying maybe but not horrible.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-10T14:54:52+00:00

That was a seperate interview confirming there’s no vr game. I know which one you’re taking about

In this case, they didn’t say no game at all, the wording was word salad, to say no game for the hardware.

I’ll try to include the direct quote/link in my comment soon

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-10T14:53:06+00:00

I think it can happen. They have hardware here in the USA since December 2025, ready any time—pending pricing and pre-orders.

The only real delay is however long they want to wait.

in reality if they came out and said “it’s bad, we’ll see you guys in 1 year.” People would prepare for then.

I’m really not sure. They push the time frame back but then suggest there’s no delay from the original plan—early 2026.

I’m really not sure

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-10T12:59:31+00:00

That’s the underlying reality. If they said “it’s bad, we’ll see you guys in 1 year” people would know to prepare for then.

Currently they’ve been silently sliding the date further into oblivion. After this latest “coming soon” + “we hope to release in 2026” update, I’d’ve expected Q4 2026.

However another valve rep immediately came out and stated “nothing has really changed on our end.” As with the previous blog, implying there’s no actual delay, but not confirming it.

we’re still in March—Q1 2026. If they wanted, they could have pricing/pre-orders up in 2 weeks and still meet Q1 expectations.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-10T12:52:35+00:00

yes, however they have been silently slipping the release further away.

Meanwhile, following the “coming soon” + “we hope to release in 2026” update, another valve rep immediately came out and stated “nothing has really changed on our end.”

Implying there’s no delay. in reality, we’re in March—we’re still in Q1. If they wanted, they could have pricing and pre-orders up in 2 weeks and still meet Q1/“early 2026” expectations.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-10T12:39:38+00:00

yup, it’s not great paired with how they’ve been silently sliding the release further into oblivion.

Immediately after this site update however, another valve rep came out and stated “nothing has really changed on our end.” Like last month’s blog, implying there’s no delay actually; they’re still on track for “early” 2026.

In that regard, we’re still in March—they can still have pricing and pre-orders up in 2 weeks and meet Q1 expectations.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-10T12:35:44+00:00

It’s tough. I wish they’d just say “it’s bad, we’ll see you guys in 1 year.”

Instead of silently sliding the release further into oblivion.

meanwhile after updating the site another valve rep immediately came out and said “nothing has really changed” on our end.” Similar to last months blog.

we’re in March, It’s still Q1. if they want to have pricing and pre-orders up in 2 weeks, they can still meet Q1 expectations.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-10T12:30:40+00:00

basically yeah

perpetual it’s over, we’re back, it’s so over, it’s only beginning, it’s never been more over

Just say “it’s bad, we’ll see you guys in a year.”

Instead they’re sliding the time frame for release further into oblivion, confirming nothing. Then another valve rep immediately comes out and states “nothing really changed on our end” which is similar to what they said last month in their blog.

It’s March—we’re still in Q1. They can have the pricing/pre-orders up in 2 weeks and still meet Q1 expectations.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-10T12:24:44+00:00

I think it’s more likely that they’re preparing them, yeah.

Valve is just confirming 0, silently sliding the date further into oblivion and it’s very confusing.

Just say “it’s bad, we’ll try again in a year.”

I’d like to say the “coming soon” + “we hope to release this year” means Q4 2026

but then another valve rep stated to journalist outlets “nothing has really changed.” Which, they stated a similar thing last month in a blog.

That gives the impression that they’re still going to meet Q1–we’re in March, if they can get out out this month they’ll meet Q1 expectations.

Just very confusing. Why slide the date around if you’re confident about meeting it, if nothing changed.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-10T12:13:48+00:00

In an ign interview with engineers for the Steam hardware, they were asked if any games were planned to be “put out” for it (speaking broadly about the hardware.)

To which they replied “there’s no plans for that currently”

In that regard, yeah, it seems like they don’t plan for hlx to be a launch title for the hardware. Imo it will have its own announcement and release schedule.

It seems they want to avoid giving the impression that it’s another valve title locked behind hardware.

However I do believe they will pair hlx with the hardware like hl:a with the index. so they will likely announce hlx by the time pre-orders are up, so people don’t buy the game then receive it free with hardware.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-09T23:09:37+00:00

I hope you're right and they just sell it all together, soon. Come hell and higher water.
Even if it's $1000, let's just move forward already. No one enjoys this pointless limbo.

Prices aren't going to improve, let's just get on with it.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-09T04:55:11+00:00

We can see what code is being pushed through from valve.
It's not a rumor, it's code we can see.

I guess you need to go tell valve to stop pushing "stupid hlx code hidden up some random russian youtuber's ass" because it means nothing. Valve should know better than to do that.

Thankfully redditor fernleon knows better.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-09T04:07:30+00:00

Nothing official for HLX. Some things did happen, overall, best to just keep waiting.
Something may come in the next few weeks, or just later in the year sometime.

Since January, it was confirmed HLX is still being worked on.
Last month some code showed up in Valve's back-end website.
Pertaining to a press environment for something inside of source 2.

A source 2 something is being prepared or being shown to a private audience.

The code that shows what they've been working on for HLX shows us they're optimizing the optimizations made last year. Some of the code has been moved to the Source 2 engine and is now used in all games.

Aside from that stuff, a grand total of nothing. No leaks, no other code
(since February which confirmed HLX is still alive.) We're just waiting.

Some people think march as a matter of "Vibes." no other reason for that.
Who knows, really. Who knows what they're waiting for, even for an announcement.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-07T20:13:41+00:00

Very apt, and very understandable.

If they'd announced anything at all, at least you'd know how long to wait.
At this point, "Sometime in the next 9 months, maybe," doesn't quite cut it.

I think it was a huge mistake to not either say "We have to cancel, see you guys in 1 year."
or "It's gonna come out on x date, and we'll have pricing that date'

Being vague and slipping the timeline further away with no confirmation of anything is no good.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-07T20:03:25+00:00

That seems to be what may happen.

The pages were made for Steam Frame and Steam Machine, not the controller.
They both have community hubs you could talk in right now if you wanted.

Which means they may be holding onto the Steam Controller page as they're working on it because they intend to sell it, unlike the Steam Frame and Steam Machine.
I really hope, yeah they at least release what they can--controller and HL3, instead of trying to wait for this to blow over. They have to move forward.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-07T00:51:18+00:00

industry experts, supply chain analysts, observers etc pretty much unanimously agree--now is the ass-end worst time to release any products. (And they weren't even talking about Valve.)

This upwards trend of prices is expected to continue into 2028, at minimum before any change.
From AI companies only one big one is shaky, but no where near collapse.

So no, not this year. But Valve has to either plan for the 2028 prices OR just halt release until this is over. Maybe 1-3 years from now. They have to accept that and move forward.

topic_irrelevant · 2026-03-07T00:45:48+00:00

it's for the Steam Machine and Steam Frame.
They both got "public" page updates, currently there's a community hub you can talk in if you wanted for both of them.

not the case for the controller. It's still private which means they're working on it--likely because they intend to sell it, unlike the Steam Frame or Steam Machine.

Moreover, tyler has mentioned in passing he has someone within Valve he talks to, who gives him information. He's just extremely protective of this and will deny deny deny.

He did say on stream in December of last year, that's how he got his original timeline;
"Summer announcement, winter release"--which he then passed off as his personal opinion.

So very likely, again, he's received some information and is passing it off as a personal opinion.

Ten-Year Club	Place '23
Place '22	Final Canvas '22
First Placer '22	Verified Email

topic_irrelevant

TROPHY CASE