If you want to play Half-Life: Alyx, but it shipped in the launch version of the game.
It seems Valve had a debug mode for Alyx which would allow devs to move through the game's environments without strapping on a headset. Now that the game is live and dataminers have had their day, they've unearthed a set of launch parameters and console commands to get that mode up and running at home.
Valve has already patched the debug mode out of the game, though it's still possible to old versions of Alyx thanks to Steam's depot er – you can get instructions on how to use that on Reddit, and information on the special launch parameters from indie dev Casey Billadeau on Twitter.
Tyler McVicker of Valve News Network has been playing with the debug mode on stream today, and has found some console commands that make the experience slightly more complete – like one that makes VR hands appear in place, so you can press buttons and progress through some of the puzzles.
It appears that the game's mostly playable in this mode, though elements like the Gravity Gloves appear to be broken. It's absolutely not the right way to play Alyx, though with a legion of rabid Half-Life fans looking for a way to play without a VR headset, I'm sure we'll see someone attempt to run through the game like this soon enough.
https://twitter.com/caseytube/status/1242901843644223488
Check out our Half-Life: Alyx ending. Either way, it looks like the work of modders is just beginning.