You'll soon be able to play EVE: Valkyrie without a VR headset

EVE: Valkyrie was announced in 2013 as a multiplayer space combat sim for the Oculus Rift, and as we noted in our review from last year, despite some shortcomings "it's proper gasp-out-loud stuff." But requiring a VR headset really puts a squeeze on the size of the audience it can reach, and so today CCP announced an upcoming major expansion called EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone that will make the game "perfectly playable on a TV or monitor." 

"Once Warzone hits, you won’t need to have a VR headset to play EVE: Valkyrie," CCP said. "We all know just how immersive virtual reality is, but because not everyone has a headset, so many potential friends and foes are missing out on all the frantic space dogfighting fun."   

Ditching the VR requirement is obviously the big hook here, but the Warzone expansion will also usher in a new "modular progression system" that will enable greater flexibility in ship upgrades, add two new maps and a new game mode, and a new reward system with a range of personalization options. And yes, Valkyrie will continue to support VR on the PC and PS4 after the release of Warzone, it just won't be mandatory anymore.   

And as a heads-up to anyone thinking of buying EVE: Valkyrie anytime soon, you'll probably want to hold off on that: The release of Warzone will also see the price of the game cut from $40 to $30. CCP said more information will be revealed prior to its release on September 26, but for the moment you can find out more about what's coming at evevalkyrie.com

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.