Sphere

The Sphere is an unused alien creature that was cut from Half-Life. It can be found in the game files.

Overview

It appears to be a small biological alien weapon inside an egg shaped black ball, which seems to act as a shell. When activated, the ball opens to reveal a turret-like organism shooting something out of its three red eyes, similar to the Vortigaunt. According to notes for an Alpha version, Vortigaunts were to have a device called "control sphere". This may be the official name of the sphere.

Xen
Creatures	Alien Aircraft • Alien Controller • Alien Grunt • Archer (cut) • Armored Headcrab • Barnacle • Boid • Bullsquid • Charger (cut) • Chumtoad • Fast Headcrab • Fast Walker (cut) • Flocking Floater (cut) • Gargantua• Gonarch • Headcrab • Houndeye • Ichthyosaur • Kingpin (cut) • Leech • Lightning Dog • Mr. Friendly (cut) • Nihilanth • Panther Eye (cut) • Poison Headcrab • Protozoan • Prrobot (cut) • Quiver Creature (cut) • Sand Barnacle (cut) • Snapbug (cut) • Snark • Sphere (cut) • Standard Headcrab • Stukabat (cut) • Tentacle • Unidentified Quiver Creature (cut) • Vortigaunt • Zombie
Weapons	Black Hole Gun (cut) • Ceiling Turret • Grenade • Hivehand • Sentry Cannon • Snark • Snark Mine
Technology	Healing Shower • Thumper
Other	Crystal • Fungus • Healing Pool • Light Stalk • Trampoline • Tree

Creatures
Antlions	Antlion • Antlion Grub • Antlion Guard • Antlion Guardian • Antlion King (cut) • Antlion Rollergrub (cut) • Antlion Soldier • Antlion Worker
Headcrabs	Headcrab • Fast Headcrab • Gonarch • Poison Headcrab • Standard Headcrab • Headcrab Shell • Armored Headcrab • Reviver • Bloody Headcrab • Big Momma Pod (cut)
Race X	Gene Worm • Pit Drone • Pit Worm • Shock Roach • Shock Trooper • Spore Launcher • Sprite • Voltigore
Synths	Synth • Advisor Pod • Attack Synth (cut) • Combine Guard (cut) • Combine Mobile Mine (cut) • Combine Super Soldier (cut) • Combine Synth Elite Soldier (cut) • Crab Synth • Cremator (cut) • Combine Dropship • Combine Gunship • Hunter • Mortar Synth • Sacktick (cut) • Shield Scanner • Strider • Unidentified cut Synth (cut) • Wasteland Scanner (cut)
Xen	Alien Aircraft • Alien Controller • Alien Grunt • Archer (cut) • Barnacle • Boid • Bullsquid • Charger (cut) • Chumtoad • Fast Walker (cut) • Flocking Floater (cut) • Gargantua • Headcrab • Houndeye • Ichthyosaur • Kingpin (cut) • Leech • Mr. Friendly (cut) • Nihilanth • Panther Eye (cut) • Protozoan • Prrobot (cut) • Sand Barnacle (cut) • Snapbug (cut) • Snark • Sphere (cut) • Stukabat (cut) • Tentacle • Unidentified Quiver Creature (cut) • Vortigaunt
Zombies	Zombie • Fast Zombie • Gonome • Poison Zombie • Standard Zombie • Zombine • Zombie Assassin (cut) • Jeff • Lightning Dog Zombie • Bloody Headcrab Zombie • Armored Zombie
Other	Alien Fauna (cut) • Combine Advisor • Earth creatures • Hydra (cut) • Jeff • Jelly Blobber (cut) • Mantis Man • Skitch (cut) • Stampeder (cut) • Test Subject 042 • Tripod Hopper (cut)