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Platform Win, Mac, 360, PS3 Publisher Valve Developer Valve Release Date 04/19/2011

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Valve unveils Steam Trading Cards for players to earn and trade for rewards

By Dave Tach on May 15, 2013 05.15.13

Valve unveiled a beta program for Steam Trading Cards today, which users can earn, trade and cash in for rewards, according to a press release from the company. Participating players will earn game-specific trading cards and turn them in for rewards like game badges, profile backgrounds, emoticons, coupons and more through the Steam Trading Cards program. "Up to half" a game's card set will be available from playing the game. The other half is "earned through your collecting prowess." Players who "craft" their cards into game badges, which appear on user profiles, can also "level up" their badges by collecting the set of cards again. Games supporting the Steam Trading Cards at its beta launch include Don't Starve, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Team Fortress 2, Portal 2...

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Valve experimenting with sweat-based Left 4 Dead and eye-controlled Portal 2

By Emily Gera on May 07, 2013 05.07.13

Valve is experimenting with player sweat as part of experimental research into biometric feedback as it relates to games, Valve experimental psychologist Mark Ambinder explained during a session at the NeuroGaming Conference and Expo last week, attended by VentureBeat. According to Ambinder, the company has conducted a number of biofeedback experiments based on player sweat, player calmness and eye tracking. This so far has resulted in a version of Portal 2 that can be controlled with your eyes as they can move much more quickly than your hands. Data from experiments based on sweat levels and player calmness has also fed into Left 4 Dead and offers insight into how much time should be required in completing an objective. This isn't the first time Valve has made it known it is looking...

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PAX East panel shows how video games enter the classroom

By Dave Tach on Mar 23, 2013 03.23.13

At a PAX East panel today, Lisa Castaneda, a middle school math teacher from outside of Seattle, and Geoff Moore, a gaming entrepreneur from Toronto, discussed how video games can be introduced into classrooms, using Portal 2 as the test case. Castaneda is an advocate for gaming in the classroom, having used Xbox 360, iPads and computers in her curriculum. Her interest in Portal 2 began with a school field trip to Valve, which is headquartered close to her school. She and Moore use the Teach with Portals website, which Valve released to teachers last June, calling it a set of "free content and game design tools, as well as an interactive community for exchanging lessons and experiences." By November, more than 2,500 teachers had incorporated Portal 2 and Portal 2 Puzzle Maker into...

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Half-Life and Portal movies in early idea stages, J.J. Abrams says

By Michael McWhertor on Feb 06, 2013 02.06.13

"It's as real as anything in Hollywood ever gets," Abrams said of the just-announced plans to develop movies based on Portal and Half-Life. "Which is that we are really talking to Valve, we are going to be bringing on a writer, we have a lot of very interesting ideas." "And both a Portal and Half-Life movie are things I want to see," Abrams said. "We're also aware of the cautionary tales of movies that became games and vice versa. Our goal here to is to treat the world Valve has created in both these properties like anyone would a book or some great story that comes from a pitch or original script — just to treat it with the respect they treat their games and their players with." Valve co-founder and president Gabe Newell has expressed apprehension in the past about making movies...

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Minecraft, Portal 2 and Trackmania are the latest learning tools for STEM summer camps

By Emily Gera on Jan 31, 2013 01.31.13

iD Tech Camps, a summer program that teaches the fundamentals of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), is adopting video games as an educational tool for students of seven to 18 years of age. The program is designed to teach students to design their own video games and create apps for iPhone and Android devices, among other technology-driven creations. For its 2013 season, iD Tech Camps will feature three new courses based around the Minecraft platform, in addition to classes oriented around games such as Portal 2, Trackmania and Shootmania: Storm, where students will learn traditional STEM skills. According to the program creators, titles such as Portal 2 can be used as an aid in teaching math and physics, while Minecraft will let students use programming features to...

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Pacific Rim will feature a toned down GlaDOS

By Megan Farokhmanesh on Jan 05, 2013 01.05.13

Director Guillermo del Toro cast Ellen McLain, the voice of Portal's robotic villain, as Pacific Rim's AI in homage to GlaDOS, but the film will feature a slightly less distinctive filter, the Toronto Sun reports. McLain's voice has been filtered to sound similar to both Portal games. Although del Toro wanted her voice in the trailer to be "full-on GlaDOS," the filter used in-film doesn't produce nearly as strong of a resemblance. Del Toro approached Valve for permission to use the voice of GlaDOS, telling them "there's no AI I'd rather have than GlaDOS." "I wanted very much to have her, because I'm a big Portal fan," del Toro said. "But just as a wink. She's not cake obsessed. She's not out to destroy humanity." GlaDOS made her debut as the AI in Pacific Rim's first trailer, which...

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Portal 2 on Steam adds split-screen to co-op mode, Big Picture support

By Alexa Ray Corriea on Nov 21, 2012 11.21.12

Valve has added split-screen to Portal 2's standard co-op multiplayer mode, the company announced today in a post on Steam's website. The game's PC version is also now available for play in Steam's Big Picture mode, allowing players to boot up Portal 2 on their televisions. The update released today also fixes two bugs, including one that halts player movement after hitting the "quick ping" button to call a partner's attention to something, and a glitch preventing players from exiting the "Robot Enrichment" customization area or "Create Test Chambers" menus when using an Xbox 360 controller.

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Portal 2 Puzzle Maker is being used by more than 2,500 teachers around North America

By Tracey Lien on Nov 14, 2012 11.14.12

More than 2,500 teachers nationwide are using Portal 2 Puzzle Maker in classrooms to teach students about physics, Fast Company reports. Puzzle Maker – a set of tools based on Valve's first-person puzzler Portal 2 – was released earlier this year to allow players to create single-player and co-op test chambers. In June it was released to teachers for free as part of the Teach with Portals initiative and since then more than 2,500 teachers have used Portal 2 and Puzzle Maker as educational tools. Fast Company reports that shortly after the release of the original Portal in 2007, science teachers around the country began using the game in their classrooms to teach physics. With the introduction of Puzzle Maker, students were able to learn through designing their own levels. When...

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Portal 2 In Motion PlayStation Move support explained by developer, detailed in trailer

By Dave Tach on Nov 06, 2012 11.06.12

A launch trailer released today for Portal 2's In Motion DLC demonstrates the game's new PlayStation Move controls. In an article on the PlayStation Blog, Danny Woodall, creative director at developer Sixense Studios, explains In Motion's three new Move-based controls. First up is the one-to-one mechanic, which "allows the player to manipulate objects as if they were held in the player’s own hand." The Portal Surfing mechanic allows players to move and rotate Portals along compatible surfaces. Finally, the Scaling mechanic allows players to use motion controls to scale the size of an object. Woodall also discusses the new aiming mechanics, called Freeaim, which uses the Move controller's orientation to determine the cursor's position on screen. You can check out Portal 2's new...

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Portal 2 in Motion coming Nov. 6, full game to support PS Move

By Alexa Ray Corriea on Nov 01, 2012 11.01.12

Portal 2's In Motion downloadable content, an add-on pack featuring new controls utilizing the PlayStation Move peripheral, is coming Nov. 6, Sixense Studios announced today on the PlayStation Blog. The DLC will cost $9.99 through the PlayStation Network, and will be 30 percent off for PlayStation Plus members. In Motion introduces new motion mechanics like rotating and changing the dimensions of objects to solve puzzles, as well as "portal surfing." Portal 2's single-player and cooperative campaigns will also be PlayStation Move compatible thanks to a patch which will launch alongside the DLC. In addition, Portal 2 will be added to the PlayStation Store on Nov. 6, and will be similarly discounted by 30 percent for PlayStation Plus subscribers. Original game campaigns will be fully...

Portal 2 Releases
North America
  • Windows
    • Released 04/19/2011
    • Publisher Valve
    • Developer Valve
  • Mac
    • Released 04/19/2011
    • Publisher Valve
    • Developer Valve
  • Xbox 360
    • Released 04/19/2011
    • Publisher Electronic Arts
    • Developer Valve
  • PlayStation 3
    • Released 04/19/2011
    • Publisher Electronic Arts
    • Developer Valve
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