News
8 CommentsValve 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...
Culture
5 CommentsPortal 2 Frankenturret twitches to life with fan-made replica
By Emily Gera on Apr 30, 2013 04.30.13
YouTube user Corroder666 has recreated a moving, twitching Frankenturret from Portal 2. Using a combination of cubes modeled with wax and lined with silicone, Photoshop and an incredible amount of effort, the designer of the replica was able to recreate the Frankenturret — a hybrid of the weighted companion cube mixed with two Sentry Turrets. In the video above you can see how the replica turret even moves. A short overview of how the Frankenturrent was designed is available here, although be warned it won't be of much use for non-German speakers.
Culture
9 CommentsLive-action Portal-themed web series Aperture R&D premiering March 15
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Mar 03, 2013 03.03.13
Aperture R&D, a live-action comedy web series based off the Portal universe, will premiere via Machinima on March 15. You can watch the video above to get a taste of the show's style and humor. According to the video description, the show is "based in the world of Portal 2, [where] the idiosyncratic scientists of Aperture Research Labs are in an endless battle for the meaningless title of Lab Team of the Month." Wayside Creations, an LA-based production company, will produce the series. The team is best known for popular fan film Fallout: Nuka Break.
Culture
6 CommentsTech start-up uses Portal 2 mod as recruitment tool
By Tracey Lien on Jan 25, 2013 01.25.13
San Francisco-based tech start-up company WibiData is using a mod of Portal 2 to recruit potential employees, The New York Times reports. When readers visit WibiData's jobs page, they are greeted with the Portal 2 mod accompanied by the following message: "At WibiData, tackling tough puzzles is part of the job. We also enjoy solving a good puzzle in our free time, too. Does your brain work like ours? Check out our puzzles, and apply for a job if you're up for the challenge." The Portal 2 mod challenges players to find the CEO's lost PIN by venturing into five fictional test chambers that are located under the WibiData office. Here, they must solve puzzles within the first-person puzzler. While applicants do not necessarily need to complete all the levels in the game in order to apply...
Video
1 CommentTesting the puzzles of Portal 2 with one hand and Intel's perceptual computing tech
By Michael McWhertor on Jan 11, 2013 01.11.13
Valve's first-person puzzler Portal 2 got a little more attention at CES this week, thanks to a tech demo of Intel's perceptual computing technology. The motion sensing technology allows Aperture Science test subjects to experience something new: solving Portal 2's puzzles with one hand. Portal 2 In Motion developer Sixense helped Intel create the hand motion-recognition demo. Earlier versions of Sixense's motion control take on Portal 2, released for the PlayStation 3 and PC, required the use of a PlayStation Move controller or Razer's magnetic motion-sensing Hydra. As you'll see in the video above, Intel's motion detection tech isn't perfect, but manages to make a good impression.
News
2 CommentsPortal 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...
News
6 CommentsPortal 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...
Culture
5 CommentsPortal 2 fan creates unofficial expansion, adds eight new levels
By Tracey Lien on Oct 29, 2012 10.29.12
Portal 2 fan Patrick Murphy has created an unofficial expansion to Valve's highly successful first-person puzzler called Designed for Danger. Designed for Danger adds eight levels to Portal 2 and takes the player down an alternate path to what they would have experienced in Portal 2. The levels take one to two hours to play through and can be downloaded free of charge here. Players can choose to download the expansion via Steam Workshop or through a mirrored server. The levels are playable on the Steam version of Portal 2.
Video
57 CommentsVideo: The evolution of PC games
By Polygon Staff on Jul 17, 2012 07.17.12
From the earliest text-based adventures to the latest modern shooters, Reverse Enginears has created a stunning musical composition featuring only sounds and music from PC games. Reverse Enginears is a digital creative agency that specializes in A/V re-sequencing. AKA "remixes." Their remixes have been featured in advertising campaigns for Disney, Marvel and GM, and have been watched millions of times on YouTube and elsewhere. You may also enjoy A brief history of video games. Complete list of games referenced: ZorkMULEDam BustersFlight SimulatorKings Quest: Quest For The CrownDOS NinjaHard Hat MackChessDonkeyLode RunnerSid Meier's PiratesBurger TimeGalactixWhere In The World Is Carmen San DiegoAlley CatPool of RadianceWizardryOregon TrailLeisure Suit Larry in The Land of The...
