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Portal 2 Bringing Steam To the PS3, Possible Early Release
itwbennett writes "Portal 2 is breaking some new ground – at least the PlayStation 3 version is. 'Portal 2 marks the first time that Valve's social gaming network (and digital distribution system), Steam, will appear on consoles,' writes blogger Peter Smith. What this means is that once you link your Playstation Network [PSN] and Steam accounts 'you'll be able to keep tabs on what your Steam friends are up to from within a game of Portal 2 on the PS3,' says Smith. And, you'll be able to play Portal 2 with friends playing on PC or Mac. 'I can think of at least one other example of cross-platform gaming (Shadowrun supported both PC and Xbox players in the same game servers),' says Smith, 'but it's still very rare.'"
This afternoon Valve launched a countdown to Portal 2 which can be accelerated by playing any of a group of indie games.
GOATSE
Why do I have a sinking feeling, without even clicking the link, that this points to one of the classic gross out pictures, probably goatse.
A) First post within seconds of the article going live.
B) Link obfuscated using a URL shortener
C) User has a history of one comment, including this one
D) Username is of the theme Slash'X' which has been posting a goatse link in every article lately
I await other people clicking the link to see if I'm right, I don't have tinyurl set to preview pages and I'm at work, so I won't be taking the risk.
Now you're thinking with cross-platform gaming portals!
I think this is actually a pretty crafty (and aggressive) move by Valve. One of the frustrations of gaming on the PC is seeing consoles get exclusive content in many games, paid for by the console manufacturer. Usually, the PC is left to languish and pick up the scraps - and sometimes doesn't get the extra content at all (for example, Dead Space 2). Now, an early release (and likely only a very slightly early one) isn't exactly the same as extra content, but it's still a perk for PC players - and various forums today illustrate that this has upset a lot of console gamers.
Why should Valve do this? Because they now have a huge vested interest in the PC as a gaming platform. They're taking a cut on every PC game sold via Steam - which is a large proportion of PC games these days. So for the first time in many years, the PC actually has somebody fighting its corner as a platform in a vaguely effective way. And by dangling a (largely neutered) version of Steam in front of PS3 gamers, they're getting free advertising for their own service and platform.
And if anybody wants to call them evil and scheming, then they have the counter-argument that they're doing all this by getting people to play indie games.
Me? I like gaming on the PC... and on the 360 and PS3. But the PC does have unique features as a platform and I'm glad that there are people out there with actual industry clout who are promoting it.
Most important thing I found in the article. I'm wondering if it will work the other way around too. I would love if I could eventually play all my steam games on both the PS3 and PC if they are available for both!
Buy more stuff from us, and we'll sell other things to you faster.
I can't help thinking that Portal 2 must be a dud, with all the advertising and marketing gimmicks surrounding it.
Still hoping, though.
Here's a countdown that gives current percentage, as well as a countdown based on people's gaming patterns thus far: hasportal2launchedyet.com
Yea, it's really just pathetic. I mean, if you're going to troll, be original. And if you're trying to shock, then maybe you should link to a picture that the entire world hasn't already seen 50 times. It feels a lot like some 13 year kid trying to learn how to be troll by halfassedly emulating the trolls of yesteryear who have long since moved on to new ideas.
Not to burst your silly elitist bubble, but PS3s are quite happy using keyboard and mice.
Also, Portal2 isn't exactly the game that could be used to show this, besides some faster times in some levels.
You'll not be aiming for people's heads this time around, you will be aiming for huge surfaces that don't require too much precision.
Of course, whether or not Valve decided to allow K+M is another question.
Anyone know?
This means that the PC player will jump through portals and dodge fire while the PS3 player stands on the button to keep the door open.
t
It is a co-op game, not a competitive game. It doesn't matter if the PC gamer has an advantage, since you are still working together to reach the same goal.
They refuse to open up their Live network to MMO's, Steam, or anyone else. And they have the audacity to charge their users $60 a year for the privilege. So PS3 users get DC Universe online and a Steam enabled Portal 2. Xbox users just get a bill for $5 a month--and jackshit to show for it.
Between shit like this and all the exclusives that they've lost in the last two years, sometimes I wonder if MS even has anyone working in their Xbox division anymore. If there is anyone, it doesn't look like they're doing anything.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZMSAzZ76EU
How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
Except in games where having a keyboard and a mouse doesn't really give you an upper hand, like Portal 2.
I happen to agree with him. The mouse is a far superior input device for a FPS (even without the S). I was playing a PS3 FPS a few months ago on a friend's machine, might've been MW2 but I don't remember. I was playing with a keyboard and mouse I stole from his desktop, and people kept bitching me out for "hax". I'm not even sure how you'd write an aimbot for a console...
In any case, it makes a huge difference. Consoles are either-or; you're precise or fast. With my mouse, I can rotate around half the screen and accurately target a player's head once I get there. It's just so much faster it's not even funny.
Thankfully, Portal 2 isn't likely to require "twitch"-style aiming. But something like CS:S on PC vs. console would be a joke.
I have developed a truly marvelous proof of this comment, which this signature is too narrow to contain.
Bah! As a 1337 PC gamer, I'd pwn you, even in a co-op.
Uh no, he's basically laughing at how bad you are at trolling. He's calling you pathetic at being a troll. In other words, you suck at trolling. Shall I paint you a more accurate picture?
how is babby formed?
A big part of this is that Portal 2 is preloaded on thousands of computers already, just waiting for the switch, and that switch is directly under Valve's control. I doubt the PSN allows them the same flexibility.
There's nothing about PSN that would disallow this. Some game demos work this way already (you flip a switch when you purchase).
How did Steam with Portal2 already get pre-loaded onto anything though? It had to be downloaded sometime. There's no difference I can see between downloading it to a PC vs. a PS3.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Some of the cross platform features sound nice, but it is a big change from the way that online play has worked on the PS3. It sounds like you are going to have to link your PSN account to Steam to play online instead of just playing through PSN. That means that other accounts on your PS3 will need their own copy if they want to play online.
I can't think of any other game on the PS3 that does this - for example I have Killzone 2, CoD, Motorstorm, and more. My PS3 has 3 PSN accounts on it, myself and my two sons. We can each play online under our own PSN account with the one game disc - it isn't tied to a single account.
Portal 2 Bringing Steam To the PS3
Something needs to bring some steam to the smoldering heap that is the PS3.
Actually, you could probably grief the PS3 player to hell and back simply by portal'ing them into things (like pits.) Heck, you could even treat them like companion cubes.
Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
Absolutely, provided the aiming aids built into console titles are disabled. People claim to kick ass at console titles with huge kill counts and so forth. I've even personally heard people say they believe they do better at consoles than on PC (bullshit). All those console games have code specifically geared around correcting the player's aim. Let's disable that code in those games and see just how awesome those players think they are when they fire at their feet or straight up into the sky instead of directly at an enemy's head.
how is babby formed?
And you are effectively feeding the troll.
Apparently wizard is not a legitimate career path, so I chose programmer instead.
I don't understand why we are working to try to reboot an evil robot AI. This sounds like the kind of thing that you do not do.
Of course, whether or not Valve decided to allow K+M is another question.
Anyone know?
Yep, I know: no, they didn't allow it.
“No, unfortunately we don’t do that. The whole game is built around playtesting, which extends to the hardware and how people use it. We have people internally who played on the PS3 – we use it all the time – and we constantly iterated it.”
Also,
"Luckily, Portal 2's not a super twitchy, complicated game, so we just focused on making a comfortable controller experience"
Been watching this one for awhile, following the odd links and i'd have to say, valve is the shit.
This potato sack frenzy would have to be of viral status for the 4 something million+ potatoes..
I'm playing because i bought the pack anyhow, and enjoy the games.
And day early would be better.
*shrug* As if it would make a difference. He's already demonstrated that he has no life or intelligence.
how is babby formed?
Lies.
How does it feel to be a liar with pants constantly on fire?
I got excited when I thought that I would be able to play Postal2 on my PS3. Portal2, not so much.
"I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long and I assume they deserve it." : Dogbert
Or an infinite portal.
Per Steam support article the saves won't be compatible, which kills primary advantage of linking your PSN and Steam accounts. Yes, you will be able to play on PC/Mac and PSN. No, your progress won't be tracked, so you'd have to play them independently, not just picking up where you left off on PS3. Hopefully with time they will resolve this problem (or make some sort of PC/Mac utility that will convert the save data).
Some other Steam games (i.e. Torchlight) also have this limitation when you go from Mac to PC -- saves don't work cross-platform, which is a bit pity.
So, one step closer to "buy once, play everywhere", but not there yet :)
Hyperom.com
Auto-aim on some games can be really obnoxious actually, and turn you away from where you wanted to point (Call of Duty Black Ops does this on PS3). Most games are subtle, though. You don't really notice it at all in Bad Company 2 for example; in fact I'm just assuming that it does anything at all (I know it's there because there's an option in the menu - yep, you can turn it off).
For a good, balanced game, a subtle bit of help with aiming is a good thing to have. Otherwise it would be near-impossible, except for the 13-year-olds who spend all their time playing. It *is* possible to adapt to the gamepad and to be able to aim decently, even without heavy-handed aim assist. Not like with a mouse, but not as badly as you may think. Just takes a lot of practice. Even with aim assist it takes a lot of practice to get good on a gamepad - but the same is true for using a mouse.
It wouldn't surprise me at all if many people do better on consoles than on PC, and yes, it's partly because of aim assist. I played Counter Strike recently for the first time in years and got destroyed - could hardly get a shot on target. I used to be pretty good at it. Haven't played a computer FPS in years (other than Fallout 3 and NV) so I'm out of practice. Meanwhile I do quite well on the PS3, usually near the top of the score board.
He forgot Final Fantasy XI which since 2002 has been supporting Playstation 2 and PC and since 2006, XBox 360 players on the same servers.
it's not like we can actually OPEN any of the links, what with slashdotscript having a mind of it's own
It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for being subtle.
Yeah I know many games used to have Autoaim for FPS on the PC. Most consider it cheating, and insist it be disabled. On multiplayer most servers have it turned off.
Sure there is a cognitive element, however there are plenty of tricky parts that require some fast reflexes or a steady hand, usually while falling to hit a particular spot with your portal gun in quick succession.
Yes it is coop. However how fun will it be when trying to coordinate with your "friend" a complex puzzle only to get your part complete, and to sit there and watch your partner fail and fail over and over again to move, fall, and hit some moving target with his portal gun for you or him to fall through.
Ya, because that won't be frustrating as hell or anything.
This is how I see that matchmaking process....
"Hey", "Hi" "Let's go!", "Alright!", fail, fail, fail, "damn another console player", quit, rejoin....
Did you even play Portal?
Sure there is a cognitive element, however there are plenty of tricky parts that require some fast reflexes or a steady hand, usually while falling to hit a particular spot with your portal gun in quick succession.
i think slashdot should put a "WARNING:"(in red) before url shorteners
warning pointless sig
Try double-clicking (I think). I learned recently that double-right-click brings up the browser context menu. Then you can select "Open in new tab" or whatever.
how is babby formed?