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Here's what it's like to play Valve's VR 'Portal' experience
Sure, people can wax poetic about using HTC's Vive virtual reality headset, but what's it really like when you're looking through those lenses? You might not have to make a pilgrimage to one of HTC's tours to find out. ValveTime has posted a video walkthrough of Valve's Portal-themed VR demo (used on the Vive since this spring), and it gives you a good sense of what the immersive, room-based experience is like. To put it mildly, this is a tantalizing glimpse of what VR can do for gaming -- you can explore every nuance of an Aperture Science workshop, pulling drawers and levers almost like you were there. We don't want to spoil the whole thing, but it's safe to say there are robots and a few signature Valve surprises. Can we have a full-fledged title based on this, please?
Valve taunts us with prospect of official Portal 2 sentry turret replica (video)
A Holy Grail of gamer memorabilia is the Portal turret replica -- as much a tech toy as proof that you can sing "Want You Gone" from memory. It's already been coveted when made in small batches by fans, so you can imagine the hysteria when Valve Software itself posts a teaser video (found after the break) at its store's Facebook page showing what looks to be a near life-size, computer-linked version of Aperture Science's typical sentry from Portal 2, minus the laser targeting and live machine guns. After that, however, we're left to guess whether or not it's just a decoration for Valve's offices or a commercial product to buy alongside a Companion Cube plushie. We've asked Valve about providing more details in the near future and will let you know if the developer is any more talkative than its robot guards.
Licensed Portal 2 turret replica to arrive later this year, leave ammo at home
If an enthusiast-built Portal 2 turret piques your interest, Gaming Heads' Valve-licensed miniature replica may very well force your wallet open. Modeled using Portal 2's in-game assets and cast in "high quality poly-stone," these mini-turrets aim to intimidate intruders with a motion activated light-up eye. In addition to the stoic and silent basic model, the company's offering an exclusive edition, which plays sounds and voice samples from the game. Only 1,100 of these hand-painted facsimiles will be produced (350 with sound, 750 without), but the company notes that other figures based on the adorable death machines are in the works. Pre-orders have already begun, so collectors will want to act fast -- provided they're ready to pony up $300-325, of course.
Custom-made Aperture Science gas mask will make sure you're still alive, won't open portals
Valve's Portal series has been used as the pretext for many achievements outside of puzzle gaming, including getting hitched. Keeping you from shuffling off this mortal coil, however, is still new. Two Horns United has given a gas mask a decidedly nerdy visual upgrade that resembles the game's iconic Aperture Science Portable Quantum Tunneling Device, right down to the light-up energy chambers. Best of all, unlike some homebrew projects, you'll have a (probably limited) chance at buying one yourself after June. Coworkers might look at you oddly as you strap a portal gun to your face during a safety drill, but you'll have the quiet satisfaction of knowing you're truly ready for a neurotoxin attack, not to mention taking the title of a Jonathan Coulton song very literally.
ThinkGeek and Aperture Science do what they must, intro more Portal-themed goods because they can
Been yearning for more Portal 2-inspired goods from ThinkGeek? Fret not, dear test subject, the company's got some products ways that should satiate your desire for Cave Johnson-approved chachkas. Newly up for grabs are a $15 Aperture Science shower curtain, a $35 motion-sensing plush turret and a $40 Cave Johnson talking portrait -- think Billy Bass, but with a Portal twist. ThinkGeek's also announced a $30 Companion Cube cookie jar (the perfect companion for its Portal cookie cutters) and a $30 PotatOS Science Kit, complete with an insult-spewing "talking GLaDOS module." Sadly, the latter duo don't have an official release date just yet, and are merely listed as "coming soon." Of course, like the cake, they could just be lie. For the sake of science, portal past the break to find a press release with more details.
Portal turret replica has real laser, insatiable bloodlust
You might not remember Ryan Palser by name, but you'll surely recall the good gent's homemade Fallout 3 plasma rifle. He has since stepped his game up to bigger and badder video game weapon replicas, and has just completed the construction of the first of his forthcoming army of Portal laser turrets. Thankfully, Ryan has been sporting enough to build the older version of these human eviscerators (not the upgraded Portal 2 turrets, phew!), giving us at least a small chance of survival -- provided we have the right gear, of course. See the laser-equipped, GLaDOS-approved, 38-inch tall turret next to its maker after the break, or hit up the source link for some gorgeous photos of its construction.
Super Mario gets a Portal gun, you monster (video)
Before Portal 2 there was Portal, and before Portal there was Super Mario Bros. Bring these together and you get a mushroom-chomping Italian plumber ruling the 2D world -- outside the cold confines of Aperture Science -- with the infamous Portal gun. The next logical step? Turn this into a first-person game. Go on, Reggie, make it happen.
Video: Portal gun replica hands-on
You didn't think we'd let this one go without a followup, did you? Portal gun replica creator Harrison Krix was gracious enough to invite us to his workshop and get some hands-on time with it. Let's get the two most common inquiries out of the way first: no, it's not photoshopped and no, it doesn't actually "work" (as in, it doesn't create portals). The armament weighs between five or ten pounds, and all color shifting is done via a switch inside the back end. The middle tube, interestingly enough, is an acrylic plunger handle with a clear matte. The 26-year old graphic designer and graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design estimates he spent 150 hours and $350 in parts, although later models should take much less time. He's had offers to create more iterations from employees at Bungie and Infinity Ward, and he's thinking of making one to give to the Penny Arcade crew for their Child's Play charity. For a look at it both in action and disassembled, check out the video after the break. Next up? A BioShock Big Daddy costume, with arm extensions and a working drill, just in time for next August's Dragon Con in Atlanta. Galleries Hands-on with the Portal gun replica Portal gun replica (work in progress) Portal gun replica build images and wiring
Replica Portal gun is an absolute triumph
We've seen some Portal-inspired gadgets before, but this one takes the cake, as it were. The Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device is made from florist foam, and wonderflex, among other parts, and uses a 9V battery to power blue and orange LEDs around the nozzle. On the back of the gun is a bit of splattered blood -- y'know, since we're not all quick enough to avoid the turrets. Hit up the read link for more pictures. Can somebody please throw in some Wiimote circuitry so we can use this thing to play the actual game? [Thanks, everyone!] Read - Notes from the creator Read - Hi-res Flickr gallery
Make your own Aperture Science PC workstation
We don't know if this guy got his box running GLaDOS, but it sure as hell looks like standard issue Aperture Science, if you ask us. We'd like to see it running Portal though -- only that would be recursive enough for our tastes.[Thanks, Nick]
