Orange Box
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Orange Amps' portable Bluetooth speaker shines by sticking to the basics
The Orange Box portable Bluetooth speaker puts analog warmth and audio quality at the forefront, skipping many of the mod cons we've become used to in speakers like this.
Orange Amps offers analog warmth with its first line of Bluetooth speakers
UK-based Orange Amps has just launched a duo of Bluetooth speakers called the Box and Box-L. The first is a battery-powered portable model, while the latter is a wired option.
Valve games come to Impulse
Valve, proprietor of Steam -- which is basically the Walmart of PC digital distribution -- now has its games available on Impulse. Your confusion is as great as ours, but here we are.The Impulse store, owned by GameStop, announced last week that Valve titles would become available on the service. Apparently, the shock of this caused almost everyone in the media not to report this fact for an awkward length of time.The Valve games available through Impulse right now are Portal 2, Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, The Orange Box, and Half-Life Complete. Best part: the games still require Steam to play.
These talking GlaDOS Curiosity Spheres probably want to kill you
"Well, you found me. Congratulations. Was it worth it? Because despite your violent behavior, the only thing you've managed to break so far ... is my heart. Maybe you could settle for that and we'll just call it a day? I guess we both know that isn't going to happen."
Valve explains why Portal's Companion Cube had to die
When we cursed the heavens and asked tearfully why our beloved labradoodle, Cagney, had to die in a horrific snow plow accident, leaving behind her best friend (our maltipoo Lacey), the only answer we received was the stony ambivalence of a silent autumnal sky. When we cursed Valve and asked tearfully why our beloved Companion Cube had to die by our own hands, Portal's writers calmly explained to Gamasutra that it was to develop a stronger bond with the Cube and teach the mechanics of the incinerator. See how it's done, God? Was that so difficult?
'It was obvious!' ... Meet Team Fortress 2's Spy
We thought Valve had given up introducing us to its Team Fortress 2 cast (considering The Orange Box launched in 2007), but a new video has shown us to be a little too hasty. This time, players get a glimpse into the world of the Spy. Devious, brutal and womanizing ... the Spy is a force to be reckoned with. We've loved the short introduction vignettes Valve has developed to promote the game's classes so far, but the Spy's video is definitely our favorite of the bunch. Enjoy.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in.]
This is a triumph: Orange Box goes on sale for $9.99
It doesn't take an MIT genius to figure out this equation: (Half-Life 2 + Half-Life 2: Episode One + Half-Life 2: Episode Two + Portal + Team Fortress 2)3 = ? The answer is: "a pretty amazing deal." For this weekend only, you can pick up all of these games with a 66% discount. Visit Steam and you'll be able to download all of these games for only $9.99. If you're one of the, oh, three Joystiq readers who haven't picked up The Orange Box yet, then you have no choice but to take advantage of this offer.[Via Big Download]
Big changes headed to TF2, Xbox update still in the works
In a fairly exhaustive article from The Escapist, a few details regarding the future of Team Fortress 2 have been revealed. As players might expect, class updates -- akin to the previous updates to the Medic, Heavy and Pyro classes -- are foremost on the list. Specifically, the Scout is the next up for tweaking. Other updates include a new map for the Payload game type and possibly even an entirely new game type, which the article refers to as "very different."Sadly, the article doesn't detail when (or if) these updates will ever make it to the ailing Xbox version. Perhaps tellingly, the article refers to the upcoming 360 update, which is set to include all the PC updates released so far, as one of "a number of side projects" Valve is currently working on.[Via Joystiq]
Sunday Deals: $15 Orange Box and more
This week, you can view all of the Sunday weekly ad's best Xbox 360 deals after the break and in bulleted form thanks to the fact that there are too many games to list in a paragraph and because we just like to use bullets. Don't worry though, the same amount of care went into organizing this week's best deals, so jump towards the break to find your weekly list-o-money-savings. Pro tip: The Orange Box for $15 is a steal.
Valve "actively working on" 360 Team Fortress 2 update, still no date
Hey, remember waaaay back in August when Valve announced that an update would be headed to the Xbox 360 version of Team Fortress 2 before the year was out? It loos like we'll be waiting a little longer. Valve updated the world on the status of the update in a recent (and short) entry on the official Team Fortress website. It said, quite simply that the company is "actively working on a massive 360 update" that will include "pretty much everything" that the company has released so far for the PC version. Oh, and about that release date: "We'll provide you with a rough date when we have one."[Via Joystiq. Thanks, krazyman]
Holidaze 2008: Live in the past, it's cheaper
Bad news, everybody: 2008 is the new 2007. Those of us lucky enough to have survived last year's unyielding flood of exquisite games expected the new holiday to provide some respite -- perhaps an influx of blessedly mediocre games -- but alas, our wallets are once again tugged in every $60 direction. But what's worse? The deafening din of desirable games, or that irresistible impulse to play and master every adventure the very second it becomes available? Provided you can defeat the latter reflex, we have a simple suggestion: Live in the past. It's cheaper! We've dredged up our decisive, if ever-so-slightly controversial list of the ten best games of Oh Seven, hoping you'll find a fantastic experience you mistakenly overlooked. You'll find that the passage of time has taken a pleasing toll on the recommended price of admission. In fact, we've traveled forward in time to this very moment, hoping to pick up our 2007 nominees on the cheap. What do you think? Should we make Portal our Game of the Year?
Holidaze 2008: Live in the past, it's cheaper (Page 2)
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare What we said then: "Perhaps the most surprising thing about the game is how few actual revolutionary concepts are contained within. It selects existing game design tools, hones them to practical perfection and creates what is, in our opinion, the military shooter against which all others must be judged." What we say now: "An essential 'tunnel of fun' shooter with a rewarding multiplayer component. If you find yourself disappointed by this year's Call of Duty: World at War, it's probably this game's fault." Current retail price: $39.99 (Game of the Year edition)
Eurogamer examines NXE's game installation
With two different storage mediums in hand, the fine folks at Eurogamer have done what any gadget-loving geek would and should do: pit them against each other and fill numerous tables with the numerical results. The scintillating statfest concerns the loading times of Xbox 360 games, most of which seem to show a notable, albeit unimpressive, improvement when installed to the hard drive via the New Xbox Experience.Interestingly, it's The Orange Box's Half-Life 2 component which benefits the most out of all the test subjects, with initial loading time cut down from 44.5 seconds (wow, really?) to 25.5 quiet, whoosh-less seconds. Another notable game is shoot-teh-alienz epic, Halo 3 -- it actually fares worse when installed to the hard drive. Which is just as well, really, since we'd rather have the drive noise drown out the 13-year-olds killing us. Repeatedly. Curious about the New Xbox Experience? Check out our ridiculously informative nine-video feature, covering everything from Avatar creation, Netflix integration, and the 8-player party system to installing games to the hard drive, the new Marketplace, the Blade-like "Guide" interface, and more!
Valve blames 'bandwidth' for lack of PS3 support
"We don't have the bandwidth." That's the explanation Valve co-founder Gabe Newell offered up when poked by 1UP for answers regarding the company's lack of PlayStation 3 support. Put another way: "We don't have PlayStation developers," marketing director Doug Lombardi explained. While hardly a new revelation, Valve's dilemma continues to prevent the company from creating in-house PS3 content.In the short term, this means -- for the last time -- no Left 4 Dead on PS3, and also, no Team Fortress 2 updates. But...? Uh-uh. "They're not doing ongoing development on The Orange Box for the PS3." They, of course, is EA, developer of the PS3 version of The Orange Box. To file a complaint, please contact the office of your local EA representative. Oprima el dos para continuar en español.
Team Fortress 2 updates on 360 this year (for a price) [update]
Update: It seems GameSpot has pulled this story, though as of this update the story headline is still displayed on GameSpot's 360 page. For what it's worth, Kotaku is reporting the same thing, so we're not sure exactly why GameSpot's article has been pulled. See our original post below. Gamers with the Xbox 360 version of Team Fortress 2 have had kind of a rough time. First we see the PC version get Medic updates and achievements, then the Pyro gets the same treatment, and now our good friend the Heavy is getting his own update (not to mention the Sandvich). We 360 gamers have sat idly by as PC gamers get to romp about with new weapons and there's a even a new map on the way. It's time to cheer up fanboys, because Valve has confirmed to GameSpot that all of the TF2 content released thus far should be hitting the Xbox 360 before the end of the year.And now be sad again, because it looks like it's going to cost you. In an interview with VideoGaming247, Valve boss Gabe Newell spoke about the updates saying, "On the consoles, they want us to charge money for them, because that's in their model, and our model is very much more to grow the community by giving out free updates." Boy, we like the sound of Valve's model much better. From the sound of things, it's soundling like Microsoft wants Valve to charge for their content even if Valve doesn't want to (now that sounds familiar).
Valve's Lombardi talks Portal XBLA, achievements and other platforms
Valve's Doug Lombardi (seen muzzled by an X3F sticker at E3 2008) recently cleared up some confusion regarding the content of Portal: Still Alive for the Xbox Live Arcade in an interview with OXM. "It's just a series of new challenges," Lombardi told the magazine. "[Portal: Still Alive is] another way for people to experience Portal, without having to buy the full Orange Box."We can't say we're surprised. With such a focus on story we didn't expect Valve to do anything exclusively for the Xbox that would factor into actual canon of the series.Lombardi later detailed that Valve has new projects in the works for the Xbox 360 but remain firm on its disinterest for PS3 and Wii development. It was also confirmed that Team Fortess 2 that the achievements and content added to the PC version of the game will come to the Xbox 360 at some point, when Valve has worked out how it wants to package and release that content.
Half-Life: Episode Three may come to PS3
Although Valve's distaste of the PS3 is well-known, the Half-Life series has still found its way to Sony hardware courtesy of EA. It looks like the franchise will continue on PS3 as well, as this initial piece of Episode Three concept art reveals. The piece, by Valve artists Ted Backman, Jeremy Bennett and Tristian Reidford, shows an ominous advisor from Episode One and Two flying forward at Gordon Freeman in a stunning cavern. We can't grasp any real details on Valve's upcoming finale to the Half-Life 2 saga, but the platforms listed clearly include the PS3 as well.Check out Into the Pixel for a high-res version of this piece. PS3 fans would also take note to check out the spectacular high-res WipEout HD art also available in their gallery.[Thanks, MC Fresh Beatz! Via Shacknews]
Deal of the Day: The Orange Box for $32
Sure, the PS3 version of The Orange Box has some issues. But when you realize that you're getting five excellent games for only $32, a few framerate hiccups seem like nothing. The Orange Box dropped down to $40 recently, but amazon.com is currently selling the game for only $32. If you haven't tried Portal yet, there really is no excuse.[Via CAG]
Team Fortress 2 Dispenser case mod completes Orange Box trifecta
Well, we suppose the first two Orange Box mods we saw were Portal-related, but a love for Half-Life 2 is really implied in anything Valve-related, and this here Team Fortress 2 case mod feels like the end to a beautiful, Orange story -- or perhaps the beginning of another. We'll confess, we got our ass handed to us enough times in TF2 to make it a rare incident when we'd even make it to a Dispenser, but there's love for this glorious blue box all the same, and TiTON has certainly done his homework in building the thing. Props all around. Now can someone swap to medic and give us a little backup over here?
Rumor: Team Fortress 2 Spy update details leaked
Reader Ian G. recently submitted an image to us that he accidentally discovered using a StumbleUpon toolbar, which appears to be an early draft of an upcoming update for Team Fortress 2's most innocuous of classes, the Spy. The origins of said image are unknown -- perhaps it's a leak from Valve's vault? A convincing photoshop from a dedicated fan? Perhaps Ian is in possession of a magical StumbleUpon toolbar, capable of stumbling into the future?While it certainly looks convincing, we're leaning towards "convincing photoshop" -- especially considering most of the text is copied and Elmer's school glued from Valve's official Pyro update. As credible as the new weapons (such as the silenced PPK and the Garrote) and achievements (Joykill: Backstab a laughing enemy) look, we doubt the legitimacy of these supposed details about our masked, nicotine-infused friend.Update: Given the final line of the copyright information at the bottom of the page, which reads "Hoax by Ka anin :P!", we're ready to go ahead and file this one under B, for bunko.
