Portal 2 PS3 Features Revealed, Cross-Platform Multiplayer And Steam Play
At E3, Gabe Newell announced that the PS3 version of Portal 2 would be the definitive console version of the game with full Steam support. And now, Valve has gone into a few more specifics into what exactly Steam support on a console means. In all honesty, it's pretty fantastic.
Within the Portal 2 game, you'll be able to sign into your Steam account and gain access to your Steam friends list. What can you do with that friends list on your PS3? How about cross-platform chat and multiplayer? So whether you have the game for PC, Mac, or PS3, you'll always be able to play Portal 2 with your friends using different hardware.
The PS3 version will also feature Steam cloud support for game saves. This seemed to me like an odd feature at first, until I read one of the other features of the PS3 version: a download code to unlock Portal 2 for Steam play on PC and Mac. Yeah, you get a free PC/Mac copy of the game with a purchase of the PS3 version. This means you can start playing on the PS3, then take a laptop on the road and (assuming you have an internet connection) load up your cloud-saved progress and continue right where you left off.
"Working together with Sony we have identified a set of features we believe are very compelling to gamers," said Gabe Newell. "We hope to expand upon the foundation being laid in Portal 2 with more Steam features and functionality in DLC and future content releases."
I was previously planning on getting the PC version of Portal 2, but if the PS3 version comes with a PC copy anyway then I might just have to switch my pre-order. Bravo Valve, bravo.
NaviFairy
Posted to Hot Stuff, Video Games on 18 January 2011
· Comments (8)
Other stuff like this: cross-platform, gabe newell, mac, pc, portal 2, ps3, steam, valve
So basically he's giving a big screw you to all the fans who only own an Xbox 360 then.
Guess I'll be saving my cash for something else... ugh.
No, that would be MS. They're the ones that have restrictions on how Live operates. Newell wanted to do this on 360, but couldn't because MS wouldn't budge on their rules.
Still, calling the PS3 version the definitive console version sounds to me like pouring salt in the wound.
It's the only console with those features, though. I dunno how he's stepping out of line by saying that about this version.
I may buy the PS3 version just for the hell of it, now. I mean, I'll still play it on PC of course, but this is too neat an idea to pass up.
This is absolutely amazing news, I can't imagine the effort it has taken to incorporate cross-platform play like this. And boo on microsoft for not joining in - this proves they don't give a shit about gamers, only making people buy their system. Cross-platform play does nothing to hurt the sales of the game on their system. And in the long run this will bite them on the backside as more and more games begin to feature cross-platform interaction.
I was toying with PC or PS3, but since the PS3 version comes with a PC version, that decision is made lol
It should be worth noting, Newell has mentioned you CANNOT use SteamCloud to port your saves from the PS3 to PC (or vice versa). It's a feature they wanted to implement, but couldn't get to this time around. It is planned in the future (and may release as a patch later?).