Exclusive Version of Portal 2 Developed for PC Motion Controller

[Tom Goldman]

Exclusive Version of Portal 2 Developed for PC Motion Controller

Valve has developed a special version of Portal 2 with exclusive content that can only be experienced using the Razer Hydra motion controllers.

Last year, Valve and Razer Portal 2 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/97343-CES-Valve-and-Razer-Demo-Motion-Control-Left-4-Dead-2-on-PC] levels and features.

The Hydra controllers are basically two gaming wands being designed to work with first-person shooters and other games. They're held in each hand and have their movements read through a base station that emits a six-foot electromagnetic field, so you don't have to make sure you're in front of a camera. The controllers are currently wired, but wireless models are in the works.

Razer is still figuring out the release of Hydra, but has already put together a Portal 2 bundle with Valve that will ideally cost under $100. The bundle will include an exclusive version of Portal 2 that supports Hydra and includes maps and mechanics created just for Razer's motion controllers.

Joystiq describes some of the mechanics that will see players scaling, stretching, and rotating cubes to create a bridge or shatter a glass floor. Players will also have to reshape and reposition portals, sometimes using Hydra to throw objects through them at various velocities. The abilities of Hydra are said to be "impressively" accurate.

To get an idea of how Hydra and Sixense work, Razer points to the following video that explains the motion controllers through play of Call of Duty: Black Ops [http://www.amazon.com/Call-Duty-Black-Ops-Xbox-360/dp/B003JVKHEQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1294614810&sr=1-1].


Hydra is still under development, but it appears to have quite a bit of potential as a new control scheme. Will it improve upon the keyboard and mouse? For what it's worth, Valve seems to think so. It's definitely something to keep on your radar if you're a die-hard FPS fan and your wrists are starting to hurt.

Source: Joystiq [http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/08/razer-hydra-impressions-super-precise-motion-controllers-make-i/]

Permalink

 

[omicron1]

Get $50 game free with $80 gamepad? Maybe, maybe... depends where my finances are at come April. 'Tis a tempting offer, though.

 

[Fumbleumble]

What?

People who don't buy a special controller aren't as important as people who do?

This new content takes dev time from the rest of the game, but I still pay for it and can't get it unless a buy some new piece of shit?

Am I the only one who see's something wrong with this?

Surely that new content should be DLC.. developed after the original game, so that the money that 'I' pay pays for what 'I' get, and not for some extra free content to be given to someone else.

 

[HavoK 09]

well, i seems to be able to compete agains a mouse in a fps game...

im interested in this

 

[mindlesspuppet]

That doesn't really look comfortable... like at all...

I don't think this will go over well with PC gamers, we value precision above all else and there's no way some free pointing device is going to be anywhere near as accurate as a mouse.

 

[subject_87]

That's pretty cool, but my hope is that the content eventually re-released for us hopeless dinosaurs who still use a mouse.

 

[Jumplion]

Sooooooo....those things are essentially super accurate motion controls? That's great......? We've already got the Wiimote and the PSMove, and I'm sure the PC has plenty of commercial products similar to those, why would this one in particular matter?

 

[Dexiro]

What?

People who don't buy a special controller aren't as important as people who do?

This new content takes dev time from the rest of the game, but I still pay for it and can't get it unless a buy some new piece of shit?

Am I the only one who see's something wrong with this?

Surely that new content should be DLC.. developed after the original game, so that the money that 'I' pay pays for what 'I' get, and not for some extra free content to be given to someone else.

But you're not paying for the extra free content... coz it's free.

 

[keideki]

Pretty good way to sell out Valve. Force us to buy a special controller if we wanna play ALL the content? Bleh.

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

Pretty good way to sell out Valve. Force us to buy a special controller if we wanna play ALL the content? Bleh.

Or make content tailored to a special controller instead of just slapping on support and calling it a day?

 

[Omeene]

But you're not paying for the extra free content... coz it's free.

His point is that its content he can't access without the controller, but he is still going "pay" for that unaccessible content since dev time and community support will have to be spent on both groups, even though one group is getting less than the other.

 

[Fumbleumble]

What?

People who don't buy a special controller aren't as important as people who do?

This new content takes dev time from the rest of the game, but I still pay for it and can't get it unless a buy some new piece of shit?

Am I the only one who see's something wrong with this?

Surely that new content should be DLC.. developed after the original game, so that the money that 'I' pay pays for what 'I' get, and not for some extra free content to be given to someone else.

But you're not paying for the extra free content... coz it's free.

It's not free.

It's being paid for for by the original development time, and we are ALL paying for that despite some not actually getting it.

(Edited)

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

But you're not paying for the extra free content... coz it's free.

His point is that its content he can't access without the controller, but he is still going "pay" for that unaccessible content since dev time and community support will have to be spent on both groups, even though one group is getting less than the other.

You're paying for the game, not developer time. If you don't like what you're being charged for the content on and off the disk, then don't make the purchase.

I'm almost 100% not going to shell out for another Wiimote, but I'm definitely going to be buying Portal 2 for my computer.

 

[Fumbleumble]

But you're not paying for the extra free content... coz it's free.

His point is that its content he can't access without the controller, but he is still going "pay" for that unaccessible content since dev time and community support will have to be spent on both groups, even though one group is getting less than the other.

You're paying for the game, not developer time. If you don't like what you're being charged for the content on and off the disk, then don't make the purchase.

I'm almost 100% not going to shell out for another Wiimote, but I'm definitely going to be buying Portal 2 for my computer.

Wut?

Why is it that devs want paid... it's to pay for the development time (and a bit on top) for the game that they release to us.

Dev time is EXACTLY what we're paying for.

 

[FallenTraveler]

This new content takes dev time from the rest of the game, but I still pay for it and can't get it unless a buy some new piece of shit?

Am I the only one who see's something wrong with this?

Okay, I see your point of taking dev time away... makes sense, but valve thinks this could be good for them, and so they put a few men onto creating something, I doubt they took the whole team and told them to do those few levels whilst sacrificing from the game, in fact, these could be being made right now and going to come as a download code.

I see something slightly odd, but who knows, maybe they are having those levels be Move compatible, and this is also supposed to be a bulletpoint in the PS3's favor... yknow besides steamcloud.

OP: These controllers look AWESOME, it's like a bunch of gamers got together and made a product, because some of these ideas are exactly the things I have had in mind that I want. Also, Kudos to the Motion Gaming market on PC, I wasnt sure where this was going to start at but it looks like it's gonna be a good one!

 

[Rednog]

Might be worth a giggle or two or maybe some non PC games might be able to make the transition over from the various consoles with this controller. Though I doubt anyone would seriously use this in any online/ player vs player setting. The keyboard and mouse is by far the fastest with accuracy and you won't have sudden movements from natural emotion screw you over.

 

[Fumbleumble]

This new content takes dev time from the rest of the game, but I still pay for it and can't get it unless a buy some new piece of shit?

Am I the only one who see's something wrong with this?

Okay, I see your point of taking dev time away... makes sense, but valve thinks this could be good for them, and so they put a few men onto creating something, I doubt they took the whole team and told them to do those few levels whilst sacrificing from the game, in fact, these could be being made right now and going to come as a download code.

I see something slightly odd, but who knows, maybe they are having those levels be Move compatible, and this is also supposed to be a bulletpoint in the PS3's favor... yknow besides steamcloud.

OP: These controllers look AWESOME, it's like a bunch of gamers got together and made a product, because some of these ideas are exactly the things I have had in mind that I want. Also, Kudos to the Motion Gaming market on PC, I wasnt sure where this was going to start at but it looks like it's gonna be a good one!

Ok I can see you willingness to be reasonable about it.. but as neither of us know the exact ins and outs the only thing that can be said for certain is that I WILL be paying for something I'm not going to get.

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

Wut?

Why is it that devs want paid... it's to pay for the development time (and a bit on top) for the game that they release to us.

Dev time is EXACTLY what we're paying for.

Let me clear this up for you:

When you buy a game, you should pay because people worked on it. How much time was put into it, and what side projects they may have also been working on, is irrelevant. A team of people crafted the game - and you can decide whether you want to pay asking price, or play something else. That's it.

Buying a game, or planning to buy a game, doesn't entitle you to dictate what side projects the developer is or is not also working on.

Capisce?

 

[mad825]

seems like Portal 2 is going to feature high tech hardware in a low-mid level technology via the software....either that or Valve are showing their true face by being sell-outs.