Portal 2 DLC Now Available for Only $140

[Outright Villainy]

This article is dangerously hyperbolic. Really, "buy Razer Hydra, get some bonus Portal 2 content" really doesn't sound bad, does it? But "Have Portal 2? Buy Razer Hydra for some shitty maps!" ...that's grounds for nerd rage of the highest order. Not smart.

Not to mind the fact that the article doesn't mention that it's Hydra themselves making the DLC, so they're just promoting their product, and Valve are letting them. Even if Valve did make the content, I don't really see anything wrong with it, but I guess people will get butthurt over anything. Well, not so much "I guess" as "I'm full sure".

It's not even DLC, in that regard. It's more of a mod. A mad made by creators of a piece of hardware showing off their hardware in increasingly redundantly gimmicky ways. But the article, of course, paints the picture of, "want more of Portal 2, which people have criticized for being too short? $140 for it!! ...it comes with cool hardware, I guess, but more Portal 2! Grr, Valve, crafty bastards, perhaps!" ...doesn't sit with me.

Agreed. Not to sound too cynical, but it really just seems like a ploy to get more page views. If they said "Oh, there's this new hydra controller, and they made some portal maps as a tech demo to show it off" they wouldn't get half as many people reading. I mean, maybe they were going for a humorous bent, but that failed anyway if that were the case.

The maps don't even look all that interesting unless you were even using the hydra, I'd imagine all that stretchy-ness would just be finicky as all hell with KB + Mouse. In that respect it's a good tech demo. It's not really anything more than that.

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

Agreed. Not to sound too cynical, but it really just seems like a ploy to get more page views. If they said "Oh, there's this new hydra controller, and they made some portal maps as a tech demo to show it off" they wouldn't get half as many people reading. I mean, maybe they were going for a humorous bent, but that failed anyway if that were the case.

The maps don't even look all that interesting unless you were even using the hydra, I'd imagine all that stretchy-ness would just be finicky as all hell with KB + Mouse. In that respect it's a good tech demo. It's not really anything more than that.

Or maybe he just doesn't know what he's talking about. Which is even more cynical, and I don't buy that. Escapist writers ain't dumb.

I mean, people would take it the wrong way regardless? I just think they could have dampened that imminent impact by being a bit more factual, instead of cranking the hyperbole up to 11.

Regarding the pack itself... I tend to agree, it's a great tech demo. It shows off some of what the machine can do in pretty inventive ways. Just, it's pretty lame as a Portal 2 mappack. It stinks of gimmick, which Valve generally shies away from. (They do. Portal 2 did as much as it could to run away from certain mechanics after so long so as not to become gimmicky.)

 

[AdamG3691]

From the video in the thread, it doesn't look any different from the move. So they'd better bring out Move compatibility for the PS3.

Then I'd be okay.

apparently the way it works is the ball emits a weak magnetic field, when the controllers are moved through the field, it creates a slight distortion which the sensor recognizes and calculates where the controllers are.

basically, the move is like an eye, tracking the lights on the ends of the controllers, the hydra is like a shark's electroperception.


and to the people hating on valve: valve didn't make any of the content for this DLC (aside form textures, etc), they gave razer the resources to make the levels and they distribute the levels.

 

[AdamG3691]

edit:whoopsie, double post, damn internets >_<

 

[HitsWithStyxx]

It's amusing how many people get upset that there's content only for the new Razer controller-muhbob. Oh no! They're giving you an incentive to buy a product of theirs? It's called marketing. If they didn't, people would just say "Why buy that, when I can play the game with a mouse and keyboard?", and it wouldn't sell.
And so many people just write things off as gimmicky as soon as they see them, it hurts me. I've seen this in action first-hand, and while I'm not at all intending to buy it, I can't deny that the technology is brilliant. Rather than using infra-red, it uses magnetic fields to provide full 1:1 control to within a fraction of a degree. Sure, it might not quite be your cup of tea, but the way the motion controls are implemented means that you should be able to have more variety in the puzzles available.
So many people act like they're owed loyalty by the company, when that's all that they are. They're a company that makes games. Why should they pander specifically to you, or even the entire market? Hell, if I made games and was offered to work with a piece of kit like this, I'd go for it. Innovation is the way forward, no point in just sitting on what tech we already have.

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

The way it's meant to be played??

 

[Abedecain]

You have to be joking, who would really pay that much for a controller, even Portal related...

 

[Ickorus]

I feel like something must have been lost in translation, im sure Valve said they were releasing their first DLC cross platform and this device appears to be PC only.

EDIT:

Ah yes, I appear to be correct in my assumptions, these levels were designed by Razer with a bit of support from Valve. I have no issue with that.

 

[GeorgW]

I'm a huge fan of Portal 2, but no way I'm getting that. I'd be willing to shell out for a move controller if they brought it to the PS3, since that can be used for other things, but this? No.

Though, if I'm understanding this correctly, these levels will use mechanics that wouldn't be possible with a controller. It would be possible with kinect or move, or even a mouse if done correctly, so that's a stupid reason. Get on it and port these levels, Valve!

 

[samsonguy920]

I dont really care about the controller though. If they want to add support for these controllers in there games, thats fine, I just want the games to feel fresh and exciting again.

A game shouldn't be made for a controller. A controller should be made for a game. And though there is a long list of games the Razer works for without the dev needing to change things, Valve is doing the former for this, and it stinks.
Frankly I don't hold much against Razer for this except for it being half a step away from Wii controls. Valve in this case is pandering to cashiered people for an extra dime in their coffers. Even though the DLC is free, the marketing involved in this is what is putting the gold in Gabe McDuck's vault.
When they make a mouse I don't have to keep on a surface, ala Lawnmower Man, then I will be interested. Razer is almost there.

 

[samsonguy920]

Losing customers? You know they've never been worth more money as a company, right?

That's more to do with Steam than anything else they have produced since Half Life 2 and The Orange Box. Valve can't maintain that forever, though. EA might actually manage to put out a decent service with their Origin product(I will be surprised out of my boots if that were to happen) and that would put a big dent into Steam sales. If Valve wants to maintain their footing, they need to be more innovative with games they are making. Hyping the Razer controller is not the way to do that. Motion control is not the end all to gaming. It is a new way to do things that doesn't replace what we have. Valve investing in this feels so very foolhardy to me it isn't funny.
I like what Valve produces very much. Steam is clunky but is dependable when it counts, and the games that have been produced are damn fun. If Gabe is going to become the eccentric CEO only into gimmicky products then I can kiss any chance of enjoying new content from them in the future.
The status quo is always in flux. Never expect it to stay.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

Lately Valve doesn't feel like the company it used to be, and instead is just trying to get money for money's sake without putting out decent quality or anything new.

Valve isn't selling the Hydra, Razer is. All that Valve did was work with Razer to make the level pack (and apparently they didn't even work on the level pack all that much). Now granted, you could argue that perhaps Razer paid Valve to work with them in this promo, but I still don't see how that would effect the quality of Portal 2 or any of Valve's other games in any way.

Another scam designed to milk the fans of a game franchise...

That word you just used, I don't think it means what you think it means.

 

[Hamish Durie]

Portal 2 DLC Now Available for Only $140

As of today, Gamers can now pick up the special Hydra content pack for the low, low price of absolutely free. That is, it's free if you own a Razer Hydra. The Razer Hydra, by the way, costs $140 (but to be fair, it does come with a free copy of Portal 2).

I'm just not $140 worth of interested. But I bet somewhere out there, someone is enough of a Portal fan to go for it. Of course, it's not like the Hydra can only be used with Portal, so you could always rationalize it as an investment.

(Via MTV Multiplayer [http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2011/06/20/portal-2-dlc-now-available-if-you-own-a-140-controller/])

Permalink

actually this is the deal of a lifetime because portal 2 is still 99.95 here is Australia and with a new controller and DLC it's an awesome deal
(if your wondering why i have yet to get portal 2 it's really expensive and i was waitng for a price drop)

 

[Cherry Cola]

Bah, you whiners. Back in ol' Sweden that price is CHEAP. That's barely the same price as a game on full retail.

 

[manaman]

I thought us PC gamers were to be spared of motion controllers.

If they were selling it for about 60-70$ I would buy it since I'm going to get Portal 2 at some point.

You know a mouse is a motion controller right? It uses a sensor to convert motion into an input. Funny that PC elitist whine about motion controllers corrupting games then turn around and praise their systems accuracy because of the oldest motion controller gaming has.

Think of this like a mouse that moves in three dimensions rather then two. Not really a bad thing. More analog inputs in the PC world is not a bad think.

 

[LadyMint]

Well, the controller is pretty close to a modified Wiimote + nunchuck, so, people praising this thing and hating the Wiimote would be lying to themselves. I'd still pick one of these though. For the record, I loved the Wiimote... when it was well implemented, like in Metroid Prime Trilogy.

All that does look pretty impressive. Personally, I don't see why they couldn't have done that with the keyboard and mouse combo or a regular USB gaming controller. I have wasted $20 on a console keyboard (way back in the Gamecube days) so I know what it means to buy a simple gaming gadget; however, $140 is a bit much for just what I saw in that video.

 

[mrdude2010]

This controller could be worth while.... if only they had more than one game for it. That just makes a cool, but way overly expensive copy of Portal 2. Crazy shit. Now, if this controller got more industry support, it could be worth it. I must confess, the Wiimote and Nunchuck combination was fun and worth while as long it was implemented properly (which it wasn't most of the time). It made FPS on the Wii a lot of fun, Like Metroid Prime for exampe.

More support and you got me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78Fsks9ZRNU&feature=related

I must say, that looks super precise. Hmmm, if the list of supported games grows, I'm sold. or if they can institute a system that makes it so you can customize game controls with it, kind of like my Logitech G13. I'm gonna keep my eye on this.

Edit: it already supports 125 games, and they are going to release profiles as games come out, and there is software in the works that will allow you to customize controls to motions.... Guess I know my next investment, haha. From that CodBlops video, it's super precise, which is awesome. The only real downside to the console counterparts.

why was he warned for that post? unless it was for a short response or something like that

 

[brainslurper]

This controller could be worth while.... if only they had more than one game for it. That just makes a cool, but way overly expensive copy of Portal 2. Crazy shit. Now, if this controller got more industry support, it could be worth it. I must confess, the Wiimote and Nunchuck combination was fun and worth while as long it was implemented properly (which it wasn't most of the time). It made FPS on the Wii a lot of fun, Like Metroid Prime for exampe.

More support and you got me.

Razer shit is always overpriced, but everything they have is pretty nice.

 

[Jandau]

Razer - All the gaming peripherals you will never ever need, but we'll talk you into buying them anyway and for waaaay more money than they're worth...