Jane McGonigal: Reality is Broken at the Science Pub In Portland, OR

Portland, a place where the geek & chic come to play and make a home, was the center stage for Jane McGonigal’s presentation “Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change The World.”  The Science pub is put together by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and the idea is that you can go to one of the talks, learn about cutting-edge topics in science and technology from leading experts, and ask questions all while drinking a pint and with some tater tots. So when I heard that Jane McGonigal was going to be at the Bagdad theater where I presented at Ignite #9 (Samus: Legend of a Girl Gamer), about her new book “Reality is Broken,” the math was very simple… Jane McGonigal + video games + beer + tater tots = EPIC WIN! See? Even Einstein would back me up on that

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Full details on PS3 version of “Portal 2″ released – Steamworks support makes it more awesome

In the wee hours of the morning, Valve dropped the full details on the PS3 version of Portal 2, whose release marks the debut of Steam on this generation’s consoles. Not only will each PS3 copy of the game include a Mac/PC copy for Steam – after linking your PSN and Steam accounts – but it’ll also include cross-platform (Mac/PC vs. PS3) multiplayer and cloud-based storage for your PS3 saved games. This Steamworks-enabled title will also include cross-platform chat so you can talk to all of your Steam friends while you’re on the console. (Now, if they can make PS3s, PCs and Macs talk – why on EARTH can’t Sony get cross-game chat going? Just saying.) “We made a promise to gamers at E3 that Portal 2 for the PlayStation 3 would be the best console version of the product,” said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. “Working together

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Say hello to your “Portal 2″ box art

Straight from Valve, here’s what the Portal 2 box on your shelf is going to look like. Interesting that they’re highlighting the co-op here. Naturally, imagine a different box if you’re not going for the PS3 version. You should have an awesome imagination.

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Child’s Play Auction and Gala raises $183,000

If you are ever in the market for a model Portal Gun, looks like we’ve got an approximate price for you – over $14,000. That’s how much a replica of the game weapon sold for at this week’s Child’s Play Gala and Auction, an annual event to raise money for the titular charity, which provides toys and games for hospitalized children both in the U.S. and around the world. “Every year we are blown away by the fantastic items and incredibly generous bids at the gala and auction,” said Kristin Lindsay, Foundation Coordinator for Child’s Play.  “Even more heart warming is the thousands of gamers that can’t attend the gala but organize their own local fundraising.  It’s this grassroots community activity the accounts for the majority of Child’s Play donations.” The Portal Gun wasn’t the only thing up for bid. PAX 2010′s Omegaclaw was also on the auction block, as

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“Portal 2″ co-op trailer hints at a greater robot purpose

Last time we got a look at co-op in Portal 2 (when we weren’t playing it in-person, anyway), we met the two robots we would be taking through this part of the game, which is twice as long as the original Portal. This time, we get an even longer look at co-op mode, and a reminder that even though the Enrichment Center might look a little different, it’s still the same old GLaDOS doing the testing. “Now it’s time for your real purpose,” whatever that happens to be. Knowing her, it’s nothing good. Watch the latest trailer, full of the usual awesomeness, below.

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PAX First Look: Portal 2

Portal fans will be very happy with Portal 2.

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Wheatley finds his voice in the latest “Portal 2″ gameplay trailer

Apparently, when we met Wheatley the first time, he wasn’t so permanent. Or, at least his voice actor wasn’t. Now, in the latest Portal 2 gameplay video, we get introduced all over again to the little personality sphere, this time voiced by Stephen Merchant, co-producer of (and actor in) several Ricky Gervais projects. Basically, all you need to know is that he’s a funny Brit. We get more out of Wheatley now than we did the last time, meaning we get to see a few chunks of a level or two, including a look at the manufacturing department’s turret-making process. Wheatley is as funny as he ever was to me – do you feel the same way? Video Games | Portal 2 | Wheatley’s Wit Gameplay XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

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Steam for Mac Details – Portal , Torchlight and Steamworks

Valve’s Steam platform will launch on Mac OS X this Wednesday, May 12. The following Wednesday (and every subsequent Wednesday) will see additional Mac collections become available. Each will show off a specific functionality of Steam. This week’s collection demonstrates “Steam Play,” which lets you play any Steam game on its supported platforms without buying it multiple times. Portal will be the first of Valve’s Source engine games to be playable on the Mac. Luckily for you, if you haven’t played it yet, it’s going to be free until May 24th. For Mac or PC. Yeah. So if you haven’t played it yet, there’s no excuse now. Get it here. Runic Games’ popular title Torchlight will also be available tomorrow. Those two titles will be the only ones in tomorrow’s library update, but at least they’re fun ones. Valve’s suite of software for publishing and development, Steamworks, is also going

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Portal 2 is Definitely Official Now, More Valve Puzzles on the Way?

Yeah, Aperture ScienceValve may have started playing this game with us on Monday, but now, it looks like GameInformer’s pretty much ending it by revealing their April cover. And it is a beauty (well, if you’re a Portal fan – click for full size): Not to mention that Valve went ahead and made it official before GDC just fifteen minutes ago: Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Left 4 Dead, Counter-Strike, and Half-Life) and leading technologies (such as Steam, Source), today announced Portal 2 for shipment this coming holiday season. More interestingness: On Valve’s website, a bunch of the letters in the news release are oddly underlined. Time for more puzzles, guys? Not surprising, since that’s what most of this week has been about. I expect that cracked within an hour. You’ve proven you can. Now, are we going to see this at GDC? Keep your fingers crossed.

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Portal Gets a New Ending

Okay, at this point, there’s no way Valve isn’t gearing up for an announcement at GDC. Portal was updated *again* today, and the ending actually changed slightly. One person captured the video, and uploaded it to the Interwebs for all to enjoy.

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