[PC, Mac] Valve brings split-screen co-operative play to PC copies of Portal 2

[PC, Mac] Valve brings split-screen co-operative play to PC copies of Portal 2

Portal 2 featured split-screen co-operative play on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the popular puzzle game, but PC players did not get access to it.

Until now that is.

Valve has deployed the update for Portal 2 owners on PC/Mac, when the update is installed players can take part in the standard two-player co-op on the same screen.

Enough reason for you to go back to the game?

Written by: Kyran Morrison

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[PC] Valve Debunks 'Steam Box' Console Rumors

[PC] Valve Debunks 'Steam Box' Console Rumors

One of the hottest topics in the industry over the last week or so has been the possibility of Steam developer Valve Software working on a Steam-based console, dubbed the "Steam Box". Not so, according to Valve's marketing director Doug Lombardi.

"We're prepping the Steam Big Picture Mode UI and getting ready to ship that, so we're building boxes to test that on," Lombardi told Kotaku. "We're also doing a bunch of different experiments with biometric feedback and stuff like that, which we've talked about a fair amount. All of that is stuff that we're working on, but it's a long way from Valve shipping any sort of hardware."

So while the so-called Steam Box exists, it is a far cry from an actual console. Rather, the device would simply allow PC gamers to use the digital distribution service to play Steam games on a PC hooked up to their television screens. But while nothing is in the cards for the moment, when asked if Valve may one day consider making its own hardware, Lombardi replied, "I think that's accurate."

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[PC] Rumour: Valve might be putting together its own 'Steam Box' console

[PC] Rumour: Valve might be putting together its own 'Steam Box' console

Rumblings are growing that Valve, mighty overlords of the PC market, might be looking to invest in releasing a dedicated PC built with parts from several of their partners.

According to sources, it appears that several meetings were held back at CES to demo an early version of the console to selected parties. The basic specs of the box would include an Intel Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GPU. These 'Steam Boxes' would be capable of running standard PC games, and even rival digital distribution platforms.

Nothing is official yet, but one of the biggest things that would seperate a Valve labelled device such as this from standard consoles would be the lack of bureaucracy and licensing fees. Other features could include controllers that could be reconfigured for alternative uses, etc. The word currently blowing around the video game news world is that Valve may announce this at GDC. Or at the very least they'll make more information available to potential partners and build up for a full E3 blowout.

Eyes glued to all the GDC news, friends. We'll see what we can find out as the week passes.

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[PC] Blizzard and Valve head to court for legal dispute over DOTA 2

[PC] Blizzard and Valve head to court for legal dispute over DOTA 2

Looks like the gloves are off now, as Blizzard and Valve head to court to engage in a legal dispute over a trademark request related to DOTA 2. The upcoming release is a spiritual successor to an incredibly popular WarCraft III modification, Defense of the Ancients. The project's lead designer is IceFrog, who was a modder who worked on keeping the mod going from 2005 until he joined Valve's DOTA 2 team sometime before it was announced in late 2010.

Both sides have been quite vocal about the case here, but this is the first time we've heard of it heading to the courts. Blizzard argues "for more than seven years... been used exclusively by Blizzard and its fan community" and that Valve does not have the claim to the name that they do. They claim that whilst no company actually owns the trademark they hold more of a claim on it than Valve.

As for Valve's side to the argument, Gabe Newell commented on the issue at last years Gamescom in an interview with Eurogamer. "The issue with that was, when we were talking with IceFrog originally, he wanted to build the sequel to DOTA," Newell said. "So the reason to call it Dota 2 is it actually does a pretty good job of communicating to gamers what it is the game is going to be."

It will interesting to see where this case leads, and you can be sure we'll have ears pressed to the ground for any further rumbles.

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[PC, PS3, X360] Valve announces Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, coming early 2012

[PC, PS3, X360] Valve announces Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, coming early 2012

Activision is releasing Modern Warfare 3 and DICE is releasing Battlefield 3, but if you want another FPS option then Valve might be the ones to deliver what you are seeking. It appears that they are hard at work with Hidden Path Entertainment to bring the world a brand new Counter-Strike title.

The new release promises to bring leader-boards, match-making, new gameplay modes and more when it becomes available during the current target release period, which is early 2012. The game is said to be targeting PC and the two home consoles (maybe having a shot at Call of Duty. It will also feature new maps, new weapons, new characters and will deliver updated CS content (such as de_dust, etc). Here's what Valve's Doug Lombardi has to say:

"Counter-Strike took the gaming industry by surprise when the unlikely MOD became the most played online PC action game in the world almost immediately after its release in August 1999. For the past 12 years, it has continued to be one of the most-played games in the world, headline competitive gaming tournaments and selling over 25 million units worldwide across the franchise. CS: GO promises to expand on CS' award-winning gameplay and deliver it to gamers on the PC as well as the next gen consoles and the Mac."

The world will get its first glimpse of CS:GO when it debuts at PAX Prime and the Eurogamer Expo later this year. Guns at the ready, we have another big third entry in the FPS genre on the way. You can check out the Steam store page here but there is no new information yet. So, do you think it will be free-to-play like Team Fortress 2 is and like DOTA is rumoured to be?

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[PC] Valve makes Team Fortress 2 Free-To-Play

[PC] Valve makes Team Fortress 2 Free-To-Play
You heard right folk. Valve's smash hit Team Fortress 2 will now be free to play. The news comes after Valve had planned to initially make the game available for players to purchase for free for a week only.

The game will now be available in two different accounts: Free and Premium. Premium accounts are for those who paid money for TF2, including buying the game off steam, activating a retail package or buying an item from the in-game store Mann Co. Premium accounts will have access to rare and cosmetic items in random drops, and more powerful trading and crafting abilities. Gameplay will remain unchanged between accounts and acquiring a premium account is as easy as purchasing an item from the in-game store.

Also announced are new training modes and offline practice for those who are new to the TF2 realm and want to get their feet wet before diving straight into online multiplayer.

Valve insists that the new model will not change their development of the game and they believe that this is the best model to take at this point in the game's life. Download Steam to Play!

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[Wii U] Valve Shows Interest in Wii U

[Wii U] Valve Shows Interest in Wii U

While I'm sure most of you would prefer your news from Valve to have something to do with Half-Life 2: Episode 3/Half-Life 3/Half-Life anything (sorry, no dice), Valve head Gabe Newell had some interesting comments regarding Nintendo's next home console today. Valve has never released any of their games on a Nintendo console, but that may soon change if Newell's words are anything to go by.

"Wii U seems to be a lot more powerful than the previous generation. It sort of fits better into the scalability in terms of graphics performance and CPU performance, so I think it'll be a lot easier for us to fit it into our scalability model," he told Joystiq, also pointing out that Valve has recently been showing more and more support for consoles. "Now it's a lot easier to look at Wii U and have it fit within that framework."

Despite the developer's previous reluctance to bring its games to Nintendo platforms, Newell also confessed that "we've always loved Nintendo." Maybe buttering up the Big N just a little bit, but it is exciting to ponder what uses Valve might find for the Wii U's unique controller.

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Gamescom 2011 exhibitors revealed, Valve on board

by Richard Mitchell on Jun 17th 2011 12:30PM

Europe's Gamescom 2011 convention is starting to take shape, with a hefty list of exhibitors revealed by GameCloud. The list includes most of the major players from E3, including Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Capcom, EA. Activision was notably absent from the list, which is odd given that it usually attends the convention. Gamescom will also be sporting some exhibitors not seen at E3, chief among them being Valve and NCSoft.

Just what Valve has planned is anyone's guess. Dota 2, perhaps (we've heard it's kind of a big deal over there). NCSoft, on the other hand, is almost certain to show off its upcoming MMO, Guild Wars 2. Rest assured, we'll be on hand to see what the fuss is about.

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