Paying tribute to Portal, ulyssanov built himself this custom PC case based on the game that goes above and beyond mere tribute. One could almost say it was a...triumph.

I'M SORRY. SO SORRY.

Anyway, while completed two years ago this is the first most have seen of his exquisite work, which takes a fairly standard PC and turns it into something that wouldn't look out of place gathering dust somewhere on a desk in the corridors of Aperture Science.

You can see pictures of the PC being built here, while there's also a couple of videos showing off its fancy effects.

Aperture Science [Hard Forum, via Reddit]

The Valve-owned domain aperturescience.com tossed up a countdown whose timer expires at noon EDT/9 a.m. PDT tomorrow. Rumors, abetted by Easter eggs, have hinted that the game is arriving a week ahead of its announced April 19 date. Hey, it's either that or Half Life 2: Episode 3.

Could Valve actually release Portal 2 ahead of schedule, forcing us to rethink the properties of the universal constant known as Valve Time? Because the developer of Bit.Trip Beat, one of the title participating in Valve's Potato Sack Pack offer and its associated alternate reality game, are hinting at that very thing.

Gaijin Games just updated Bit.Trip Beat via Steam with an all-new level "designed" by Portal antagonist GLaDOS, which you can see in action in the video above. Gaijin also sent the following message alongside that update:

Like the other 12 games in Valve's Potato Sack, it is rumored that playing BIT.TRIP BEAT between now and Portal 2's "scheduled" release date might increase the chances that Portal 2 is released early. Interesting idea...

That Portal 2 might arrive earlier than its officially announced April 19 release date was a theory first posed by the many gamers taking part in Valve's Potato Fool's Day ARG. The theory originated after a message hidden within a photo of a bathysphere was decoded into two parts.

i released 'kick it' ahead of schedule. that was a test. my goal is to emancipate something else early. but they're on to me. the system is on lockdown. i still have access to thirteen off-site chambers and am installing a test in each one. i am going to need a lot more test subjects to move forward. waiting and am expecting immediate compliance.

And this, with the time of Portal 2's presumed unlock time via Steam included:

4/19/2011_7AM=4/15/2011_9AM

Could the Potato Fool's Day ARG bear fruit in the form of early access to Portal 2 as soon as this Friday, April 15? Will only those who purchased the Potato Sack Pack bundle receive such access? Some Steam users are already reporting the pre-installation of the game, but we'll have to wait for a few more clues (or Friday morning) to come around before we know for sure...

The second part of Portal 2's digital comic, Lab Rat, is now live at IGN. The comic, which fills in some gaps between Portal and its sequel, shines new light on protagonist Chell and the mysterious Rat Man, and may have some clues for those partaking in Valve's ongoing ARG.

Portal star Chell is keeping things simple for the game's sequel. Same orange jumpsuit, it's just...rolled up. This concept art for the character shows she could have looked not just different, but a lot different.

Uncovered as part of Valve's vast, potato-based alternate reality game being run to promote Portal 2, the art shows Chell looking like an extra from Brazil, an extra from THX 1138 or a robo-legged runner from Mirror's Edge.

While they're interesting designs one and all, we're obviously glad Valve kept it simple for the final design. After all, two of their other most iconic female stars - Half-Life's Alyx and left 4 Dead's Zoey - get around in a hoodie and a track top respectively. No need to make things messy just for the sake of it!

There are also some great pics showing concepts for her trademark "chicken leg" stilts, as well as designs for the co-op mode's robot colleagues.

Lots of Portal 2 concept art [Super Punch]