Portal is now available as a Beta. This beta adds Linux support and converts the game to the new Steam Content delivery system.

This beta involves significant changes for all platforms and your testing is appreciated, please report any bugs to our GitHub page, https://github.com/ValveSoftware/source-1-games/issues.

Linux users can simply install Portal to access the beta. For Windows and OS X users right click the game in your Library, choose properties and then go to the Beta tab. Select the SteamPipe beta to start testing. Under Windows and OS X to opt out of testing simply deselect the beta option on this same page.

Portal is now available as a Beta. This beta adds Linux support and converts the game to the new Steam Content delivery system.

This beta involves significant changes for all platforms and your testing is appreciated, please report any bugs to our GitHub page, https://github.com/ValveSoftware/source-1-games/issues.

Linux users can simply install Portal to access the beta. For Windows and OS X users right click the game in your Library, choose properties and then go to the Beta tab. Select the SteamPipe beta to start testing. Under Windows and OS X to opt out of testing simply deselect the beta option on this same page.

Half-Life 2 and Portal are nominated for Game of the Decade. The winner will be named tonight on Spike TV's VGA Award Show. <a href="www.ew.com/vga">Click here to vote</a>.

Half-Life 2 and Portal are nominated for Game of the Decade. The winner will be named tonight on Spike TV's VGA Award Show. Click here to vote.

The Perpetual Testing Initiative (PeTI) is live! Even though most of you will be getting your first sweet taste of test chamber construction today, a lucky few of you have already been beta testing for the last couple of months. An unfair head start? You bet. But it's thanks to this massive injustice that you have a ton of great test chambers to solve on launch day.

In fact, one of the beta testers made so many great maps that we've decided to award him the first ever Aperture Science Employee of the Moment Certificate for his provisional excellence in the field of test chamber construction. Congratulations, Mevious! Enjoy it while it lasts.

<a href="http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=68462137"><img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/portal2/eom/eom_001.png" width=520></a>

Those of you interested in checking out Mevious' terrific maps can get them all at once by subscribing to them at <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=68462137"> this collection page</a>. Make sure to also Follow Mevious on <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970484475/myworkshopfiles?appid=620">his Workshop author page</a> so you can keep track of what he makes in the future.

Remember, the next employee of the moment could be YOU! That's right: transient fame and fleeting fortune could be yours. Dethrone the tyrant Mevious! He's been on top for too long. He's getting soft, and you're hungry. Be like Rocky in all the Rocky movies. Except for Rocky I, where he lost (unless you're counting victories of the heart, which won't win you any awards from us). Or Rocky VI, where it was a show fight and didn't count. In fact, just focus on Rocky IV. The last half.

Dun.

Dun dun dun.

Dun dun dahhhhhhh...

The Perpetual Testing Initiative (PeTI) is live! Even though most of you will be getting your first sweet taste of test chamber construction today, a lucky few of you have already been beta testing for the last couple of months. An unfair head start? You bet. But it's thanks to this massive injustice that you have a ton of great test chambers to solve on launch day.

In fact, one of the beta testers made so many great maps that we've decided to award him the first ever Aperture Science Employee of the Moment Certificate for his provisional excellence in the field of test chamber construction. Congratulations, Mevious! Enjoy it while it lasts.



Those of you interested in checking out Mevious' terrific maps can get them all at once by subscribing to them at this collection page. Make sure to also Follow Mevious on his Workshop author page so you can keep track of what he makes in the future.

Remember, the next employee of the moment could be YOU! That's right: transient fame and fleeting fortune could be yours. Dethrone the tyrant Mevious! He's been on top for too long. He's getting soft, and you're hungry. Be like Rocky in all the Rocky movies. Except for Rocky I, where he lost (unless you're counting victories of the heart, which won't win you any awards from us). Or Rocky VI, where it was a show fight and didn't count. In fact, just focus on Rocky IV. The last half.

Dun.

Dun dun dun.

Dun dun dahhhhhhh...

TO: All Aperture employees
FROM: Cave Johnson

COMPANY MEMORANDUM

Cave Johnson here. Your boss. It's come to my attention that some of you are concerned after receiving my all-staff memo yesterday ("You: Design Test Chambers or You're Fired"). So to put your minds at ease, let me clarify: You are <b>not</b> mentally ill and you <b>did</b> read the memo just fine. It was real. You should be designing test chambers, right now and at all times, or by God I will fire you.

Having said that, let's be honest: Some of you are incapable of designing a test chamber, whatever the motivation. You're only getting marginally better results than a dog would. Worse, actually. A dog designing even a substandard test chamber'd be pretty damned impressive, let's not kid ourselves.

But don't worry, you're not fired yet. It turns out there's an even better job you can do instead of being fired: Getting launched into an infinite series of alternate Earths to <b>evaluate</b> all the test chambers your smarter coworkers are making.

Wait, it gets better: I'll be right there with you. Every step of the way, whether the tests work or not, Cave'll be by your side, facing whatever life-threatening dangers we might run into out there. And even better, I won't actually physically be there. I'll be here, talking into a microphone, from complete and total safety. That way the people who'll be monitoring whether you're still alive won't have to split their focus worrying about me.

So there you have it. Everyone's useful in the Perpetual Testing Initiative. Except Peter Jenkins, which brings me to the point of this memo: Pete, you're fired.

Alright, that should wrap it up. Everybody except Pete get back to work when this sentence finishes... now.

TO: All Aperture employees
FROM: Cave Johnson

COMPANY MEMORANDUM

Cave Johnson here. Your boss. It's come to my attention that some of you are concerned after receiving my all-staff memo yesterday ("You: Design Test Chambers or You're Fired"). So to put your minds at ease, let me clarify: You are not mentally ill and you did read the memo just fine. It was real. You should be designing test chambers, right now and at all times, or by God I will fire you.

Having said that, let's be honest: Some of you are incapable of designing a test chamber, whatever the motivation. You're only getting marginally better results than a dog would. Worse, actually. A dog designing even a substandard test chamber'd be pretty damned impressive, let's not kid ourselves.

But don't worry, you're not fired yet. It turns out there's an even better job you can do instead of being fired: Getting launched into an infinite series of alternate Earths to evaluate all the test chambers your smarter coworkers are making.

Wait, it gets better: I'll be right there with you. Every step of the way, whether the tests work or not, Cave'll be by your side, facing whatever life-threatening dangers we might run into out there. And even better, I won't actually physically be there. I'll be here, talking into a microphone, from complete and total safety. That way the people who'll be monitoring whether you're still alive won't have to split their focus worrying about me.

So there you have it. Everyone's useful in the Perpetual Testing Initiative. Except Peter Jenkins, which brings me to the point of this memo: Pete, you're fired.

Alright, that should wrap it up. Everybody except Pete get back to work when this sentence finishes... now.

<img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/portal2/map_imgs/520/001.jpg">

The gaming press have chimed in on our new free Puzzle Maker, available May 8th, and the verdict is unanimous: It is NOT complicated to make your very own Portal test chambers. "Easy to use," says <a href="http://pc.ign.com/articles/122/1224223p1.html">IGN's Charles Onyette</a>. "Satisfying and easy," adds <a href="http://www.1up.com/news/portal-2-designing-test-chambers-satisfying-easy">1UP's Chris Pereira</a>. "Possibly the easiest level editor known to man," claims <a href="http://www.nowgamer.com/news/1352740/portal_2s_level_editor_how_it_works_and_what_you_can_create.html">NOW Gamer's Adam Barnes</a>.

Wow! Is our Puzzle Maker really this easy to use, or are these guys just bald-faced liars? Let's find out, and try to make a playable map in only FIVE STEPS.

Here's the basic map template you start with. <span style="font-weight:bold">Note: This is not step one.</span> On the left, you can select from any of the puzzle elements from Portal 2.

<img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/portal2/map_imgs/520/002.jpg">

Okay, now we're at <span style="font-weight:bold">Step One</span>. If you have a friend helping you count, tell them to start now. Let's choose a big red button and place it somewhere on the map.

<img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/portal2/map_imgs/520/003.jpg">

<span style="font-weight:bold">Step Two:</span> Connect the button to the door.

<img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/portal2/map_imgs/520/004.jpg">

Oh, man, we're already up to two steps. We better get moving. Seriously, we might have over-promised on this.

<span style="font-weight:bold">Step Three:</span> Surprise! We're throwing this step away. That's how confident we are.

<span style="font-weight:bold">Step Four:</span> Now we're looking at this picture of Gabe someone made in the Puzzle Maker.

<img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/portal2/map_imgs/gabe_03.jpg">

<span style="font-weight:bold">Step Five:</span> Now we're going to rebuild our map to see it in action.

<img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/portal2/map_imgs/520/005.jpg">

Seconds later, it works! We did it. The gaming press are not liars.*

Here we are solving the puzzle:

<img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/portal2/map_imgs/520/006.jpg">

So we built a test chamber: Now what? It's time to publish it to the Steam Workshop. You can share your puzzle with everyone, or just share it with friends, or even keep it private until you think it's ready.

<img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/portal2/map_imgs/520/007.jpg">

This is obviously a very, very, very, simple map. But don't worry: the Puzzle Maker is as powerful as it is easy to use. You'll be designing complex brain-busters in no time, trust us.

In fact, you don't even have to trust us.

The Perpetual Testing Initiative's still in beta, and people have already been hard at work making great science.

<img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/portal2/map_imgs/mymaps_01.jpg">

<img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/portal2/map_imgs/mymaps_02.jpg">

<img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/portal2/map_imgs/mymaps_03.jpg">

<span style="font-size:x-small">* About this specifically.</span>

The gaming press have chimed in on our new free Puzzle Maker, available May 8th, and the verdict is unanimous: It is NOT complicated to make your very own Portal test chambers. "Easy to use," says IGN's Charles Onyette. "Satisfying and easy," adds 1UP's Chris Pereira. "Possibly the easiest level editor known to man," claims NOW Gamer's Adam Barnes.

Wow! Is our Puzzle Maker really this easy to use, or are these guys just bald-faced liars? Let's find out, and try to make a playable map in only FIVE STEPS.

Here's the basic map template you start with. <span style="font-weight:bold">Note: This is not step one.</span> On the left, you can select from any of the puzzle elements from Portal 2.



Okay, now we're at <span style="font-weight:bold">Step One</span>. If you have a friend helping you count, tell them to start now. Let's choose a big red button and place it somewhere on the map.



<span style="font-weight:bold">Step Two:</span> Connect the button to the door.



Oh, man, we're already up to two steps. We better get moving. Seriously, we might have over-promised on this.

<span style="font-weight:bold">Step Three:</span> Surprise! We're throwing this step away. That's how confident we are.

<span style="font-weight:bold">Step Four:</span> Now we're looking at this picture of Gabe someone made in the Puzzle Maker.



<span style="font-weight:bold">Step Five:</span> Now we're going to rebuild our map to see it in action.



Seconds later, it works! We did it. The gaming press are not liars.*

Here we are solving the puzzle:



So we built a test chamber: Now what? It's time to publish it to the Steam Workshop. You can share your puzzle with everyone, or just share it with friends, or even keep it private until you think it's ready.



This is obviously a very, very, very, simple map. But don't worry: the Puzzle Maker is as powerful as it is easy to use. You'll be designing complex brain-busters in no time, trust us.

In fact, you don't even have to trust us.

The Perpetual Testing Initiative's still in beta, and people have already been hard at work making great science.







<span style="font-size:x-small">* About this specifically.</span>