Half-Life 3 is official(wait for it)ly trademarked in the European Union. NeoGAF users (via Polygon) spotted the registered trademark from Valve with the European Union’s Trade Marks and Designs Registration Office, which was filed on Sept. 29.

The European registration filed through a Spanish representative is for ” Computer game software; Electronic game software; Downloadable computer game software via a global computer network and wireless devices; Video game software,” and “Provision of on-line entertainment; provision of computer and video games and computer and video game programmes from a computer database or via the Internet.”

No equivalent trademark has appeared on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s online register.

This doesn’t mean a Half-Life 3 announcement is pending, of course–it could just be Valve getting in on the mark early to ward off squatters. At the very least, it lends credence to the idea that the next Half-Life (the first since 2007’s Half-Life 2: Episode 2) will drop the episodic nomenclature.

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Valve is partnering with hardware manufacturers to bring a range of Steam Machines into your living room, but first it wants you to beta test its own design. The company spelled out its long-awaited Steam hardware initiative on its website today:

“Entertainment is not a one-size-fits-all world. We want you to be able to choose the hardware that makes sense for you, so we are working with multiple partners to bring a variety of Steam gaming machines to market during 2014, all of them running SteamOS.“

Before then, Valve will send 300 of its own kits to users in the wild. Valvedidn’t reveal their specifications, but the company did say users will be able to beta test “hundreds” of games running natively on the new operating system, stream the rest of the library from home PCs, and discuss their experiences freely with no non-disclosure agreements.

The prototypes will begin shipping out this year, but only to those who complete the Hardware Beta Eligibility Quest: join the official group, agree to the terms and conditions, get at least 10 Steam friends, open a public profile, and play a game with a gamepad in Big Picture Mode.

What about a controller? The machines are usable with mouse and keyboard, but Valve says it will “have some more to say very soon on the topic of input.” We wouldn’t be surprised if Steam Certified Controllers of some kind are the final Steam Universe announcement planned for Friday.

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“Next week we’re going to be rolling out more information about how we get there and what are the hardware opportunities we see for bringing Linux into the living room, and potentially pointing further down the road to how we can get it even more unified in mobile.”

Don’t put in that pre-order just yet. This is not necessarily a pledge to have a finished console out by Christmas. Just a firmer commitment to Linux by Valve, and an incoming roadmap to the possible release of the Steam Box. Or whatever it ends up being called. Still, more gaming options are always better than less, and there’s no company better placed to more interestingly disrupt the current status quo than Valve.

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Naturally, our excitable minds immediately leap to the conclusion that it will be used on Half-Life 3 and that Valve isn’t ready to announce that game yet. Especially as the original Source was made for Half-Life 2 (opens in new tab). But then, we keep expecting Half-Life 3 at every major gaming event (opens in new tab) and it just never shows up.

The original Source Engine runs everything from Half-Life 2 and Portal (opens in new tab) to Team Fortress 2 (opens in new tab) and Left 4 Dead (opens in new tab). It was designed to be incrementally upgraded, which is why it’s powered top-end games for so long. But the base code is getting old, so the existence of a brand new, next-gen version is definitely worth getting excited about. More as soon as we have it.

Source: Develop (opens in new tab)

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In a somewhat irritating (though nonetheless exciting) announcement-of-an-impending-announcement, Adult Swimrevealed (opens in new tab)today that they are currently collaborating with Valve on a new project involving Team Fortress 2.

They’re not saying what the project is yet, but current speculation suggests it might be some sort of TF2-themed animated web series.

“Adult Swim & Valve are teaming up for something that you’ll probably enjoy,” reads the website (opens in new tab). “To learn how their video game peanut butter will be getting in our network’s chocolate, come back next week.”

Taken as an isolated occurrance, this is merely “probably cool.” But this is starting to look like a trend for Valve. Just this week we learned about their forthcoming collaboration with Overkill Software on a new level (opens in new tab) for Payday: The Heist. Maybe Valve is beginning to expand their properties through these types of small-scale partnerships.

The post Adult Swim and Valve working on something Team Fortress 2 related appeared first on Game News.

Yesterday rumor mongers came up with an especially enticing little morsel of gaming news. The rumor floating around was that Overkill, the studio behind the co-op bank heist shooter, PAYDAY, was working with Valve on developing a prequel to the Left 4 Dead series.

Honestly, the rumor seemed a bit sketchy at the time so we decided not to write about it until an official word came in. Today, Chet Faliszek of Valve announced (opens in new tab) to the world that there is no such collaboration in the works.

I don’t want to give it away, because we want the community to explore and find it, but I want to make sure that people don’t think the prequel is coming,” said Faliszek told PCGamesN. “If that happens, then it will make this other thing we’re doing feel uncool, when the thing we’re doing is really cool. I mean, the problem is, if you make a rumour, and you can make the rumour anything, you’re going to make the rumour really, really cool. And that makes everything else sound less cool.”

The idea of a collaboration between Valve – with their endless resources and ingenuity – and Overkill with their obvious talent for unique co-op experiences, had many fans worked into a tizzy. However, Faliszek says that the collaboration is more akin to Team Fortress 2, where you’ll see other games weapons incorporated into the play. Not that the collaboration is exactly like that, but he says it’s similar. Whatever that means.

We’ll be sure to report on any news regarding the actual facts of the Overkill/Valve collaboration. Even if it’s minor in scope, we’ll still be excited to see what they’re doing together.

The post Valve denies rumors of Left 4 Dead prequel appeared first on Game News.

“You are being trolled,” wrote Valve’s Chet Faliszek. “There is no ARG. Wheatley’s speech was set in Portal 2 fiction – that is all. There has been no directive from Gabe to leak anything. That is all false. I just want to say this so there is no confusion. This is the community trolling the community nothing more. While it is nice to see people excited about anything HL, I hate seeing people be trolled like this.”

Rumors of a Valve-sanctioned Half Life 3 ARG started after a (sadly) unused Spike VGA acceptance video starring Portal 2’s Wheatley surfaced with what appeared to be Half Life 3 related code in the background. Valve was quick to deny the existence of any such ARG to LambdaGeneration, but this did not stop the more fevered Half Life 3 conspiracy theorists from spreading word of the impending sequel.

Prior to the ARG rumors, fans were also teased with images of a Half Life 3 shirt worn in public, as well as suspicious code in the DOTA 2 beta and potential plot details found buried in an earlier Portal 2 ARG. While Faliszek’s post didn’t outright address these pieces of “evidence”, the message made clear that Valve chief Gabe Newell has not done anything official to herald the arrival of Half Life 3.

Or maybe that’s what they want us to think…

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The models are based on the Personality Cores which appear in the latter half of Portal 2 to help players bring down the final baddie [name withheld for the 4% of players who may not have finished it yet]. They include the loopy Space Core, the ever-helpful Fact Core, and Rick the Adventure Core(voiced to perfection by Nolan North).

Myles is a self-professed nerd with uncanny engineering skillz. His previous works include aCompanion Rubik’s Cube (opens in new tab), a full-sizedIron Man Arc Reactor (opens in new tab), a workingAssassin’s Creed Hidden Blade (opens in new tab)(non-lethal), and Mass Effect 2 cos-play costumes which have reportedly drawn crowds at events like PAX. These projects and more can be found on hisYouTube page (opens in new tab).

Sadly, Myles isn’t planning on making doubles of these particular models. Of course, that could change tomorrow if Valve stepped in to pick up production costs. Ahem,I repeat: that could change tomorrow if Valve decided to pick up productions costs…

May 17, 2011

Stephen Merchant surprised by fan response to Portal 2, found voicing Wheatley ‘exhausting’
‘Yes, of course, [videogames] rank alongside movies and whatever else people really take to their hearts,’ says Merchant

Portal 2 walkthrough and video guide
Video solutions to every puzzle in Portal 2’s singleplayer chapters

The post Robotic engineer builds Portal 2 Personality Core replicas appeared first on Game News.

Named Trudi, the prototype toy was created by an amateur engineer named Jonathan M. Guberman with design and sewing assistance from Toronto artist Leigh Nunan (opens in new tab). As demonstrated on Guberman’s blog (opens in new tab), Trudi is equipped with motion, lift and tilt sensors, giving it – sorry, ‘her’ – the ability to react to movements and the presence of others with authentic Portal quotes.

Want one? Tough. Though Guberman is forthcoming with the do-it-yourself assembly instructions, he has no current plans to market Trudi, writing, “As much as we’d love to make you one or sell you a kit, the last time I suggested doing something like that I was very quickly dissuaded. So, if anyone from Valve sees this and wants to talk about giving us permission, or at least turning a blind eye, please get in touch!”

In what will surely end in tragedy and/or blinding awesomeness, Guberman said a fellow engineer with the experimental design group Site 3 (opens in new tab) is working on a fully functional, life-sized Portal turret replica complete with moving parts, real sounds and the ability to fire projectiles. Harmless projectiles, of course. For now.

[Source: Up, Not North (opens in new tab)]

Apr 27, 2011

New Portal 2 trailer introduces Aperture’s consumer grade turrets
They use the whole bullet

Portal 2 Review
GLaDOS is back, and she thinks you look fat

Portal 2 walkthrough and video guide
Video solutions to every puzzle in Portal 2’s singleplayer chapters

The post Portal 2 turret plushie is all heart, zero bullets appeared first on Game News.

Get this straight, readers: Several of us in the office have played through Portal 2 several times already. I personally played through myself and watched others play through the game multiple times. Yet there’s still shit in Portal 2 that confounds me each and every time I encounter it! I guess what I’m saying is: We’re not dummies! Portal just requires a unique line of thinking that sort of defies traditional muscle memory, or whatever, and often feels altogether new each time you approach certain puzzles. Infinitely more so while trying to talk and convey information at the same time, you judgemental jerks.

Above: A highlight in the video above is Evan murdering Anthony with a door for no good reason

Obviously, I’m trying to justify why we’re playing like shit in the video above, but I’m also trying to express that you can rest easy watching us play through the beginning of Portal 2’s co-op since I can almost guarantee it will not taint your personal experience in any way. Can I go now?!

Apr 19, 2011

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Three maps, two modes and one incredibly badass bayonet kill. We give you an early glimpse at Gears of War 3’s multiplayer

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Listen along as we perform every Fatality in the original Mortal Kombat in less than ten minutes!

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Like the first, but better!

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