Are you excited for Portal 2? It"s out next Tuesday. Unlike its predecessor, it will boast a co-operative mode in addition to a single-player campaign. But there"s another "co-op" feature, and it"s not in-game. You may recall the details of cross-platform play between computers and PS3s from an announcement made earlier this year. Specifically, the sweet deal of having a free PC and Mac copy on Steam to go with your Portal 2 PS3 disc. Fortunately, most of the promises made a few months ago will become true, as Valve spelled out exactly what gamers can expect when they purchase the PS3 version of Portal 2.
As covered by Gamasutra, Steam for PS3 will very much be like the client PC and Mac gamers are all familiar with, although its appearance has yet to be seen. There will be a game overlay with game news, announcements, cross-platform matchmaking (something like Left 4 Dead 1/2"s system, perhaps), and friend lists and profiles from both Steam and the PlayStation Network. By extension, that also means the Steam Community will be accessible in some form via the PS3.
Game saves and achievements will also be shared. You can complete one level at home on your PS3, then bring the game with you on your laptop and complete an achievement - and it will count on both Steam and PSN. All this, and the complementary copy of Portal 2 for PC and Mac, will come at the amazing extra cost of free provided you link your Steam and PSN accounts.
Sounds exciting? Then be sure to grab your copy of Portal 2 for PC, Mac, PS3, and Xbox 360 next week, for those of you living in North America, Europe, and Australia. Be aware that the Xbox 360 version will not boast any extra Steam features, and will run you the same cost as the PS3 version. In the meantime, let"s have another look at an "informational" video courtesy of Aperture Science: