An interesting surprise came this morning via Valve’s new game, also that Aperture Desk Job is free – which they’re keen to say is definitely not Portal 3.
The new game is similar to previous demos the company offered like Aperture Hand Lab and The Lab, and focuses on showing off Valve’s new hardware at the time. Valve wants you to “lower your expectations” as “this is not a sequel to Portal.”
Valve notes the new game is “designed as a free playable short for Valve’s new Steam Deck” and is meant to “walk you through the handheld’s controls and features.” Considering the Steam Deck is simply a portable PC with similar button inputs to a Nintendo Switch or gamepad, it remains unclear if this is only playable on Steam Deck.
As mentioned, Aperture Desk Job is free to celebrate the release of Valve’s Steam Deck, which is launching today, February 25th, and is available in three flavors: $399 (64GB), $529 (256GB), and $649 (512GB), over on the Steam store. Aperture Desk Job won’t actually be out until March 1st, and will naturally be available via Steam.
Here’s a trailer:
Here’s a rundown on the new game:
Aperture Desk Job reimagines the been-there-done-that genre of walking simulators and puts them in the lightning-spanked, endorphin-gorged world of sitting still behind things.
You play as an entry-level nobody on their first day at work — your heart full of hope and your legs full of dreams, eager to climb that corporate ladder. But life’s got other plans, and they all involve chairs.
Designed as a free playable short for Valve’s new Steam Deck, Desk Job walks you through the handheld’s controls and features, while not being nearly as boring as that sounds.
Not Portal 3!
Lower your expectations: This is not a sequel to Portal. Now get ready to raise them slightly, because it is in the expanded universe of those games. Desk Job puts you squarely in the driver’s seat at Aperture Science. Then quickly removes the driving part and adds a desk in front of the seat.
Steam Deck: A Desk For Your Hands
Up until now, real life mostly involved sitting, and video games were the virtual fantasy world you could escape to. With the portable Steam Deck, we flipped that, freeing your body to run marathons and jump out of planes while your brain and hands simulate all the sitting you used to do.
It’s F-R-E-E (Free)!
Put that wallet away, gaming fan! Your money’s no good here. For this particular product. If your money stops working while trying to buy groceries, though, you should contact your bank immediately, because the cashier just stole your entire identity? You’d better go talk to her again, because what do you mean she never worked here?! Now you’ll have to go undercover as a dark web hacker to track her down! Only to find out it was a different timeline you?!! From the future?!?! And also if anyone from Hollywood is reading this bullet point, take your wallet back out, because this great idea is not free (but is for sale at [email protected] )
This is Niche Gamer Tech. In this column, we regularly cover tech and things related to the tech industry. Please leave feedback and let us know if there’s tech or a story you want us to cover!
