Valve launched a free game demo set in the Valve delayed the Steam Deck to February 2022 because of supply issues. Fortunately, the wait has finally ended, with many lucky customers getting their hands on their pre-ordered machine today, February 25.
Portal's return, albeit in demo form, has been long-awaited. The first entry in the series came bundled in The Orange Box collection, which hit stores for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 in October 2007. A sequel arrived for the same platforms a few years thereafter in early 2011, yet there's nothing to suggest Valve will ever revisit the puzzle-laden IP for the much-coveted Portal 3. That hasn't stopped fans of the beloved franchise from taking GLaDOS and Co. on new adventures, however. For example, modders released the Portal Reloaded mod for Portal 2 last spring, allowing players to explore two disparate timelines, one being modern-day while the other takes place 20 years in the future. The Steam Deck release suggests Valve also wanted to revisit the hallowed halls of Aperture Science.
Today, February 25, Valve shadow dropped Aperture Desk Job, a free Steam Deck demo based on the long-dormant Portal series. As with any free experience that launches alongside a new device, Aperture Desk Job walks players through the ins and outs of the Steam Deck's various features and controls. Players assume the role of an entry-level Product Inspector, a virtual nobody assigned the menial tasks involved with office work. According to the description in the following announcement trailer, this particular adventure reimagines the walking simulator by putting it in a "lightning-spanked, endorphin-gorged world of sitting still behind things."
No, this isn't the Portal game fans want. It's arguably the next best thing, though. While a desk job simulator designed as an interactive Steam Deck tutorial may not sound interesting on paper, one modeled after the day-to-day of Aperture worker bees could prove rather exciting. Plus, the blue AI named Grady in the trailer above seems as though he'll make things especially intriguing as the experience progresses.
Of course, this does not mark the first time that Valve has revisited dormant IP in an unexpected manner. The Half-Life creator unleashed Half-Life: Alyx for VR in March 2020, offering an Alyx Vance-starring prequel set between the events of the franchise's first two games. It's since become regarded as perhaps the best virtual reality title to date.
Aperture Desk Job is playable now on Steam Deck.
Source: Valve/YouTube
