SONY: Valve connects Steam to PS3

One of the biggest surprises of the Sony E3 press briefing today wasn’t new hardware – it was the appearance of one of the firm’s most outspoken critics on stage embracing PS3.

That critic? Valve boss Gabe Newell, who has repeated criticised Sony’s hardware and strategy in recent years.

But that’s all water under the bridge now.

Portal 2, the sequel to Valve’s quirky original game from 2007, is heading to PlayStation 3.

And it’s also complemented by online service features powered by Valve’s innovative, independent digital channel Steam.

"I’ve been outspoken in my comments about the current generation of game consoles," joked Newell on stage. He joked. "I’d like to thank everyone at Sony for their hospitality and not repeatedly punching me in the face."

He added: "We’re going from a transition – from games as a product to games as a service. It’s not about chips for rendering symbols or calculating nav-meshes – it’s about giving games a complete connected experience."

And in a remark showing his change of heart, Newell added: "The PS3 will excel in this area. So I am very pleased to announce that we will be bringing Portal 2 to the PlayStation 3.

"I am excited that Steam will be part of that experience."

Portal 2 will plug into Valve’s powerful Steamworks service, a complete suite of game features and services including auto updates, community features, downloadable content, and more.

Its PS3 version will be the only one to connect to Steamworks.

A trailer for Portal 2 featured the voice of the game’s villainous computer, who also joked "I think we can put our differences behind us – for science, you monster."

Portal 2 is due next year on the PlayStation 3, PC, Mac and Xbox 360.