Valve's E3 Surprise: Portal 2 on the PlayStation 3

Valve's big surprise was revealed last night during Sony's E3 press conference. Gabe Newell appeared for the first time on Sony's stage to announce that Portal 2 would also be released on the PlayStation 3. It will be the best version of the game one can find on consoles and it will contain a functionality similar to what the PC Steam version will offer, according to Newell.

Newell is famous for being an outspoken opponent of Sony's strategy regarding the PlayStation 3. A month ago, he accused Sony of losing touch with the desires of its developers and customers and said that the console was a total disaster, making this new announcement truly a surprise. He also said during the conference held yesterday that Sony had understood that games had become a service, not only a product, and that the Japanese company had adopted an open approach to giving consumers a social connected experience when they played their gamers.

Newell went on to say, joking, that he thanked Sony for not punching him repeatedly in the face and that he was a little nervous because Kevin Butler was introduced to him as the vice president of sharpening things. Kevin Butler is a fictional character that is the main focus of Sony's latest PlayStation 3 marketing campaign, portrayed by actor Jerry Lambert.

The online services that Valve has announced for the PS3 version of Portal 2 are Steamcloud, which will permit gamers to carry their saves on any console, and the automatic updates that Steam users have grown accustomed to. The first trailer for Portal 2 was also premiered during Sony's briefing, featuring the return of GLadOS with the same witty dialogue everyone knows and loves.

This comes after Portal 2 has been recently delayed to 2011 because “making games is hard,” according to Valve. The developer also canceled the event it had planned for E3 and quelled any rumors regarding a Half Life-related reveal during the Expo. Portal 2 is a first-person puzzle platformer that will feature both single-player and cooperative multiplayer.