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You don’t need a Steam Deck to play Valve’s free Steam Deck game

Valve built Aperture Desk Job for Steam Deck, but you don't need the handheld to play it

Getting a thumbs-up from a robot in Aperture Desk Job

Valve has released a game console, so I guess it’s only right that the company releases a videogame to go along with it. Aperture Desk Job was announced last week alongside the Steam Deck release date, and today you can play it for yourself. It’s free, too, so if you’ve got any love for the lore and comedy of the Portal setting, you need to take a look.

While Aperture Desk Job is intended as an introduction to the Steam Deck’s features, you don’t actually need the machine to play it for yourself – just a controller will do. There are bits that would make use of features like the microphone, touch screen, or gyro controls, but there are some clever concessions if you’re working with a standard controller.

Aperture Desk Lab is about 30 minutes long – a bit more substantial than Valve’s previous Aperture Hand Lab demo, but still far from a full game. It is, however, the deepest dive we’ve had into Aperture Science in years, and Valve’s sense of dialogue and comedic timing is still some of the best in the business.

Head over to Steam to check out Aperture Desk Job for yourself.

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For more free PC games, you can follow that link.