Valve announces playable short Aperture Desk Job for Steam Deck

Published , by Donovan Erskine

We’re just days away from the launch of the Steam Deck, and creator valve has been hyping up the handheld PC gaming device with some fun announcements. Earlier today, the developer revealed Aperture Desk Job, a playable short designed specifically for the Steam Deck that’s set to launch alongside the product on March 1. What’s more, the game is set within the Portal universe.

Valve revealed Aperture Desk Job in a brief trailer posted to its Twitter account. In the trailer, we see that the player works as a product inspector, working at a desk that bears a striking resemblance to the Steam Deck. Here, they’ll work to inspect and clear the quality of various items. Of course, it looks like things will go off the rails rather quickly.

It’s an interesting decision by Valve to set this game in the Portal universe, though the company is adamant that Aperture Desk Job is not a proper new installation in the franchise, going as far to say it explicitly in the game’s official Steam page description.

Although Aperture Desk Job is designed specifically for the Steam Deck, it can be played on desktops. However, you’ll need to use a controller, as the game does not support keyboard and mouse.

Aperture Desk Job is entirely free-to-play and will be released on March 1, 2022. If you’re curious about the Steam Deck, we encourage you to read our recently published review. For more on what’s coming to Steam Deck, stick with Shacknews.