by JoHarrington
Some call it a toy. Others call it a business opportunity. In the cut-throat world of gaming collectibles, few items got a swifter mark up than the official replica portal gun.
It sparked controversy all over the world. The debate is still raging, with Valve and NECA struggling to respond quickly enough to it. Is the answer to replicate more official Portal hand-held devices? Or maintain frenzied interest by keeping it limited edition?
The interest is certainly there!
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The Portal gun replica is a gorgeous piece of kit. There have been imitations over the years, but this one has been commissioned by Valve. It looks the part.
Based on the Aperture Science device from the game Portal, it's life-sized. It can be held as a prop to complete a costume, or it can be displayed in pride of place as a collectors' piece.
LED lights are triggered at the pressing of a button and the operating of a thumb slide.
The Portal device replica does everything but actually open up portals. It will make it look like it did though. Lights appear! Just don't attempt to leap into the center of them. The sounds are authentic too.
A warning is attached not to peer into nor touch the operational end of the device. I like to think it's because your fingers or eyeballs will appear in a separate part of the room. But it's actually a health and safety thing.
The customizable element comes from blue and yellow magnetic strips, plus Aperture Science stickers. These can be arranged on your handheld Portal device in whichever manner creativity guides you.
Every Portal fan in the world wants one of these replica devices. Whether they'd be willing to pay the asking price is a different matter.
Due to the size and detail, the replica Portal gun was launched at a retail price of $140. That was the kind of price which only a collector was going to pay. In order to appeal to that market, the handheld device was kept as limited edition. Only 5,000 were produced.
The idea was that it was first come, first served. Only real Portal fans would hear about it, as they were the ones watching for updates. The news went out and pre-orders accounted for every device very quickly.
Except there was a problem. The replica Aperture Science device was only available in the USA. International gamers were the first to protest that move.
Secondly, it appeared that fans weren't the ones to grab the Portal guns. Within hours of release, the devices were back on the market at over five times their original price. It was not quite what Valve nor NECA had in mind.
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As soon as NECA realized what was happening, it was decided to extend the limited edition numbers.
Two further batches of 5,000 handheld Portal devices were released, amounting to 15,000 of them in the world. They were all sold at the recommended retail price.
By staggering it like this, it meant that collectors were less likely to buy from third parties at inflated prices. They preferred to wait to see if more, at the proper price, would become available.
The replica Portal guns ended up in the hands of fans after all!
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Comments
It's from a game called Portal. It works like a first person shooter, but you're not harming other pixel characters. You shoot a surface to open up a portal, then shoot another surface as that portal's exit.
Is it from a movie or something?
We're all holding out for the operational one. That would own!
Fantastic! They're gorgeous! Now to try and find one that's operational