Today’s Tech Round-up

There were a ton of stories that came out overnight but few of them actually deserve their own individual post here on WPR, so instead you get a lovely digest of the news.
Half-Life 2 Minerva Mod for FREE

Do you own Half-Life 2 on your PC? Do you want to play an awesome mod for it? How does the cost of NOTHING sound?
All Hail the GabeCube

Gabe Newell, the plush faced head of Valve and personal lord and savior for many of the WPR staff has announced that the once thought vaporware Steambox is reality and has given some details.
Console vs PC Wars Nearing an End?

Gabe Newell (aka our saviour Gaben) has decided to eat up some of the competition from consoles by releasing “Big Picture Mode” for Steam recently that allows you to play games on your HDTV instead of your monitor, but there’s also talk of a Steam Box headed our way.
Counter Strike: Global Offensive Coming in 2012

Alright, which one of you made a fat joke about Gaben and got Episode 3 delayed? Because Valve announced a new Counter Strike title today coming to PC AND consoles.
Valve to unveil Dota 2 with a million dollar tournament
If you’re going to Gamescom, you’re in luck, because chances are you’ll be able to see Dota 2 in action.
Video: College Humor’s Portal rap brings out the thug in me
If I had a portal gun, I’d use it to open the other door of my car, because damn that’s a hassle! Thug Lyfe! This is really going to overshadow the Vampire: The Masquerade -Bloodlines Bollywood video I was going to make.
Dennis Speaks: EA, Valve, Origin, BF3 and You [Audio]
![Dennis Speaks: EA, Valve, Origin, BF3 and You [Audio] Dennis Speaks: EA, Valve, Origin, BF3 and You [Audio]](http://watchplayread.com/wp-content/themes/_patterns/timthumb.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwatchplayread.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2011%2F07%2FOrigin.jpg&q=90&w=650&h=300&zc=1)
In case you didn’t hear EA is stepping into the Digital Distribution World, and WPR’s self-proclaimed industry analyst is talking about it.
Team Fortress 2 is Now Free-To-Play; Hats All of a Sudden Make Sense

I could have said that I called it, but I didn’t see it coming. Valve has announced today that Team Fortress 2 now full of BR’s Free-To-Play.
Über Update Coming To Team Fortress 2

Nearly four years on and Valve are still heavily supporting Team Fortress 2. Starting Thursday the game is getting its “Biggest, Most Amibitious” update yet.
Get the Portal 2 Soundtrack for the Low Price of Nothing

In another shocking display of how much they hate their fans, Valve has decided that your money is not good enough for them. They’ve even gone so far as to offer you the first volume of their Portal 2 Soundtrack, entitled “Songs To Test By,” for the insulting price of free.
No, Half Life 2: Episode 3 Won’t Be At E3

Or in other words, Valve won’t be appearing at E3 this year.
Fatty Fatty No Parents: Local News Station Digs Deep to Find That Portal 2 Hates Orphans

And by “digs deep” I mean “takes a reactionary stance and rides that baby all the way to the bank.”