Valve has previously announced that the PS3 will get Steam along with a version of Portal 2, and that the PlayStation 3 version of the game is the one to get. The fact that you'll get a free second copy of the game on your PC or Mac along with your PS3 purchase certainly doesn't hurt. Today, Valve has given up more details on how Steam will work on your console, and we're more excited for it than ever.

When you put your PS3 copy of Portal 2 in your system, hitting the select key will bring up the Steam overlay. From there you can play against friends who have the PC or Mac copies of the game, access and chat with your friend list, look at your achievements—it's fully integrated with your existing Steam account. You'll also be able to access your free copy of the game on the PC or Mac, and Valve has explained how.

After you have linked your Steam account and your PSN ID, log in to Steam on Window or Mac. If you do not yet have Steam, download the software here. On your PC, launch the Steam application and log in to your account. If you created a new Steam account using the Steam Overlay on PlayStation®3, select “First time signing into Steam,” which will guide you through the first-time Steam login via your PlayStation Network account (you will then be asked if you wish to keep your given account credentials). Once you have logged into the account, go to the “Games” menu along the top, choose “Activate a Product on Steam,” and enter the key provided on the card included in the game’s packaging. After this key has been activated, the game can be downloaded and played by selecting “Library,” and then double-clicking on Portal 2.

Your saved games will also be saved in the cloud if you turn that feature on, meaning you can continue your progress on any PS3, but those game saves will not be compatible with the PC or Mac versions of the game.

It's certainly weird seeing Steam menus with the icons for PlayStation buttons included, but stranger things have happened. This is a large advantage for the PlayStation 3 version of the game, and we can only hope that more games decide to include Steam as part of their multiplayer suite. "We are hoping other titles will benefit from the Steamworks tools and services we've created for Portal 2 PS3, but we don't have anything to announce today," Valve's Doug Lombardi told Ars previously. As for the 360, Lombardi noted that it's "technically possible," but we're not holding our breath.

Getting what amounts to two copies of the game for the price of one is a neat bonus, and I know more than one gamer who is planning on getting the PS3 version instead of the PC version. Heck, he considers it getting the console version for free. However you slice it, Sony's willingness to allow a third-party to bring its arguably superior online solution to the PS3 has given it a nice advantage over the 360 with this release, proving that openness has its advantages.