Valve’s Steam Controller factory is straight out of Portal

If you’re like me, you love watching those How It’s Made videos that detail the processes involved in mass-manufacturing consumer goods. And if you’re not yet like me, this video will convince you to join the ranks. Valve’s issued a gorgeous tour of its Steam Controller assembly facility, replete with all the Portal references you could hope for — from the mildly menacing glitchy soundtrack to the gyrating robotic arms and Aperture Labs logos. It’s a beautifully choreographed dance of the machines, and it makes me want a Steam Controller in a completely unreasoned and unthinking way. Then again, the controller has just gotten a major software update, so it might be justifiable on rational grounds as well.

Here’s how Valve explains the Illinois factory:

“We kind of went overboard, and built one of the largest fully automated assembly lines in the US. We aren’t crazy though, so humans are still on hand to keep the robots from becoming sentient.”