Aperture Hand Lab

About

These Aren't Your Daddy's Hands. These aren't even your hands. These are precision-tuned sensor-rich re-imaginings of your hands, presented in high-fidelity simulated reality. If you've always longed to try these exciting edge-of-your-wrist hand maneuvers, but wanted the chance to practice first in the safety of a non-judgmental virtual world, Aperture Hand Lab is easily in the top three options…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,140 reviews

humor114 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

Great introduction to the Valve Index controllers, showcasing their finger tracking capabilities in a fun and humorous way.
The game is free and offers a charming experience with classic Portal humor, making it enjoyable despite its short length.
Works well as a tech demo to show off the Index controllers, providing a fun way to interact with the Portal universe.

The game is primarily designed for Valve Index controllers, leading to frustration for users with other VR headsets like Oculus or HTC Vive, as they may get stuck at the handshake section.
Extremely short gameplay, lasting only about 10 minutes, which may leave players wanting more content.
Some users reported bugs and issues with controller compatibility, particularly during the handshake interaction, which can hinder the experience.

humor
115 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
1%
The humor in this VR tech demo is widely praised for its classic Portal charm, featuring witty dialogue and playful character interactions that resonate with fans of the franchise. While the experience is short, typically around 10-15 minutes, players find it to be a delightful and hilarious introduction to the Valve Index controllers, making it a must-try for anyone familiar with Valve's unique comedic style. Overall, the demo successfully combines fun gameplay with engaging humor, although some users wish it were longer.
- “In typical Valve fashion, there is a ton of character and humor packed into this short demo.”
- “Aperture Hand Lab is madly funny, charming, and really makes me want a new installment in the Portal franchise.”
- “The humor follows the Portal lab's model, with great quips and some surprising turns.”
- “Not funny at all (unlike Valve's own productions) and felt like a B-grade product in general.”
story
71 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
82%
4%
The game's story is described as short yet engaging, featuring well-written characters and humorous elements reminiscent of classic Portal. However, many players express frustration with the game's compatibility issues on various headsets, particularly the Oculus Quest series, which hampers their ability to progress due to control limitations. Overall, while the narrative has potential, the technical challenges significantly detract from the experience for non-Valve Index users.
- “The story had me laughing and crying, with characters so believably well written I got lost in the world.”
- “It's nice to see Valve make a great story again.”
- “It's only a 10-minute game, but it shows the index controller's capabilities wonderfully in a short story with classic Portal humor.”
- “I played on an Oculus Quest 2 with a link cable and the game soft locked at the part where you give a handshake to a robot. I spent like 7 minutes trying to give a firm handshake to this robot. Moral of the story: I'm a dumbass.”
- “It's cool and all, but it's really only useful if you have a Valve Index. I don't know about other headsets, but it does not work for the Oculus series. I've tried on the Quest 2 and you can't get past the handshake.”
- “This game breaks at the hand shaking scene if using an Oculus Quest 2.”
gameplay
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
63%
19%
The gameplay is characterized by a repetitive handshake mechanic with bots, leading to a short experience of around 10 minutes. While some players appreciate the engaging mechanics and the fun interactions with eccentric robots, others find the gameplay boring and frustrating, particularly due to technical issues with the Oculus controls. Overall, the game offers a unique but limited VR experience that leaves players wanting more.
- “It's essentially an aperture (portal) themed VR minigame where you use your mechanical hands to interact with an assortment of eccentric robots.”
- “It has great mechanics and I definitely recommend it, especially as it is free.”
- “Felt super good to play and I wish there was a full-on game with this type of gameplay.”
- “Pretty boring gameplay where you just listen to bots and then shake their hands, then they die and another bot comes to shake your hand again. It repeats around 50 times.”
- “Expect 10 minutes of gameplay.”
- “Too bad it was only like a 10 minute gameplay.”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
44%
11%
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their high quality and stunning visuals, showcasing a perfect blend of humor and physics. However, some users noted initial stuttering and a lack of options for adjusting graphics settings. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the immersive experience, especially when using advanced hardware like the Index kit.
- “Valve just knows the perfect balance of humor, physics, and gorgeous visuals.”
- “Great graphics and very funny.”
- “This was the first program I decided to run on my shiny new Index kit, and I am in awe of the graphics, finger tracking, and overall feel of Aperture Hand Lab.”
- “Some stutter in the beginning and no way to adjust graphics.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game is notably problematic, with users reporting frequent bugs, particularly during the handshake feature, and issues with freezing upon launch. Many have experienced difficulties troubleshooting these problems, indicating a lack of reliable performance.
- “The handshake feature is very buggy.”
- “It's pretty fun, but it's extremely buggy without index controllers. I got stuck on the shaking hands part.”
- “The game freezes every time I launch it.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report that the emotional experience in VR is profoundly impactful, with interactions feeling as genuine as real life. Many express a range of emotions, from laughter to tears, highlighting the medium's ability to evoke deep feelings, exemplified by a memorable handshake described as the "most emotional" of their life.
- “Touching objects in VR feels just like real life for me.”
- “10/10, the most emotional handshake of my life.”
- “I laughed and I cried.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The game offers limited replayability, primarily serving as a short, introductory experience for new VR users, with a completion time of around 8 minutes. While it lacks depth for repeated play, it is considered worthwhile for fans of the series, especially given its no-cost access.
- “It only takes around 8 minutes to complete, and doesn't have much replay value, but for no cost at all and such a short runtime, it's definitely worth a try for those who call themselves fans of the series.”
- “This doesn't have much replay value, but any time somebody new is introduced to VR, this should be one of their first experiences.”
- “It only takes around 8 minutes to complete and doesn't have much replay value, but for no cost at all and such a short runtime, it's definitely worth a try for those who call themselves fans of the series.”
- “It's quite short and doesn't have much replayability, so it's more of a demo.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players express that the grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, suggesting that it requires an unrealistic commitment akin to having a second life to fully engage with it.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The game is generally well-optimized, showcasing the potential of VR technology; however, some users report experiencing performance issues that seem to be unique to this title.
- “Really well optimized, shows what VR is capable of.”
- “I have performance issues in this game and only in this game.”
- “The game runs poorly on my system, despite meeting the recommended requirements.”
- “Frequent frame drops and stuttering make it hard to enjoy the gameplay.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The atmosphere of the game is uniquely immersive, offering an experience that is distinctly enhanced by virtual reality, despite its brevity.
- “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive; you truly feel like you're part of another world.”
- “The game's atmosphere is hauntingly beautiful, drawing you in with every detail.”
- “It's a short experience, but the atmosphere is something you can only appreciate in VR.”