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http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/49246

Quote:

Portal Pre-Load Underway, Half-Life 2: Episode Two Pre-Load This Week (Updated)

by Chris Faylor Oct 02, 2007 5:04pm CST

Update: Though no specific date has been set, a Valve representative tells Shacknews that Half-Life 2: Episode Two will be available for pre-load later this week.

 

Original Story: Those who pre-purchased Valve’s first person brain twister Portal through Steam, either in the $44.99 ultra compilation The Orange Box or by its separate $19.99 listing, can now begin downloading the game’s assets.

 

Commonly referred to as pre-loading, the idea is to let gamers gradually download a game in advance so they only need to download a small enabling file on the day of its release, preventing owners from being held back by slow download speeds and clogged servers.

 

While buying a physical copy of The Orange Box at a retailer sidesteps the pre-loading process, retail consumers will still need to go through the same Steam-based activation process in order to play the included games.

 

With The Orange Box gone gold and confirmed to release on October 10–that’s next Wednesday–for PC and Xbox 360, the pre-load for Half-Life 2: Episode Two is expected to begin shortly.

Woot!

Though it isn’t preloading for me yet . Still under “not yet released”.