Sydney IT company installs Portal-style video chat

There are big dollars in gaming merchandise, and Valve's Portal franchise has spun off lines of official, and unofficial, paraphernalia. While actual portal technology is still a while away, one Aussie software company has opted to deck out its new videoconferencing hardware around the iconic blue and orange portals.

In order to save staff crossing the road in between offices, Atlassian has turned a potentially boring videoconferencing experience into a video game crossover. Using two 42-inch TVs, two webcams that are hooked up to two Mac Minis, and some clever craftsmanship, the end result is a nifty re-creation of the portals from Valve's iconic franchise.

In a blog post on the company's website, Atlassian had the following to say about its new setup:

"We've installed portals in our two office locations in Sydney here at the Atlassian Software Enrichment Centre, saving our staff many exhilarating but risky street crossings every day. The portals allow staff to have ad hoc meetings and conversations by transmitting light and sound."

Not just content with blurring the lines between science and real life, Atlassian has alluded in the same blog post that the company is looking to incorporate the portals with the Kinect, via some hacks.

Atlassian is an Aussie-founded software company that specializes in project management software and collaboration tools. Started in Sydney, the company now has multiple offices and has recently expanded into the US, opening up an office in San Francisco.