Gravity gun Vs Portal gun

[Interlord1]

Just a quick poll to determine which people would find more useful, the portal device can only put portals on smooth white surfaces, and the gravity gun can pick up pretty much anything smaller than a washing machine and throw it.

[Serafina]

Picking up stuff is something i can do without a fancy gun, either manually or with all sorts of mundane equipment.
There is no such way to create portals.
Portal gun wins.

[Xon]

Portals can form on non-flatish surfaces, even if the portal will be flat.
Spoiler

You can briefly see a portal on non-smooth non white moon surface after the moonshot at the very end of Portal 2

[Imperial528]

I can't exercise my right of Troll Science with the gravity gun.

Not to mention that the portal gun would allow me to cut my commute to school to a few steps, saving me 2 hours of time each day.

[adam_grif]

Since portals apparently require "portal conductors" to work (of which moonrocks are allegedly one of the best), I'm going with gravity gun. In non-testchamber settings, the portal gun is of massively limited utility.

[Interlord1]

Actually, I think the surfaces that portals can be placed on: Spoiler

Have to be covered in moon dust, that explains the conversion gel which is stated to be made of crushed moon rocks, the test chambers could be painted in conversion gel. And it explains how a portal could work on the moon.

I guess the portal gun would have to come with a few tubs of conversion gel.

Edit: If only I could edit the poll I would add the long fall boots to it, which, arguably would be the most useful.

[Mr Bean]

Portal gun by a mile
Stepping boys, going to the moon, be right back
Hey NASA, got some good news and bad news!

*Edit
It's not a state secret what the moon rocks are made of Feldspar, Plagioclase, Armalcolite plus a few other minerals, all of which we have on earth or can synthesis.

[Raxmei]

It's not a state secret what the moon rocks are made of Feldspar, Plagioclase, Armalcolite plus a few other minerals, all of which we have on earth or can synthesis.

Not to mention you have a magic portal to the moon, the place where moon rocks come from.

[Shroom Man 777]

Wait, how about the part where you get into the Portal facility's back rooms in the first game? Were all those backdoor's stuff, and those wide open building spaces, and the GlaDOS control room, all coated in moon shit?

[Mr Bean]

Wait, how about the part where you get into the Portal facility's back rooms in the first game? Were all those backdoor's stuff, and those wide open building spaces, and the GlaDOS control room, all coated in moon shit?

No Moon shit makes an excellent "portal conductor" which means there are other materials that also serve as portal conductors but not as well or whatever. It seems for example you can form portals on ordinary steel walls but not overly rusted steel walls like in the old facilities and wood and concrete is right out.

[Sela]

Gravity Gun ftw. Military and technologic applications are all there for being able to control gravity, and a portal-gun without the protective leg-devices, I'd be terrified of killing myself or breaking a leg.

[Zixinus]

I'm picking up the one that can make space-time it's little bitch: the portal gun.

Granted, there is a slight chance of a singularity within making a giant explosion, but hey, something for something.

Sure, you won't be doing the acrobatics like in the game, but it can still do pretty interesting stuff.

Oh, and those wanting to visit the moon: I hope you have a vacuum chamber and a space-suit ready.

[Lord of the Abyss]

Besides the other reasons, the Portal gun will give you a source of free energy (laws of conservation be damned!) Just zap a portal into the roof and floor, drop something in and you have perpetual motion. With, say, a big pool with the lower portal on the bottom you have yourself a perpetual motion waterfall that you can stick a water wheel into.

Or as Niven once suggested, set up such a dual portal arrangement at one of the poles (to avoid Coriolis forces) in a vacuum chamber. Drop some iron, and watch as it continuously falls; without any atmosphere to slow it down, it falls faster and faster and faster...

Or use it to build a linear accelerator/mass driver of effectively unlimited length, thanks to it having a portal at each end. With patience, you really can fire something at relativistic speeds!

[Starglider]

On an individual scale, the portal gun looks more useful and more fun than the regular gravity gun, which can only pick up things as heavy as a radiator or a toilet. The super gravity gun is significantly more useful and might beat it. However from a 'science progress' point of view the portal gun wins without question, the portals have more scientific and technological implications than gravity manipulation, and the portal gun has a weak gravity gun built into it anyway (for catching / carrying stuff), so it's a two-for-one it terms of reverse engineering.

[Zixinus]

Not to mention that the "super" mode for the gravity gun appears to be a glitch or a result of some sort of overcharge, rather than an intended function.

I would be careful reverse-engineering either item (assuming you CAN). According to trailer-material, the thing contains a black hole of some kind.

[Starglider]

I would be careful reverse-engineering either item (assuming you CAN). According to trailer-material, the thing contains a black hole of some kind.

That is not a very SCIENCE! friendly attitude. Perhaps you need some re-education in your local enrichment center...

[Zixinus]

I would be careful reverse-engineering either item (assuming you CAN). According to trailer-material, the thing contains a black hole of some kind.

That is not a very SCIENCE! friendly attitude. Perhaps you need some re-education in your local enrichment center...

On the contrary. The Enrichment Centre discourages attempts to steal their hard-worked results and discourages tests subjects from doing so.

With sharks.

[Enigma]

Portal Gun and a remote controlled robot with a scoop. Open a portal to the moon and send the robot in to grab some moon rocks\dust.

[Whiskey144]

The Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device of course!

I mean, it's got a long fancy name that sounds cool and takes a minute to say, and it violates several conservation laws (always fun!), and it's THE PORTAL GUN.

Rather a bit of a no-brainer, IMO. But then again, I would change one thing about it.

The Orange Portal. It should be Red, or perhaps Purple. Because then it would look nicer, and I dislike the Orange color.

[Zor]

The only thing that mildy detracts from the portal device is its lack of Apature Science Boots, making traveling with it a bit more complex than what Chell does in game without going splat. That does not mean that there are a bunch of fun and useful aplications for it. Chalk down another vote for ASHPD.

Zor

[DudeGuyMan]

Portal Gun and a remote controlled robot with a scoop. Open a portal to the moon and send the robot in to grab some moon rocks\dust.

How about just a shovel with a long handle?

[Purple]

Firecrackers and a vacuum cleaner. Should handle the moon dust.

[Raxmei]

Space suit and prefab building kits small enough to fit through the portal. Build a goddamn moon base while you're at it.

[Mr Bean]

Firecrackers and a vacuum cleaner. Should handle the moon dust.

Yes because throwing a lit object into the cold airless void (While having a giant breeze that will snuff any unprotected flame) is sure to work.
Me thinks your plans has a few structural flaws

But Raxmei has the idea, build a structure back on earth you can make a vacuum then start sending through parts as needed to make one moon base.

[Darmalus]

Assuming you could find the right surfaces, and the gun has the range (I already had my expectations on that blown away) you could use some precise targeting system to put portals anywhere in the solar system. Explore the solar system! Dump your toxic waste into the sun from an orbiting portal-friendly platform! Dump your failed test subjects into the sun from an orbiting portal-friendly platform!