Translation
Aperture Science DS transports Portal onto the Nintendo DS
With the ultimate goal of transforming himself into a "better, or at least more experienced programmer," Rabet was compelled to develop the game on the DS because of the development challenges it posed due it its restrictions.
"I mean think about it; essentially what we were trying to do was get all the core mechanics of a 2007 PC game to run on a 2004 handheld, whose hardware was already outdated when it was released," he said. "That in itself is an interesting challenge, and basically means I have to think hard about how to get everything running correctly in spite of all of the console's restrictions."
Work began on the project last September, with Rabet taking "several month-long breaks" in that time. He estimates that September and October were spent getting portals right; November and December were dedicated to the physics engine; February was spent on the level editor; with the remaining time spent on gameplay mechanics.