DEF CON 34 · United States · 2026
Independent PFC161 touch-and-four-LED companion SAO announced for DEF CON 34
BigFuckingBadge's public DEF CON 34 Badgelife response lists a new $20 PORTAL gun SAO and says touching its end changes animated colors and interacts with the PORTAL Badge. The maker's live DEF CON 34 page independently describes a $20 Portal-gun companion with blue, orange/red, and off modes plus interaction with that year's Portal Badge. Hexum064's public `portal-gun-sao-dc33-code` source targets PFC161, defines a four-pixel LED buffer, blue/orange color states, a capacitive-touch threshold, and a touch-triggered state update; the public hardware tree holds KiCad, BOM/position, Gerber, and acrylic files. The source repositories retain `dc33` in their names, so they are an implementation/reuse trail rather than proof of a newly designed or unchanged 2026 production revision. Together the sources establish a real planned independent electronic SAO associated with DEF CON 34—not official DEF CON issuance, admission, confirmed fulfillment, a finalized host-compatibility claim, final hardware/firmware parity, third-party-IP permission, a source-license grant, or a rights-cleared image.
People
The Portal Gun Badgelife response links the public `Hexum064/portal-gun-sao-dc33` and `Hexum064/portal-gun-sao-dc33-code` repositories. This credit records visible repository-publisher context only, not sole authorship, final 2026 production responsibility, franchise/media rights, DEF CON issuance, completed distribution, or image-reuse authority.
SourceBigFuckingBadge publishes the cited DEF CON 34 badges/SAOs page, and the public Badgelife response names BigFuckingBadge / Hexum064 for the PORTAL gun SAO. This credit records visible seller/submission context only, not sole design, manufacture, Portal/third-party-IP rights, DEF CON organizer status, completed fulfillment, or image-reuse authority.
SourceThe Portal Gun SAO is a current, independently sourced companion artifact whose maker listing, public roster, hardware archive, and touch/LED code line up unusually well. It also illustrates an important provenance distinction: a current DEF CON 34 sales/event association can be documented without treating a repository named for DEF CON 33 as a complete history, a final 2026 build, or proof of franchise authorization.
The public `portal-gun-sao-dc33` tree includes a PFC161 hardware directory, KiCad PCB/schematic/project files, BOM and position data, front/back/order Gerbers, acrylic material, backups, and top/board image files. The public code includes PFC161 headers, a note naming a 470 pF touch capacitor, PA4 touch and PA5 LED-related pin definitions, and a four-entry RGB-color buffer. These files do not establish a final 2026 board revision/population, LED part/model/color order, touch-electrode construction, PFC161 package/marking, SAO connector/version/pinout, Portal Badge electrical protocol, power source, voltage/current limits, battery/charging path, protection, dimensions, acrylic/materials specification, assembly/test results, safety guidance, compliance, or compatibility with every host.
The public PFC161 C source uses a four-pixel color buffer, blue/orange/off pattern states, timer-driven LED updates, and a touch-sensing setup that disables digital input on the touch/CS pins, establishes a baseline, and changes state after a thresholded touch sample. The code declares blue and orange color-step/base constants and source comments identify a 470 pF touch capacitor. It evidences a concrete color/touch implementation, but reviewed roots do not provide a final binary, release notes, exact flashing/programmer instructions, version-to-production mapping, signed update, recovery path, formal host-to-host interaction protocol, security review, accessibility guidance, warranty/support commitment, or explicit LICENSE/COPYING grant.
The public roster calls it PORTAL gun SAO, says the end-touch changes animated colors, and explicitly says it interacts with the PORTAL Badge. BigFuckingBadge's page calls it a Portal-gun companion and describes blue, orange/red, and off modes. The repositories' `dc33` names preserve an older-source lineage signal, while the roster supplies the current DEF CON 34 association. This record retains source wording only and does not establish a completed 2026 release, an exact interaction implementation with every Portal Badge, affiliation with or authorization from DEF CON, Valve, Portal, or any rights holder, or reuse rights for source/media artwork.
Lifecycle
The hardware repository visibly contains KiCad board/schematic/project material, BOM/position files, front/back/order Gerbers, and acrylic directories/files. The published tree is traceability evidence, but this pass did not reconcile it to a final 2026 populated board, fabrication order, component sourcing, acrylic process, assembly/test procedure, host connector/power design, or explicit license.
SourceThe roster says touching the gun's end changes animated colors and that it interacts with the PORTAL Badge; the maker page describes blue portal, orange/red portal, and off modes and calls it a companion to the year's Portal Badge. Those claims do not publish a final interaction protocol, connector/pinout, input/output voltage/current budget, compatibility matrix, required Portal Badge revision, test results, or guarantee that any two units interoperate.
SourceBigFuckingBadge's page provides a limited DEF CON 34 presale context and a $20 Portal-gun companion card, while the public Badgelife response names the new PORTAL gun SAO and likewise gives $20. These statements do not prove inventory, payment, final price, completed manufacture, shipment, pickup, event sale, recipient allocation, refund, replacement, support, or a completed handoff.
SourceThe public PFC161 source defines a four-entry color buffer, blue/orange/off state values, touch initialization, a 470 pF touch-capacitor note, thresholded button logic, and timer-driven LED updates. This is source-level evidence for touch-controlled animated-color behavior, not a claim about the physical LED model/count/order, touch sensitivity, final modes, brightness, latency, power draw, safety, accessibility, or behavior of every produced unit.
SourceOperational history
The record can link an especially useful implementation trail without falsely assigning a definitive prior event release, treating a `dc33` repository label as a DC33 artifact record, or claiming that 2026 units are new/unchanged/equivalent to the archived files.
The entry retains factual source wording without claiming that a franchise rights holder, DEF CON, or any other party authorized, sponsored, designed, endorsed, licensed, or approved the SAO or its media.
The catalogue links the source trail without representing the artifact as fully open source, reproducibly buildable, safe to reflash, support-guaranteed, security-reviewed, or licensed for redistribution.
The entry can point to a concrete archive without representing the SAO as electrically complete, compatible with every Portal Badge or host, safe for every power source, fabricated, tested, or compliance-validated.
The catalogue records a source-backed independent event association without portraying the SAO as official conference hardware, a credential, access item, universal attendee handout, or completed official distribution.
The planned 2026 record remains source-backed and image-free rather than copying storefront media, roster-linked media, repository WebP/PNG/SVG assets, KiCad/schematic renders, acrylic previews, screenshots, placeholders, or generated imagery.
Readers can distinguish public pre-event availability language from a completed sale, finished production run, or confirmed holder handoff.