In a press release yesterday evening Doug Lombardi of Valve Software has released information pertaining to the prices and details of the offerings in which Half-Life 2 will ship. There are three versions, Bronze, Silver and Gold - all of which you can learn about if you read more. The game is only being released on the Steam platform first, but HL2 itself will only be unlocked at the time of release (which is yet unknown, but projected November 23).

Today at 2:00PM EDT (11:00AM PST) Valve Software has announced they will ready their Steam Platform to take orders for Half-Life 2 and this includes their current pricing - for the Steam platform. Pricing on the retail market may or may not be different. Here are the packages and prices:

• "Bronze" -- $49.95
• Half-Life 2*
  
• Counter-Strike: Source
• "Silver" -- $59.95
• Half-Life 2*
• Counter-Strike: Source
• Half-Life 1: Source*
• Day of Defeat: Source*
• Valve's back catalog currently available on Steam * (To be made available upon
  products' release.)
• "Gold" -- $89.95
• Half-Life 2*
• Counter-Strike: Source
• Half-Life 1: Source*
• Day of Defeat: Source*
• Valve's back catalog currently available on Steam
• Complete Half-Life 2 Strategy Guide from Prima Games
• 3 different Half-Life 2 posters
• Half-Life Collector's box
• Half-Life 2 hat
• Half-Life 2 postcard
• Half-Life 2 stickers
• Half-Life 2 Soundtrack CD
• Chance to win a trip to Valve! (1 trip offered for every 5000 Gold packages
  purchased).
  

*Available upon product release

What does this mean?

You may purchase any of the three HL2 purchases and also use your HL2 voucher if you bought an ATI card with the deal. You can use the voucher towards any package, but will need to pay the difference for the silver and gold versions.

What do you get?

You get the included software, but you will not be able to play (or fully receive likely) Half-Life 2 until Vivendi and Valve release the game on retail shelves. Vivendi has rights to hold the title from retail shelves for up to six months after the final release candidate; Valve cannot release the title, due to an agreement, over Steam until it is in the retail market.

You will however, be able to play the other titles that come with the game soon. As far as Counter-Strike: Source goes, you will be able to play the final version of it as soon as you purchase the game. No word on the hats, stickers, etc. for Steam users.

What is Steam?

"Steam is Valve's new way of getting games into your hands ASAP. Games like Half-Life, Counter-Strike, and Counter-Strike: Condition Zero are all being made available through Steam.

Steam games are automatically kept up-to-date with the latest content and revisions. Steam also includes an instant-message client which even works while you're in-game."

Click here to learn more and install Steam.

Update,

Steam clients are now able to purchase any of the Half-Life 2 packages and/or redeem their tickets from the ATI/HL2 bundles.

I'll re-post and sticky this under the HL2 forum when I have time to write up a quick-guide to getting your hands on it and have it running (well, not HL2 itself, until it's released).