Steam’s Big Picture Mode Goes Beta

by Mike Bendel on September 10, 2012 @ 12:10 pm


It’s been a long time coming, but Steam’s TV-tailored Big Picture Mode is finally available for the masses to try out. Valve announced that the feature has now entered open beta. It’ll be available “later today.” In order to gain access, simply connect your PC or Mac to a TV.

As its name implies, Big Picture Mode features a UI designed from the ground-up for television sets. Valve has went the extra mile for the comfy couch crowd, as nearly every aspect of Steam is accessible from a game controller. Even Steam’s built-in web browser has been redesigned specifically for TVs. The mode also includes a new method of typing with a game controller — useful for entering URLs, filling out forms, chatting, and other functions.

Many folks often cite ease of use as being a key factor for gaming on consoles over PC. Seeing as Big Picture Mode fully negates the need for any mouse clicks while simplifying various UI elements, we can definitely see this converting some folks over.

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Comments
Abe Froeman says:

How well do you think a wireless laptop will fare for multiplayer gaming with this?

hush404 says:

:S Was it not possible to simply tell your PC that your TV was a monitor and do this (sans UI improvements) for playing games as it was? I'm just confused why new things (again besides the UI) this offers...

Trigun says:

Tried it,

Eh..

Only 2 display options, 1080p or 720p.

1080p is pretty blurry.

720p is super blurry.

Also: Banding. There is a fuckton of it.http://min.us/mDTq5syKO/1 Lossless PNGs

Oh well at least it sounds nice.

x3sphere says:

Well you can browse through the entire interface using only a controller now, as well as access secondary features like the web browser. If your computer is in another room and you don't have a wireless mouse or keyboard, this is a huge improvement usability wise. But yes apart from the UI there's nothing you couldn't do before.

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