Steam's Big Picture Mode Launches in Beta Today

@Pie said:

When is today?

That controller keyboard looks really good

Today: Tonight at 11:49 PM, Pacific time (Valve Time)

@John1912 said:

@moomoomashoo said:

Please tell me this includes the ability to start a game on my second screen by default... If so, this is perfection.

If your using two screens for you pc You can extend the displays. Chose which one is the main display IE screen 2. Or swap which position they are in under screen resolution.

Yeah I know, I have a laptop hooked up to me TV. I know I can start fiddling and make it work, but it would be pretty dandy if I didn't have to.

@2HeadedNinja said:

@wolf_blitzer85 said:

So....does this mean that games that don't support a controller will magically work with one, or will I still need my keyboard/mouse at the ready for all those Bioware games?

No it doesnt, if a game doesnt support a controller this wont change that. If anything this encurages devs to put in decent controller support for games that need it.

Well I'm perfectly okay with that.

@moomoomashoo said:

Please tell me this includes the ability to start a game on my second screen by default... If so, this is perfection.

This. I'm getting a new TV soon and this would make everything in my life better.

A web browser that doesn't suck, wink wink.

Good move Valve.

This is absolutely fantastic news, I can't wait to see what it looks like.

@moomoomashoo said:

@John1912 said:

@moomoomashoo said:

Please tell me this includes the ability to start a game on my second screen by default... If so, this is perfection.

If your using two screens for you pc You can extend the displays. Chose which one is the main display IE screen 2. Or swap which position they are in under screen resolution.

Yeah I know, I have a laptop hooked up to me TV. I know I can start fiddling and make it work, but it would be pretty dandy if I didn't have to.

Not really fiddling if it takes 3 secs.

This is not really meaningful news to me, as I don't play games on a TV (don't even own one ^^), but it's pretty good for those who do. Good move, Valve.

I fail to see why people are excited! I already play steam games on my tv. Besides a different look... How is this any different from what I'm already doing?

looks really cool! Trying it out today.

I've used this keyboard + trackpad combo and it's been pretty good, even in high-EM-noise areas and at around 10ft distance. It's bluetooth which I've found works better than proprietary/generic 2.4ghz wireless units - some of those are only good to 1-3ft depending on who made it.

The apple bluetooth keyboards are good too but they don't have the integrated trackpad.

I assume "launching today" means us here in Europe will probably have to wait until tomorrow to try this out. I already play Steam games on my TV, but this will be a real welcome addition as it will save me having to squint everytime I try to launch a new game.

Good on ya Valve, keep it up!

a typing interface that takes advantage of the analogue stick/buttons combo?

WTF sony and microsoft, why didn't you include that 5 years ago instead of a fucking virtual keyboard?

That commercial makes no since. It talked in simple terms like it's addressing console players, but assumes that you use Steam exclusively.

So this is just a new UI made for controllers? I thought it might be some kind of way to stream your steam games from say your bedroom to the living room tv.

@Herocide said:

The Daisywheel controller keyboard is the smartest version of controller typing I've ever seen.

Seriously I said "HOLY FUCKING SHIT THAT'S BRILLIANT" when I saw that. It's so good. So good!

It has begun.

My Steam is updating...

EDIT: It's live!

Good for them, but there's still the whole thing about most PC games just not playing well, or at all with a game controller, and using a mouse/keyboard from your couch sucking ass. I mean It's nice they made a good TV interface, but when most of the games won't be a terribly good experience that way, who cares.

Add some type of Media playing ability and I would boot into this automatically. They should work to integrate XBMC or Boxee and that would be awesome!

@Aoi: Nearly every PC game has 360 controller support out of the box now, except for RTS and MMO games maybe.

Also it's out now, opt into the steam beta and the button should show up. It's crashing constantly for me though, I guess it's not compatible with Windows 8 yet.

@Dryloch: Microsoft still has Games For Windows Live, they won't be partnering with Valve, or at least Steam, any time soon.

Wow, what a smooth, responsive, intuitive UI.

The voice actor for this ad, is the worst.

Valve is getting closer and closer to having their own kind of hardware here though. I mean that has to be the plan, right?

Even if they don't go that route (and I hope they avoid that for now) it would be great to see them move in on the people who only buy console versions of games because of the "I GET TO SIT ON MY COUCH" argument. Which I would include myself in, if I didn't have a TV connected to my main PC already.

Aw. The Steam client runs its whole file verification thing on start and replaces x360ce's xinput1_3.dll with its own. My old Logitech controller works great for all those games that only support the new XInput stuff but I guess I won't be able to use it here. I really don't want to buy a new controller.

I just used it for a while and I really like it. As a constant facebook/twitter checker/gamer I usually just tab out and check websites. But with the functional web browser and slick UI. I just tested skyrim with the ui, so I put it in big picture mode, loaded skyrim and gave it a go.

Being able to press my xbox controller middle button and bring up friends list, web browser etc without moving around my comfy chair is great. HOWEVER. I did notice some response issues while in skyrim, playing without big picture mode didn't give me any issues. I'll put that down to the beta though

It's really, really nice, even in Beta. Valve's UI design is second to none. You can even hit the guide button on a 360 PC controller to bring up the interface. Man, I can't wait for this thing to take off.

Just tested it out. Works great and seems pretty cool, but I personally just don't have the use for it. The one bonus it seems to have is it's instant to bring up the browser while playing by pressing the home button on the controller. Being able to have something like a FAQ preloaded and you can bring it up instantly by pressing the home button instead of tabbing out (which even now some games aren't big fans of doing, especially tabbing back in) is awesome.

The interface itself seems great so far, but it definitely makes use of its relatively high (for a UI) system requirements. Even with the in-game overlay turned off, it still uses enough background resources to bog down games that play fine otherwise on my pc.

@Szlifier said:

@Oi_Blimey said:

The keyboard layout with the controller seems really well designed. I think I might have seen this somewhere before. Is that new?

@Herocide said:

The Daisywheel controller keyboard is the smartest version of controller typing I've ever seen.

It was popular in PSP homebrew scene. I never liked it, but that's propably because it's analog nub sucks.

Funny, when I saw it, I immediately was reminded of the typing layouts for a bunch of Xbox 1 Homebrew stuff. Always thought it was a great way to type with the controller, I got really good with it after a while.

Since my PC is already connected to my TV via HDMI as an alternative monitor I use sometimes, and my cousin's only computer monitor is his TV, this free update is very welcomed. I think it's sweet that this change doesn't require (some of) us to buy any new hardware.

@CircleNine said:

@Dryloch: Microsoft still has Games For Windows Live, they won't be partnering with Valve, or at least Steam, any time soon.

What if they partnered with Sony? I mean Sony did allow them to put Steam on their console, Sony is a decent hardware manufacturer, and Gabe (I think it was Gabe) said they'd rather not have to worry about the hardware stuff as they would rather have good hardware manufacturers worry about that stuff. Just a crazy thought, though. Probably wouldn't happen.

great idea, BUT MAKE HALF-LIFE 3 ALREADY! Damn.

that video is positively google

@Tfruit said:

@MrKlorox said:

This video doesn't feel like Valve. Are trying to reinvent their image?

That is what i thought. it kinda feels like a little big planet video.

But what was their image to start with ? Did they even have one? now that i think about it this is kinda the first commercial i have seen from them that is not related to their games.

I went in expecting a Portal 2- or Team Fortress-like video, because those are the only videos I've really seen Valve do. It makes sense that their videos that aren't related to their game are a more fact-oriented with small doses of humour, rather than entirely humorous videos.

Haven't tried it with a controller yet, but there's a weird delay/deceleration effect happening with the mouse cursor. But that's okay since very very few people will probably try to use that mode with a mouse.
 
edit: Also color me amazed that they were able to make use of the guide/home button on the 360 controller. I haven't seen anything outside of Microsoft products (namely Games for Windows Live games) that could even recognize the button. Kinda sucks you can't disable the screenshot mechanism for the controller though.

Looks 100 times better than xbl shit dashboard, and you get the games that look the best in every way.

@legendlexicon said:

I like the software but damn Valve, get your edge back. The video was too "clean".

You're right. Needs more hookers, blow, and Kid Rock.

Right up until the end, I was hoping to see the Scout bust through and smack that narrator in the jaw, offscreen. Oh well.

@MrKlorox: Hm. I don't think that's a factor of hardware, it's just a factor of game devs not bothering to account for that button as mappable on PC. On the 360 they're not allowed to, on GFWL it's the overlay that's intercepting the input. It's just a regular button though.

I love what I've tried out so far. I'm pretty sure my windows desktop will now be replaced by this most of the time. My only complaint is how Non-Steam shortcut game appear in your library. The thumbnail is the same for all of them and until the thumbnail is highlighted the name of the game does not appear. Since i have 30 or so non-steam game this a little bit annoying.

sounds interesting

@Dark_Lord_Spam said:

@legendlexicon said:

I like the software but damn Valve, get your edge back. The video was too "clean".

You're right. Needs more hookers, blow, and Kid Rock.

No one is more authentically edgy then Kid Rock.

Daisywheel.... arrcgggghhhhhhhhhh. That's so damn clever.

@dvorak said:

The voice actor for this ad, is the worst.

Valve is getting closer and closer to having their own kind of hardware here though. I mean that has to be the plan, right?

Even if they don't go that route (and I hope they avoid that for now) it would be great to see them move in on the people who only buy console versions of games because of the "I GET TO SIT ON MY COUCH" argument. Which I would include myself in, if I didn't have a TV connected to my main PC already.

I always thought the most compelling argument for console games over their PC counterparts was "it just works."

I have my PC, 360 and PS3 hooked up to my 24inch main display with a 20inch as my secondary so I can still do every thing else on my PC when gaming, so I've never been one to believe in the couch argument. Plus, fuck couches; nice computer chairs > couches.

This is perfect for me, someone needs to make a mod when I press the Xbox Centre Button it launchs this.

I tried it out and it seems well made but the issue with this stuff continues to be if i have 2 displays i have to change my primary display every fucking time i want to play a game on my tv... i realize this dont take that long but it still sucks.

A browser that doesn't suck? The Steam browser is the slowest, buggiest, most half-baked browser I've ever used.

@Bourbon_Warrior: I guess it would be nice to permanently make Steam respond to the Guide button, but I think it's cool that you use it to toggle Big Picture mode when you're just looking at Steam. Alt+Enter works too.

Works well.

I was hoping BPM would automatically switch to my connected television, they forgot to mention you have to set your monitor settings to duplicate and sound to go trough HMDI.