Valve Announces ''Big Picture'' Mode
Steam is coming the the den and bedroom TV.
Monday Valve Software said that it will be adding a "Big Picture" mode to Steam at a later date. This new feature will offer controller support and navigation designed for televisions, allowing Steam gamers to enjoy their library "on more screens throughout the house." Valve said that more will be revealed during the Game Developers Conference this week in San Francisco.
"Our partners and customers have asked us to make Steam available in more places. With the introduction of Steam on the Mac, and soon in Portal 2 on the PS3T, we've done just that," said Doug Lombardi, VP of marketing for Valve. "With big picture mode, gaming opportunities for Steam partners and customers become possible via PCs and Macs on any TV or computer display in the house."
In addition to the new "Big Picture" feature, Valve will also discuss the numbers generated from the new Steam Microtransactions launched late last year within Team Fortress 2. An in-game economy can now be readily created by partners using the microtransactions system within the Steamworks SDK, the company said.
"We've come to understand what type of content sells well in TF2's in-game store, and the various price points at which players value this content," said Robin Walker, game designer at Valve. "Our players are continually teaching us what works and what doesn't. Much of this feedback can be generalized to other titles on Steam, so we're looking forward to sharing what we've learned with partners at GDC. We're also interested in seeing partners get up and running with their own in-game economies, so they can collect game-specific data to inform their design decisions."
The Game Developers Conference is already underway, and will conclude on March 4, 2011.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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Stryter Steam is coming the the den and bedroom TV? I'm pretty sure if that was typed in Word, it would give you a red squigly line under it.Reply
As for this BP mode, it sounds like a fantastic addition to Steam. Can't wait to see it in action. -
"Our partners"Reply
"gaming opportunities for Steam partners"
"Steam Microtransactions launched late last year within Team Fortress 2. An in-game economy can now be readily created by partners"
"partners get up and running with their own in-game economies"
Let the nickel and diming being. -
michaelahess I've been playing all my games on a 106" projection screen for years, this is nothing new. PC and PS3 I should add.Reply -
dco ReplyThis new feature will offer controller support and navigation designed for televisions, allowing Steam gamers to enjoy their library "on more screens throughout the house."
I don't get it. So is this cloud based gaming via TV's with internet connectivity to steam using a controller? -
g00fysmiley i read it as steam will be competing with onlive and doign cloud based computing for your titles... that would be pretty cool imo :DReply -
jerreece StryterSteam is coming the the den and bedroom TV? I'm pretty sure if that was typed in Word, it would give you a red squigly line under it.As for this BP mode, it sounds like a fantastic addition to Steam. Can't wait to see it in action.Reply
In fact it does! Word 2007 put a red squiggly under the second "the" when I copy/pasted it into Word. :)