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Valve's 'Big Picture Mode,' now in beta

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 12 Sep 2012 12:34 User comments (11)

Valve's 'Big Picture Mode,' now in beta Valve has introduced a beta version of their 'Big Picture Mode,' allowing for Steam gamers to experience their libraries on the big screen.
The new mode will let users with powerful PCs connected to their TVs get higher quality graphics than they might get with their consoles.

After signing up, you can access the mode with a simple click of a button.

All of Steam's features, including the browser with tabs, remain, and are built for larger displays.

Check more about the Mode here: Steam

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11 user comments

112.9.2012 08:46

I still don't get this. I want to get it, but I don't get it. I mean anyone with any tech know how has already got their PC connected to their TV and already know hows to get the best textures and resolution through their graphic drivers. What can steam offer with this, that a little research can't already do?

212.9.2012 09:41

Quote:
The new mode will let users with powerful PCs connected to their TVs get higher quality graphics than they might get with their consoles.

Say what? My PC already has higher-quality graphics than any console, whether I pipe it through my HDTV or my 24" monitor. Hell, most PCs do!

Are they actually bragging that they made a Steam Library/Browser with options for bigger tabs for better visibility on big displays..?

What are these people smoking?
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 12 Sep 2012 @ 9:42

312.9.2012 11:28

I've had my gaming/HT pc connected to my 55" LED Sammy for 3 years now and have been using steam already. Everything is running @ 1080p on high DPI settings. All the games I play already run on highest settings.

I'm not sure what it is they are offering, but I would appreciate better compatibility for higher DPI on their menus and expanded videos.

412.9.2012 14:22
SmaryJerry
Unverified new user

So basically.. Their program now allows for higher resolutions as all their games already did? How is this news?

512.9.2012 15:51

Go check out the beta of this guys. the interface is amazing and works great with both the mouse or the controller.

612.9.2012 17:49

I find the comments interesting. To me it is simple they made it easier to run steam on a large screen. That is all. The rest of it is just some guy trying to sell it to the masses.

I checked it out on my small screen as the one hooked up to the TV is really only capable of watching TV not gaming but it looked good. I might use it someday down the line.

713.9.2012 18:06

So basically, it is designed for small displays where the old (small) tabs were not big enough, and it is being sold as being for big displays? I don't know what they are smoking, but I think I want some.

813.9.2012 20:37

Originally posted by KillerBug:
So basically, it is designed for small displays where the old (small) tabs were not big enough, and it is being sold as being for big displays? I don't know what they are smoking, but I think I want some.
Not sure what you are smoking. Larger icons are usually for larger screens. IE why I can read tiny ass text on my computer but throw that shit on a TV and it's unreadable. Picture like the 360 interface on your computer. It would seem obnoxiously large.

913.9.2012 21:04

It's not that this might not be of benefit to some people, it's just arguable that it's very newsworthy, as a very minor change, or that it requires a public beta.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 13 Sep 2012 @ 9:04

1014.9.2012 03:25

Big Picture Mode will retain all of Steams features, including the browser, which will feature tabbed browsing and cloud-saved favorites. Typing with Big Picture Mode has?thankfully?been simplified. Shunning the QWERTY layout, typing on Steam in Big Picture Mode involves the Daisywheel, where four letters are assigned to the four face buttons. Every letter is grouped into four and displayed in a wheel, and each grouping can be cycled between using the d-pad or analog sticks.
Call India |

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 14 Sep 2012 @ 3:25

1114.9.2012 12:30

Originally posted by Tazer247:
IE why I can read tiny ass text on my computer but throw that shit on a TV and it's unreadable. Picture like the 360 interface on your computer. It would seem obnoxiously large.
Either your TV is crap or it is small and far away...I can read smaller point text on my 40" 1080P TV than I can read on my 17" 1080P laptop or my 24" 1080P desktop, and the TV screen is several times farther away.

The 360 interface DOES seem obnoxiously large on a large screen...it was designed so that people with small, low-res TVs could read it. It NEEDS to be useable with SD tube TVs and fake HD TVs that take 1080P input and turn it into something that looks like 480i, and it is.

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