“Big Picture Mode” entered Beta today with Valve searching for consumer feedback on their latest innovation. The Xbox style UI fits televisions much better than the standard steam interface, and allows users to play their titles on their TV via a controller, or keyboard and mouse.
Valve’s business site, states:
Steam’s big-picture mode doesn’t require any additional development from you. Just ensure your game works well with a controller, and we’ll take care of the rest. And don’t worry, keyboard and mouse aren’t going anywhere—users will be able to switch between input devices at any time.
The folks at Kotaku have raved about the easy use of Big Picture and have reported today that the Beta is just as good. Gabe Newell and team have found yet another way to capture a portion of the gaming market. Imagine picking up stacks of your favorite titles on Steam’s Summer Sale, and utilizing their technology to play on your TV. Many of us are already linking via HDMI to do just that, so why not dive into Big Picture Mode? The improved user interface will let users enjoy the transition much more thoroughly than they had in the past. At this juncture Big Picture doesn’t pose a threat to console sales, it does, however, make using your PC on a 50″ screen much more enjoyable. Are there long term changes down the road? I cannot believe that there won’t be changes. There is a reason that the PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360 UI’s are more spaced out than the current Steam layout.
The best part of Big Picture Mode is the easy transition, once live the user will click a button and the interface will change. If you don’t like it, you simply change back. Seems like a win win to me.
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