Steam "Big Picture Mode" gets early beta in September! :D

[Trogdor2010]

http://www.theverge.com/gaming/2012/...-beta-hardware

I'm very excited about it and willing to try the beta. I'd love to use my controller WITHOUT needing to use my mouse to navigate through the menu of tiny text on my home theater set up. Now if they add the ability to boot and directly go to steam big picture from a wireless controller would basically turn it into an xbox IMO, with the power and versatility of a gaming rig, that would be a great thing.

[Trogdor2010]

Steam's Big Picture - YouTube

Played around with it today. It's really cool, and it actually utilizes the xbox home button to access the GUI, even a hotkey for screenshots. This is sort of a "work in progress" as some games don't support controller as properly, but it's definitely promising, as some games are plug and play (Like Sonic Generations). The issue may not be steam, but how designer will keep big picture in mind when making PC games. Gonna be playing some more on big picture, and let you guys know more.

[Trogdor2010]

After trying 5 games on it today (and XBMC), it works alot better than you'd expect, but it definitely works a beta. For example, Steam crashes whenever I load up a game while in voice chat, which I found a workaround by turning off voice chat while loading up an app. This error can prevent you from accessing your saves (Sonic Generations), but I imagine this can be an easy patch in post release. The D-pad isn't natively functional, but I bet that will be patched too.

Otherwise, both voice chat and text chat function as you'd expect. Big Picture does features a circle wheel style keyboard where you direct the left stick and face buttons to type text on. It's an improvement from the digital qwerty on the Xbox 360, but it's still embarassingly slow compared to a real qwerty keyboard, especially since most steam users chat with those keyboards. You can use a keyboard for chat with a gamepad for gaming, but it's counter-productive to big picture. The keyboard is good for simple instant messages or invites, although the options of PMs would be nice.

The UI is slick and puts good use of the triggers to allow easy access to friends and the web browser. The browser's cursor unlike normal browsers like on a desktop or PS3, is always centered allowing minimal eye movement, which is nice if you have hotspotting issues from a rear projection set or high gain front projection screen, or even Rainbow effect from DLP projectors. There is a convenient zoom button that allow 3 variable zooms, although it's not as versatile as the PS3's zoom browser. There is a bug when texting on forums where the browser goes off screen and does not work with the text boxes, so I would not call it a replacement for internet tv yet.

From the games I played, Sonic Generations, Crysis 2, and GTA IV (Games for Windows Live home button issue aside) were basically plug and play, with the GUI allowing me to check updates and friends, and I did not need to use XboxMouse to interact with the game. Black Ops required me to use it for menus and weapon selection, and was no option to invite friends, although gameplay is fully function with it. Team Fortress 2 required me to use to command console to even use a gamepad, and even then, class changes and in game shop menus in the co-op mode required me to use to even if it would be really easy to implement it. I haven't paired it with Left 4 Dead yet, but I'm probably going to try it next since you can interact with menus somewhat with a gamepad. I also tried XBMC, for kicks, does not support a gamepad unless you apply an add on, but the GUI works perfectly fine, I can chat while watching videos, but IM is still a PITA to use, because I can't watch a video while on IM basically; I have to use a second screen and not use big picture to do both, basically getting rid of the point of both big picture and xbmc.

Even with the issues, I'd insist you'd try out the free beta. It's a streamline and versatile take on the convoluted, forgotten HTPC gaming market that just needed more universal support for it.I'm very happy with it, and hope it will be alot better in the near future.

[eSixZero]

Wow i heard about them doing a hardware development soon. This could be a game changer! Always loved my PC games but it does get expensive when it comes to upgrading. But if anything now would be the time! So many new games with such great development teams. Cant wait to test this out, Thanks for the write up!

[Trogdor2010]

Thanks, eSixZero, although I don't think it is to cheapen PC hardware, but to simplify it. I really like it, just would need a little work though.

I tried a little bit of Left 4 Dead 2 last night, the functionality of the controller is really odd. For one, you cannot control the first part of the menu unless you move your mouse on one of the menu icons on the lower screen. If you select the top game modes, you can only control the sub menu of the game mode unless you use a mouse. The server search option however works fine, as is the pause menu. I did change the useless "360 turn" option with the voice chat button, which is nice since the 360 doesn't have a real push-to-talk option but it still needs work with menu interaction. It's odd that the menu itself is very controller friendly in aesthetics.

I really hope Valve adds a JoyToKey-like app into Big Picture in order to allow individual games that wouldn't have been updated to be activated for them, including working with non-steamworks games (like Origin games or even XBMC). This would be easier to do than to update each individual game, even give games a simulated mouse for games like Call of Duty or Killing Floor, and add a hotkey ala XboxMouse to activate it. Steam could even provide button mapping for games by the community so you can download button commands without fiddling with the app with trial and error. It would also be great to have the option to launch Big Picture app directly (instead of launching from vanilla steam to do so) by just pressing the 360 home button (again not checking on Steam).

[RaijinUT]

Going to try this out today.

[Trogdor2010]

Some people on the Steam forums made a list of "big Picture" friendly games since not all games work natively with a gamepad.

https://docs.google.com/document/pub...1SZ-TvenRgHsQo

Originally Posted by RaijinUT

Going to try this out today.

So are you are using this on your TV?

[RaijinUT]

Originally Posted by Trogdor2010

Some people on the Steam forums made a list of "big Picture" friendly games since not all games work natively with a gamepad.

https://docs.google.com/document/pub...1SZ-TvenRgHsQo



So are you are using this on your TV?

Yes.

I enjoyed it too. Played Borderlands 2, Borderlands 1, Arkham City with it so far.

[pauljeremiah]

was using it today, really like the feel of it.

i picked up a 5m HDMI cable for £2 and hooked my PC up to my 40" HDTV, a wireless keyboard and wireless mouse will be my next purchase.

[Trogdor2010]

Steam Big Picture is officially released (meaning it's no longer a Beta) and all fully controller compatible games (Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Portal 2, Left 4 Dead, Alan Wake) are on sale.

http://store.steampowered.com/sale/big_picture_release