Valve to Introduce ‘Big Picture’ Mode in Steam

Just in time for GDC, Valve has announced that Steam is coming to the big screen… err, rather “bigger screens”. That’s right, for those who use a television as a display, or simply a very large monitor, Valve is soon to release an updated version of its Steam client that better supports large displays, making it easier to see things like options and other elements when not right in front of the screen.

The mode is called “Big Picture” and in addition to offering larger elements, it’s also going to support controllers, and probably other navigation devices (such as pointers) to make interaction a lot smoother for those who might not want to use a mouse.

In addition to this big picture mode, Valve is also going to talk a bit about its findings regarding its microtransactions feature launched late last fall. This information will surely prove useful to developers, especially smaller ones, to help promote yet another money-making element of Steam.

With Portal 2 right around the corner, it can also be assumed that Valve will also show off a lot more about the game to prep for its launch, although by now, much of the game is already known. But, that doesn’t matter… just bring it on!

February 28, 2011 – Valve, creator of best-selling game franchises (such as Half-Life, Portal, Left 4 Dead, and Counter-Strike) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today disclosed its plans for a new “big picture” mode of Steam which will offer controller support and navigation designed for television interaction. Big picture mode will enable gamers to enjoy Steam and their library of Steam games on more screens throughout the house.