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[Darklord]

This is how you do PC, Microsoft.

 

[Htown]

Whiners will still have this one to fall back on. Steam doesn't do miracles... yet

You know what Steam needs to do?

Take that system information they currently use for the hardware survey, and automatically tell you whether the computer you're on will run the game you're looking at.

 

[Gunsmithx]

This sounds pretty cool, nothing groundbreaking but another piece to the puzzle so to speak.

I'm curious to see if they have any other surprises in store this week.

 

[The Blue Jihad]

Just want to mention how cute I find the wordplay in "big picture."

Because the "big picture" is more and more becoming a significant convergence of home theatres and gaming PCs.

Very cute, Valve. Very cute. lol

 

[StuBurns]

like mac support, steam on ps3 is valve's modern take on the shareware model.

the only thing more stark than the quality of the service is the revelation of what you're missing out on.

Well I certainly applaud them. They're the most progressive company in the industry to me. Also probably the best developer in the west.

I don't know how many people the PS3/Steam Portal 2 thing will benefit, but it's cool they're doing it. I don't want to derail the thread with that stuff though.

The TV UI idea is really great, and I was joking about the SteamBox thing, at least a little. I know a few people on GAF have their computers on their TVs with other software, but to have Steam, which is essentially the home of PC gaming at this point (at least till Battle.net opens up to third parties) customized for a more home friendly UI is really a fantastic addition I think.

 

[jhawk6]

Steam the gateway to the one console future? Valve can make it happen

 

[iam220]

Seems like Valve really does want to be in the console game.

More like they want a piece of the console pie. This is the perfect time to do it too. Right when the discrepancy between console hardware and PC hardware is growing at an alarming rate. (see BF3, Witcher2 etc). It's only going to get bigger next year, and the year after that too. It will keep growing until we see a ps4/xbox720, and who knows when that will be.

 

[Arnie]

Do you mean like buy Steam games on and for your PS3?

Or do you mean like access everything Steam apart from the games?

Man, I'm hyped for this though. Being able to have the in-game overlay useable with the pad while playing games that are enjoyable to play with pads will be a godsend.

I'm imagining Steam as it is now, with the four options, but there is a separate PS3 section in the store (similar to the Mac) section for games available on PS3. This would include Steam communities too. Personally I think it's this sort of deal that would've been the deal breaker between Valve deciding to adopt the platform instead of continuously ignoring it and we've seen evidence of the with the Steam integration already announced for Portal 2. Taking that into consideration and combining it with this news, it seems likely that we could see the full Steam overlay in this new format on PS3s by the end of the year.

 

[No_Style]

Thank you, Valve! My controller and 52" HDTV thank you!

 

[evlcookie]

The micro transaction part of the press release is also interesting. While i'm not a fan of what TF2 has become due to hats and buying random shit, It will be interesting to see which developers now start using micros in their games and how they go about it.

Big picture mode sounds cool although i personally can't see myself using it.

 

[Unicorn]

You still have to hook everything up to your television. Still have to hook up the power, hdmi or dvi to hdmi(if dvi then the sound stuff as well), have to hook up your kb and mouse to actually turn on the PC and get to Steam.

Most modern games on Steam already have gamepad support so the most this will do is let you navigate the menus for the, what, 5 minutes that'll take? Maybe it's something more.

See, you'd think this, but I was borderline enraged Bad Company 2 didn't have controller support. Even binding my gamepad to keyboard and mouse control it was unplayable because of no aim-assist.

Will this new update force all steam games to have controller support?

 

[StevieP]

See, you'd think this, but I was borderline enraged Bad Company 2 didn't have controller support. Even binding my gamepad to keyboard and mouse control it was unplayable because of no aim-assist.

Will this new update force all steam games to have controller support?

Even with auto-aim turned up very high, the balance in multi would be way off if PC shooters allowed you to use a gamepad.

 

[ghst]

Even binding my gamepad to keyboard and mouse control it was unplayable because of no aim-assist.

i hope you learned your lesson.

 

[iam220]

See, you'd think this, but I was borderline enraged Bad Company 2 didn't have controller support. Even binding my gamepad to keyboard and mouse control it was unplayable because of no aim-assist.

If aim-assist is required to make an fps playable with a gamepad, than what does that tell you?

Spoiler

Kidding! .... kind of

Will this new update force all steam games to have controller support?

Doubt it.

 

[Unicorn]

Even with auto-aim turned up very high, the balance in multi would be way off if PC shooters allowed you to use a gamepad.

But but but Shadowrun.

I knew i'd be at a disadvantage with pad, but keyboard controls make my hands cramp. Don't mind mouse control..

 

[Kai Dracon]

2011: The Year We Make Contact (With the Comfy Couch)

 

[Pimpbaa]

See, you'd think this, but I was borderline enraged Bad Company 2 didn't have controller support. Even binding my gamepad to keyboard and mouse control it was unplayable because of no aim-assist.

Will this new update force all steam games to have controller support?

Maybe it's for the best, because you wouldn't be able to play competitively against mouse and keyboard players anyway.

 

[mikespit1200]

More like they want a piece of the console pie. This is the perfect time to do it too. Right when the discrepancy between console hardware and PC hardware is growing at an alarming rate. (see BF3, Witcher2 etc). It's only going to get bigger next year, and the year after that too. It will keep growing until we see a ps4/xbox720, and who knows when that will be.

This is interesting point. Could valve make a slimline console/PC or maybe an onlive like box and sell it for dirt cheap? What kind of components could they bundle into such a (linux?) box and would it blow consoles away in terms of performance?

 

[dLMN8R]

This is interesting point. Could valve make a slimline console/PC or maybe an onlive like box and sell it for dirt cheap? What kind of components could they bundle into such a (linux?) box and would it blow consoles away in terms of performance?

What's the point of a box that can't play the 1200+ games on the service?

If you're talking about a linux box like the Onlive client that simply streams video from a gaming Windows PC somewhere else, then that could easily be done for cheap. But that still requires a nice $500+ gaming PC.

 

[Old Gimlet Eyes]

Maybe it's for the best, because you wouldn't be able to play competitively against mouse and keyboard players anyway.

I play Lead and Gold regularly on PC with my 360 controller and never have a problem keeping up and even out scoring KB/M players. I'm not sure if there is any aim assist in the PC version but if there is, it's not as noticeable as a game like Halo. Lead and Gold might not be the most fast paced shooter, but using a controller works great.

 

[iam220]

This is interesting point. Could valve make a slimline console/PC or maybe an onlive like box and sell it for dirt cheap? What kind of components could they bundle into such a (linux?) box and would it blow consoles away in terms of performance?

Well I'd consider it possible if all windows games on steam were ported to linux but that's not going to happen of course. I don't think they're going to go the hardware route, I hope thats not what was implied by my post. More like steam is building upon what PC gaming already is today, partially to attract traditional console gamers and partially to expand their services for the current pc gamers.

 

[Dizzy-4U]

Maybe it's for the best, because you wouldn't be able to play competitively against mouse and keyboard players anyway.

Having the option is never a bad thing. What about single player modes?

I play Monday Night Combat with a controller. I know I'm at disadvantage but I don't really care. Not everyone takes multiplayer gaming so seriously.

 

[Kaako]

O Valve. You so crazy with all your fancy software updates that do useful stuff.

 

[iam220]

Having the option is never a bad thing. What about single player modes?

I play Monday Night Combat with a controller. I know I'm at disadvantage but I don't really care. Not everyone takes multiplayer gaming so seriously.

Right, even while I consider choosing a controller over a mouse to be silly, it is not the nature of an open platform to limit your options. Choice is good.

 

[Exuro]

Sounds like a good idea, was expecting them to make this at some point. My only question is if they're trying to target console gamers or just offering another option. I'm wondering if this is just going to be a UI update(well I shouldn't say just, redoing the store pages and such to fit a controller scheme would be have a huge change in UI) or if they are trying to provide a way to stream to your TV from your PC(sounds crazy but would be neat) without having to plug it in. Yes I understand that there are those that already have it plugged in/near a tv, but for those that don't they'll see this as a hassle.

 

[Slackbladder]

If this means that the text will now be of a sufficient size for me to see clearly without straining my eyes and that the Store page etc will fill my 16:9 screen fully (why is Steam still designed for 4:3 monitors? Who uses 4:3 monitors anymore?) then I'm all for it.

 

[Owzers]

See, you'd think this, but I was borderline enraged Bad Company 2 didn't have controller support. Even binding my gamepad to keyboard and mouse control it was unplayable because of no aim-assist.

Will this new update force all steam games to have controller support?

*nods* more gamepad support please Xo

 

[Jive Turkey]

Oh God. Valve is practically demanding I make an HTPC now.

 

[Chinner]

does this make da2 good then????

 

[DryvBy]

I doubt most PC gamers will want their tower hooked primarily to a television/away from their desk. If you want to build a second PC then I suppose that's an option but even then it's not much different from what you can do right now.

This.

If I had a 2nd desktop, maybe, but my TV is built for movies and console gaming. My PC has it's own throne, so this feature, for me, is useless.

 

[clip]

Oh God. Valve is practically demanding I make an HTPC now.

Agreed. I haven't had a TV for some time, but it seems like there is a lot of cool stuff I could do with one.

 

[Exuro]

does this make da2 good then????

DA2 has no controller support on PC.

 

[Nif]

Oh, nice. I recently started using XBMC with Advanced Launcher and my remote. It looks really good, but can be a pain to set up exactly how I need. This could be a nice alternative.

 

[ultron87]

Finally the time of the Phantom Lapboard has come!

Controller your way into the game and then mouse + keyboard your way to victory!

 

[Technosteve]

Seems cool but if I put my full atx tower next to my tv. The tv will look tiny and pc will drone out the speakers on the tv. If only I can get buy a 200 watt mini pc that can run BF3 Max and silent and less the 800 dollars.

 

[Kamakazie!]

This is good news.
At the moment I use XBMC Launcher for the games that I play on it and launch it straight from that UI. This will just mean I can flick through the store on my media centre now when I want to.

 

[Unicorn]

Seems cool but if I put my full atx tower next to my tv. The tv will look tiny and pc will drone out the speakers on the tv. If only I can get buy a 200 watt mini pc that can run BF3 Max and silent and less the 800 dollars.

My tower is silent.

All depends on case and fans you have installed. Not every decent computer has to sound like an Airline Carrier.

 

[GashPrex]

MAKE THE FONT BIG ENOUGH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

my htpc is my gaming computer as well (its in a closet with all my other stuff hooked to my receiver). I just want to game from my couch

 

[Unicorn]

MAKE THE FONT BIG ENOUGH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

my htpc is my gaming computer as well (its in a closet, hooked to my receiver). I just want to game from my couch

Yeah, I tried Morrowind with some keyboard and mouse binding on my controller, but when I started playing on my tv, the text was so tiny, I had to stop playing after a couple hours because of eye strain. There's probably a text mod I can get... but for other games... They aren't easily moddable like Elder Scrolls.

 

[itxaka]

About fucking time. I have no wireless mouse and it's a pain in the ass to get up from my confy couch to change to another game in steam.

 

[Nemo]

I hope it's an actual change instead of just a more streamlined version of the current interface. A cleaner version would also be appreciated like Microsoft does with their Windows media centers

 

[TouchMyBox]

Awesome news is awesome.

like osx* support, steam on ps3 is valve's modern take on the shareware model.

the only thing more stark than the quality of the service is the revelation of what you're missing out on.

(*i originally typed mac, buying into the jobsian delusion that the off-the-shelf hardware inside them couldn't somehow be put to better use. my apologies.)

Hey now, Lion looks to be a fairly nice upgrade in terms of making OSX a viable gaming platform. Better multi-threading support plus an almost modern version of OpenGL. The gap will still exist but it's narrowing.

 

[mcdomination]

Finally, no more eye strain headaches!!!

 

[Stallion Free]

you can do that right now. launch game. take screenshot. there, you've got a background for that game.

No, not that current shitty implementation that I am already aware of. I mean something proper like this:

 

[Gravitom]

Cool. Now if they only made a Boxee/XBMC plugin then I would never have to leave the same UI on my HTPC.

 

[Corto]

It begins.

 

[Yeef]

Great news.

I'm guessing this is going to be a Steamworks feature similar to Steam Cloud. Games with "Big Picture" support will automatically work with controllers with no need for configuration. My guess is Valve's games will be patched with the functionality and eventually third party games will start to be released with support.

If things work out that way, I'd consider building "Steam Boxes" for my non-technical friends and colleagues.

 

[StuBurns]

A single off-topic aside if the mods don't mind. If I wanted a HTPC, and I don't want to put anything together myself, who makes good ones? How much should I look to spend? I'm in Britain by the way.

 

[Game Guru]

I'm imagining Steam as it is now, with the four options, but there is a separate PS3 section in the store (similar to the Mac) section for games available on PS3. This would include Steam communities too. Personally I think it's this sort of deal that would've been the deal breaker between Valve deciding to adopt the platform instead of continuously ignoring it and we've seen evidence of the with the Steam integration already announced for Portal 2. Taking that into consideration and combining it with this news, it seems likely that we could see the full Steam overlay in this new format on PS3s by the end of the year.

I'd actually think that would be interesting, especially if it went both ways. Think about what would be the best service to sell PlayStation Suite games on PC and Mac... It'd be Steam, wouldn't it? Two simple programs that would allow the playing of those games on both Windows and Mac, and people could play those games on Windows, Mac, Android, PS3, and NGP. I'd also would love to play PSOne classics, but own neither a PSP or a PS3. In addition, it would mean that Valve's games in the Source Engine would all eventually become playable on the PS3 as they are on Mac.

 

[TheFightingFish]

I've got my gaming PC in a quiet case (Antec Sonata II) sitting right next to my PC all plugged in any happy already, so this is really good news for me.

Now I just need better support / community for fighting games on the PC (can't give up my SSFIV and MvC3) and I can ditch my 360 once and for all.