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Steam big picture mode gets drastic redesign
- Thread starter Krejlooc
- Start date
alexandros
Banned
Is it official or for the beta users?
It's really fast with quick animations, and sort of feels like the old Xbox 360 Blades system with the Internet and Community blades on the side.
I don't like the new main menu icons, though, they seem a bit bare. I also used to like how the old front page menu looked so minimalistic and would show you library in the distant background as random tiles. But I suppose those things are what made the UI run slower in the first place. This one is really fast.
Just came in the latest beta update. Coupled with the change to the library layout a few weeks ago, and the way the community page is now laid out (most of the options in community now have their own BPM pages rather than taking you to the webbrowser like before), the entire BPM has basically changed from top to bottom.
I don't like the new main menu icons, though, they seem a bit bare. I also used to like how the old front page menu looked so minimalistic and would show you library in the distant background as random tiles. But I suppose those things are what made the UI run slower in the first place. This one is really fast.
Just came in the latest beta update. Coupled with the change to the library layout a few weeks ago, and the way the community page is now laid out (most of the options in community now have their own BPM pages rather than taking you to the webbrowser like before), the entire BPM has basically changed from top to bottom.
Possumowner
Member
Looks so much nicer and snappier.
Why? I've found its the best UI for using your PC from a TV around. I have several PCs attached to several TVs in my house, and they all run Steam Big Picture Mode. I launch everything through BPM.
If you opt in to the beta, it's live right now.
There will probably be more updates until the october launch of the steam machines, steam controller, and steam link, and probably even more until november when the wide launch begins. If you opt in to the beta, you see them making small improvements basically daily. It feels like they're making a big push for the consumer roll out.
Enter the Dragon Punch
Banned
Second big update in the last month. Nice!
Skin support soon hopefully...
At the very least let us change the wallpaper.
Skin support soon hopefully...
At the very least let us change the wallpaper.
brotkasten
Member
That does look good. Now I need to find a way to properly integrate BPM into Kodi. So far there's always been some issue that made it a janky experience or it involves scripts or custom shortcuts that may or may not break with the next Kodi update.
Chairmanchuck
Member
Hopefully. I dont like this dark blue color palette.
immortal-joe
Member
I stopped using BPM months ago cause it never felt stable enough. Using my media keyboard to double click on my game in the steam library was easier in the end. I don't use any other feature within Steam.
Having said that, I'll still try this out when it gets out of beta. Curious to see how much better it is.
Having said that, I'll still try this out when it gets out of beta. Curious to see how much better it is.
Do it the other way around - integrate Kodi into BPM. Just add Kodi as a non-steam game and give it a custom banner. If you do this, the BPM interface follows onto Kodi, meaning if you press the xbox or steam button on your controller, you get the BPM pop up interface. That means pop up keyboards, the pop up webbrowser, your friends list and voice chat, etc. Use BPM to launch all your programs, including Kodi.
Turin Turambar
Member
Old design for comparison:
Of course they have improved. They weren't even trying for real before!
Chairmanchuck
Member
Anyone knows if the pages are loading in an own "window" instead of a browser now? Before it always loaded the achievements e.g. just in the browserwindow of the Steam BPM.
Enter the Dragon Punch
Banned
Even a simple colour selection. Let me have my light blue or red.
I mentioned that in one of my other posts. Most of the community features now have actual BPM pages instead of dumping you to the web browser. And when it does dump you to the web browser, it does it in a slicker, more integrated way.
It's still a work in progress, however. As an example, if you are looking through a friend's achievement listings, it will only let you browse their recently played games at the moment, the toggle to look at their entire library doesn't work yet.
Cool, does it by any chance attempt to get rid of instances where the desktop pops up while a game is loading? I love the concept of Steam's Big Picture, but with all due respect I find it lacking in polish and presentation. I mean, I figure it's probably a problem with Windows itself (or the games themselves), but I wish they'd find a way around it. When I'm in BP the last thing I want is to have the desktop/taskbar make a brief appaerance and ruin my immersion. 
Cool, does it by any chance attempt to get rid of instances where the desktop pops up while a game is loading? I love the concept of Steam's Big Picture, but with all due respect I find it lacking in polish and presentation. I mean, I figure it's probably a problem with Windows itself (or the games themselves), but I wish they'd find a way around it. When I'm in BP the last thing I want is to have the desktop/taskbar make a brief appaerance and ruin my immersion.
It hasn't done that in a long time. What happens when you select a game is that the background fades to blue while the game loads in front of steam. You never really see the desktop at all unless you alt-tab out or press the windows key.
Jason Frost
Member
Far better.
brotkasten
Member
I thought about that, too, but my HTPC is primarily a movie playback machine and not for gaming, so booting into Kodi is definitely a priority for me.
Looks like it's improving.
This is more related to Steam beta experience than big screen stuff, but I'm still dreaming of a day when I can use the Steam FPS overlay with a hotkey to toggle it on and off.
The last time I checked (trying futilely to request the feature on the feedback forum), you had to completely restart a game to enable or disable the FPS overlay. You couldn't just cycle it FRAPS-style.
This is more related to Steam beta experience than big screen stuff, but I'm still dreaming of a day when I can use the Steam FPS overlay with a hotkey to toggle it on and off.
The last time I checked (trying futilely to request the feature on the feedback forum), you had to completely restart a game to enable or disable the FPS overlay. You couldn't just cycle it FRAPS-style.
Both AMD and Nvidia have video card solutions with hotkey toggles.
NinjamicWZ
Banned
Brand new update:
Old design for comparison:
Nice. Makes the old one look like it was a music streaming service.
My father has built himself a steam machine for this very purpose. He runs SteamOS in his front room, and launches Kodi from it. Doesn't play any games. He uses Kodi from BPM because it lets us and the rest of the family basically have our own private messagine system through Steam's messenger. We can message each other from our phones by downloading the steam app and when we text it'll show up on our televisions. BPM is simple enough for my mother to use - he set up Firefox shell scripts that take her to websites for her to pay bills and things of that sort.
I'm uploading a quick video of how I use BPM as a global computer interface. With the steam controller, it makes a lot more sense.
It just seems such a simple thing to add to the FPS feature since they went ahead and added it anyway, and would allow me to skip third-party software. Valve already improved the screenshot feature so it can save lossless images.
Someone else mentioned it in this thread and it reminds me too.
So no, not you're not alone on thinking that.
I agree they should add that, and they likely will eventually. Another thing that annoys me - the library list is vertically aligned, and on the Steam controller/xbox pad you can use the bumpers to scroll down by page/letter. But on a keyboard, page up and page down don't respond. It seems like something obvious - page up and page down should work in BPM rather than having to hold up and down and manually scroll through the list.
I have a MCE remote with page up and page down mapped to the channel buttons. It feels awkward for them not to work in BPM, especially when they work in the communications and web browsing tabs.
Here's how you get Kodi and Steam BPM to play nicely together:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RYVzqOrFSY&feature=youtu.be
The entire time, i am using a steam controller
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RYVzqOrFSY&feature=youtu.be
The entire time, i am using a steam controller
I see. The problem must be on my side then. Just last night I saw the desktop come up while launching MGS GZ and Batman AK.
I'll see if I can find a way to fix it.
This looks much better than the old design. I wonder if blue is the official Steam color?
No, it's not just you.
No, it's not just you.
abracadaver
Member
Is it out for everyone or just in the beta?
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I'm happy they're refining it. I'm not sure with what device, but I am in the market for a Steam experience on my TV.
Mushihimesama awaits...
Mushihimesama awaits...
I like the market and steam workshop area of the community tab, it's very smoothly integrated into steam now. The other day, when I was live streaming my steam controller, I showed my friend how to use Steam Market place, all from within BPM. I sold like 4 cards in about 10 seconds and made $0.28 lol.
That entire part of BPM hardly anybody ever talks about, but it's so well done now and it's clear they've put a lot of thought into how it works. Unlike PSN and XBL, steam's community tab is much more than friends and social media and videos and things of that sort - it ties into the steam economy.
That entire part of BPM hardly anybody ever talks about, but it's so well done now and it's clear they've put a lot of thought into how it works. Unlike PSN and XBL, steam's community tab is much more than friends and social media and videos and things of that sort - it ties into the steam economy.
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