Valve Teases Steam's "Big Picture" Mode for TV

[ResonanceGames]

I will continue to use my PC for all my gaming. That's my thing. However, this is VERY exciting. Why? Well, lets think about the Marketing. Next generation of consoles. People are looking at the PS4, the XBox 720, and the Zii or whatever. Then, along comes Steam. The platform that uses your home computer. Instead of buying a $400 box you have to set up, just download this free program. You can already use a TV as a monitor, so either the hardware will me minimal, probably a single cord. Hell, maybe they can do it wireless. Use your already supported controller. Never go to a store again to buy your games. The sheer novelty of using a central computer to power your "console" gaming. Valve could eclipse Sony and Microsoft as a platform. It sounds crazy, but it is actually VERY feasible. I hope they do it

I suspect this is a software only "hook it up yourself" thing, but if Valve used, say, their partnership with Razer or another hardware producer to make a cheap system of wiring a video signal AND USB inputs for game controllers to the TV, they might really be on to something.

I can see something like that really appealing to the console crowd, since they could just plug in their 360 controller and play any Steam game that supports it. I've always thought Valve should get into the living room, and this seems like a low-barrier, low cost way to do it.

 

[Weaver]

Oh dear God... it begins.

 

[JordanXlord]

*crosses fingers for Meet the Medic/Meet the Pyro/ TF2 Movie tie-ins*




Seriously, I heard Meet the Medic has been finished TWICE already...

the meet the pryo is allready made

 

[Xanadu84]

I will continue to use my PC for all my gaming. That's my thing. However, this is VERY exciting. Why? Well, lets think about the Marketing. Next generation of consoles. People are looking at the PS4, the XBox 720, and the Zii or whatever. Then, along comes Steam. The platform that uses your home computer. Instead of buying a $400 box you have to set up, just download this free program. You can already use a TV as a monitor, so either the hardware will me minimal, probably a single cord. Hell, maybe they can do it wireless. Use your already supported controller. Never go to a store again to buy your games. The sheer novelty of using a central computer to power your "console" gaming. Valve could eclipse Sony and Microsoft as a platform. It sounds crazy, but it is actually VERY feasible. I hope they do it

I suspect this is a software only "hook it up yourself" thing, but if Valve used, say, their partnership with Razer or another hardware producer to make a cheap system of wiring a video signal AND USB inputs for game controllers to the TV, they might really be on to something.

I can see something like that really appealing to the console crowd, since they could just plug in their 360 controller and play any Steam game that supports it. I've always thought Valve should get into the living room, and this seems like a low-barrier, low cost way to do it.

Your probably right, on both counts. It is probably a, "Do it yourself" thing, but they definitely COULD do a hardware hookup for super cheap. And I absolutely agree on the living room idea: The biggest thing standing between PC gaming and a place among the XBoxes and PS3s is not exclusives or brand identity, it's people who want to lay down on their couch on front of their TV while they game. Its still only a possibility, not a definitely, but I think that this could very well lead to PC Games being synonymous with with Steam, and Steam being treated like a console in its own right.

 

[Infinatex]

My monitor is already a TV! Oh well Maybe I can play Steam content on my TV, while I'm playing Steam content on my TV... :O

Steam overload!
BTW: Are you saying that you're streaming TV on your computer?

haha nah, my monitor IS a TV. I'm using a 32" Sony Bravia

 

[FungiGamer]

*crosses fingers for Meet the Medic/Meet the Pyro/ TF2 Movie tie-ins*




Seriously, I heard Meet the Medic has been finished TWICE already...

the meet the pryo is allready made

If that's the case then releasing them both would be great

 

[octafish]

Either their gonna announce that you have to hook up a rig or they're 'gasp' making a different Steam that's cloud gaming. If it's the latter I'm selling my rig. I don't care if Halo 2 isn't on Steam, if it's going cloud there's really no point in owning a gaming PC anymore.

Sure sounds like it could be cloud gaming doesn't it? Our bandwidth isn't wide enough for reliable cloud gaming downunder, but if someone does it right and that someone is as big as Steam/Valve then that is the beginning of the end for consoles. Not today maybe but in the future for sure.

 

[perpetualburn]

Huh, I don't really see the point of this.

 

[mjc0961]

Huh? I don't get it. My entire PC already has "big picture" mode. It's called hooking the PC video out to the TV video in.

Maybe I can play Steam content on my TV, while I'm playing Steam content on my TV... :O

Insert Xzibit here, right?

 

[ENKC]

If this kicks off, I can see it essentially replacing consoles for a portion of the gaming market. And why shouldn't it?

 

[MasterSplinter]

I'm guessing it will be somewat similar to on-live. That could be cool. But i was hoping on-live itself to bring the tecnology to the masses, business wise it may be the right decision. But if they copy and muscle out on-live, i will be a sad panda.

 

[Eri]

"valve teases steam's "big picture" mode for tv"

you mean that Valve will be streaming Moviebob's rants on TV?

Dohohoho.

 

[Rainforce]

uh, I really liked valve so far, but....isn't the speed of their expansion now a bit too fast ?

 

[ResonanceGames]

Steam is NOT moving to cloud gaming. In a Forbes interview just recently Gabe Newell said that Onlive is a cool technology, but its not the direction he thinks is right for Valve. I believe his exact words were that it's an "Inefficient and expensive" business model. This was like two weeks ago, so I doubt he'd change his mind and announce a new technology that fast.

This is most likely literally just a different Steam layout that better supports game controllers and television sets. Think XBLA.

 

[teh_Canape]

Dohohoho.

that slaps you on the knee?