Valve has been talking about Steam’s ‘Big Picture Mode’ (a button that will convert the Steam layout into a more television-friendly format) for quite some time, but it now seems to be just about here. This afternoon, the Big Picture Mode will enter public beta, meaning anyone logged in to Steam should be able to try it out.
If you do, you’ll find fonts, icons and layouts that are better suited for a HD TV in your living room than a monitor on your office or bedroom desk. You’ll also find a ‘first person’ web browser that can be controlled with a gamepad, and a radial-type keyboard that allows gamepads to type out messages (shown in the video, below).
Of course, you can just stick to good old mouse and keyboard if you wish.
Here’s the trailer.
Source: Steam
