Valve launches Steam Big Picture Mode

[Tek7@Work]

I've been using the Steam beta client for the sole purpose of using Big Picture Mode on my desktop (which is currently connected to my 46" HDTV in my living room) for a while now, but Steam officially launched Big Picture Mode for the standard client today.

Valve is celebrating (and making mad money) the announcement with a sale on games with full controller support.

I have a Logitech F710 and a PS3 controller (with a dedicated Bluetooth dongle I purchased for $10 shipped and MotioninJoy drivers) set up to connect wirelessly to my PC, so I <3 Big Picture Mode.

And this sale features some games I had thought about picking up anyway, so I might be dropping yet more gift money on the Steam store tonight...

 

[AMorrii]

I am excited for this. I just bought an F710 moments ago, paid for 2 day shipping and now I'm moving to the living room. Now I can have my friend over to play games with me! I've never been a fan of online gaming and I've considered buying a console many times just to play with my friend in the same room. There's just something special to me about playing on the same screen. :')

 

[Tek7@Work]

I am excited for this. I just bought an F710 moments ago, paid for 2 day shipping and now I'm moving to the living room. Now I can have my friend over to play games with me! I've never been a fan of online gaming and I've considered buying a console many times just to play with my friend in the same room. There's just something special to me about playing on the same screen. :')

As much as I enjoy online gaming, I agree that there's just no substitute for couch co-op.

With Big Picture Mode, Steam eats into PSN and XBLA sales that much further. Why spend $15 for a digital download game when I can buy the same game on a Steam sale for $3.74 and play the game across multiple computers and have a better chance of playing with ToJ members and--well, you get the idea.

EDIT: Also, the F710 is an excellent controller. I think you'll really enjoy it!