It looks like yesteryear’s Big Picture was only the first step in Valve’s plans of conquering our living rooms. On September 23, the other steps will be announced, and their launch date should be in the first part of 2014.
The message found on the Steam page whose very URL includes the word livingroom is pretty simple: “Last year, we shipped a software feature called Big Picture, a user-interface tailored for televisions and gamepads. This year we’ve been working on even more ways to connect the dots for customers who want Steam in the living-room. Soon, we’ll be adding you to our design process, so that you can help us shape the future of Steam.”
Whatever Valve plans to use in order to make the Steam experience even more complete, the company will launch it today, as that is when the countdown found on the respective page gets to 0. One thing is certain: the user interface that they created – Big Picture – is best used on a TV while sitting on a couch. Maybe that’s what the company tries to imply with the following 3 circles. Keyboards and mice are cumbersome to use when not sitting at a desk, so the next supposition would be that Valve is planning to launch a device that works with gaming controllers.
The Linux Steam box might fit the profile, and there’s only one bad thing about all of this. Not all games come with full controller support, so gamers using such a Steam Box might have to neglect part of their library. Provided that the Steam Box comes with capable hardware and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, I guess that’s a risk most of us are willing to take, right? Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, the three big manufacturers of gaming consoles, should be very concerned about this, as Valve has brought the Steam platform close to perfection, and now it’s ready to launch the hardware to go with it. Valve has already showcased the Piston Steam Box at CES 2013, but since then there haven’t been any news in this regard.
I can’t seem to grasp the meaning of the above picture. Why does the gamepad only have 3 buttons? Is there a connection between those buttons and the above circles? Most importantly, why is there a stylized cat in the picture, and how exactly is it involved in the gaming experience? Guess that we’ll have to wait for a few more hours, as Valve is going to give us all the answers when the countdown expires.
If you liked this post, please check the Nvidia Shield and the Piston Steam Box that Valve showcased at CES, back in January.
