Steam Big Picture Mode a.k.a. The Valve Console

[Bolivar]

Valve recently opened up its Big Picture Mode for all in open beta. If you didn't know, Big Picture Mode is an alternate interface meant to be plugged into your television and navigated with a controller. Many have called it the opening volley in Valve's battle to take over the console market.

If you want to check it out, you can opt in by clicking Steam, Settings, and looking for the section that says "Beta participation" on the Accounts tab.

As when discussing anything on the internet, I'm going to say I like it, but complain anyway.

First, it's a little obviously ripping off the Xbox 360 interface and that's a problem for two reasons. One, it's shameless. They copied it right down to the little kerplunk noises everything makes. But more importantly, the 360 interface has long been criticized for its sluggishness. You only see a few panels at a time and scrolling through the rest is slow.

But the bigger issue is that right now, it's only an interface. Once you load up a game, you still have to change its resolution for it to look anything like it should on a TV. I doubt they'll ever get this worked in, at least retroactively. As the PSN has demonstrated, you need to get a lot of this stuff up in the first place, or you're never going to get it for the games you've already released. What's even more troubling is that if you want to view friend profiles (or anything in the community section, really) it actually opens up a browser and takes you to the steampowered website page to view it. That's a big no no, it should be in the interface and I hope they resolve this while still in beta.

Other than that, I just think it's ironic how we comment on the computerization of consoles, when the biggest gaming platform on PC is now getting consolized.

[escobert]

I saw a video of this. Really has no effect on me since I despise controllers

[Bolivar]

I can't even get one to work with it... I can't find where Steam lets you configure one!

[escobert]

I don't know why you'd want to unless you have madden or a racing game :P

Keyboard and mouse is far superior!

[Jowy]

gaben can have as much of my money as he wants

kb+m is awful for platformers. terraria would be my favourite game EVER if i could use a smurfing controller.

[Bolivar]

This is slightly off-topic and I may be martyred for it, but... I've been trying to use a controller to play Black Ops PC for some time now...

The contemporary shooter requires you to crouch, prone, sprint, melee, jump, reload, switch weapons, use equipment, interact with objectives, activate killstreaks, throw lethal grenades, throw special grenades, aim down the sights, and shoot. In multiplayer, doing all of these things responsively becomes immensely important.

I've been playing CoD games on my laptop away from my PC for a while now, and I'm personally convinced it's not possible to map all of these functions to a keyboard to make them anywhere near as readily accessible as they are on a controller. This may be the most logic-defying thing I've ever said, but:

The FPS genre has evolved past the keyboard and is now at home on the controller.

I wholeheartedly agree, that sentence is a perfectly legitimate reason to sacrifice me right now on the altar. But I play a ton of shooters on both platforms and to be honest, it isn't anything new and not limited to games requiring a lot of actions. Unreal Tournament III launched with PS3/PC cross-platform play, but as the years went on, it became hard to find PS3-only lobbies. When I started playing on PC servers, against real players and not just bots, I found that I could not only hold my own, but coast to the top of the leaderboard at times.

[Jowy]

the pupil has to become the new master eventually, dude.

[Pike]

gaben can have as much of my money as he wants

this

Also! If an actual Steam console ever comes out then everyone else might as well just give up right now because GAME OVER

[escobert]

This is slightly off-topic and I may be martyred for it, but... I've been trying to use a controller to play Black Ops PC for some time now...

The contemporary shooter requires you to crouch, prone, sprint, melee, jump, reload, switch weapons, use equipment, interact with objectives, activate killstreaks, throw lethal grenades, throw special grenades, aim down the sights, and shoot. In multiplayer, doing all of these things responsively becomes immensely important.

I've been playing CoD games on my laptop away from my PC for a while now, and I'm personally convinced it's not possible to map all of these functions to a keyboard to make them anywhere near as readily accessible as they are on a controller. This may be the most logic-defying thing I've ever said, but:

The FPS genre has evolved past the keyboard and is now at home on the controller.

I wholeheartedly agree, that sentence is a perfectly legitimate reason to sacrifice me right now on the altar. But I play a ton of shooters on both platforms and to be honest, it isn't anything new and not limited to games requiring a lot of actions. Unreal Tournament III launched with PS3/PC cross-platform play, but as the years went on, it became hard to find PS3-only lobbies. When I started playing on PC servers, against real players and not just bots, I found that I could not only hold my own, but coast to the top of the leaderboard at times.

Any time I've seen a keyboard mouse go against a controller the kb+m win. Controllers are junk and CoD is ghey console crap anyways

[Slothy]

The contemporary shooter requires you to crouch, prone, sprint, melee, jump, reload, switch weapons, use equipment, interact with objectives, activate killstreaks, throw lethal grenades, throw special grenades, aim down the sights, and shoot. In multiplayer, doing all of these things responsively becomes immensely important.

Sounds like you needed a mouse with more buttons. I just ran through my old COD4 keymappings (yay muscle memory) and all of those functions were easily accessible to me without moving more than a single finger. And considering I played COD4 for quite a while on PS3 before getting it for the PC, I have to say that I always found the PC controls easier to use and faster from day one. You couldn't pay me to give up the speed and accuracy of a mouse for a controller, particularly in games like COD or CS where I find being quick on the draw matters a lot more than in some other games.

[edczxcvbnm]

Even if the keyboard + mouse is superior, I have never really liked it. I was playing FPS on the PC before Halo and the duel analog revolution on consoles. I just don't find it anywhere near as enjoyable. RTS on the other hand just trout all over a controller.

I will wait on big picture mode until it is actually released because most games I have for the PC, I can play on the TV. I am playing Borderlands 2 with a controller on my TV with Steam. Works great!

[Madame Adequate]

Both KBM and controllers can be perfectly good for playing videogames and as evidence UT 2K4 for KBM and TimeSplitters for controllers.

[Bolivar]

Yeah, RTS will never be viable for the traditional controller and there's just no way around that.

Vivi, I'm curious as to what your mappings are if you could post a screenshot. What I'm particularly talking about is knife. Knife is such a key mechanic when you turn the corner and there's unexpectedly someone right in front of you and you need to end it now. Default is V. Using WASD to move makes it very inconvenient and not the time-sensitive solution you need. I'm not sure something closer like Caps Lock would be as immediate as I would need, either. I suppose a mouse button for my thumb would do the trick.

But then we have special grenades. And anyway you slice it, I think controller wins. Since Black Ops brought back leaning in its campaign to apologize to the PC community, special grenades are mapped to a number. Equipment, killstreaks, and activatable attachments are as well. I'm an excellent typer, but hitting the numbers above the letters is just not something I can do from muscle memory. I have to look. Not to mention you have to take one finger off the WASD movement to hit it. Being able to move while aiming and holding a special grenade is a crucial tactic for me, and I just don't think PC can accomodate it well. Again, I'd like to see your mappings.

Bert, I know you're just talking from your experience, but from mine, again, I've been able to cruise to the top of the leaderboards in PC matches of Unreal Tournament III while gaming from my Dualshock on my PS3. This goes to Vivi's point as well. I think the speed and accuracy factor that a mouse brings over analog sticks is now nominal. Not non-existent, but certainly nominal. I will give a nod towards counter-strike though, as something you simply can't (or at least shouldn't) play on a console.

Anyway, I'm free this weekend if anybody wants to get some PC gaming in. It's time I shut up Vivi22 once and for all about Counter-Strike

[Slothy]

Vivi, I'm curious as to what your mappings are if you could post a screenshot. What I'm particularly talking about is knife. Knife is such a key mechanic when you turn the corner and there's unexpectedly someone right in front of you and you need to end it now. Default is V. Using WASD to move makes it very inconvenient and not the time-sensitive solution you need.

No screen shots since I haven't even had COD4 installed in god knows how long. But once again, muscle memory!

crouch - Ctrl
prone - Not actually sure since 99% of the time I didn't use it. Z maybe because I was used to it being there from my Day of Defeat Days. Maybe Q. V would make more sense though in retrospect since my thumb rests right below it on the space bar.
sprint - Shift obviously
melee - Mouse button 4 I think. I have two mouse buttons under my thumb and it's the back one. I use a Razer Deathadder if that helps clarify it
jump - Space obviously
reload - R
switch weapons - Mouse 5, it's forward of the melee button. Didn't need anything else since you only really switch between primary and secondary.
use equipment - Not even sure what you mean by this. If it's stuff like Night Vision or whatever I'd never use it in COD4
interact with objectives - At a guess I'd say E. It's always my use key.
activate killstreaks - Never had trouble using the number keys, but I'm used to switching weapons in games with more of them using number keys. If I cared enough I might map them to the ones above the WASD keys but I never felt the need.
throw lethal grenades - Middle Mouse button worked fine
throw special grenades - F. I'm used to using it for flashlights and stuff and it's one key away at all times. I never relied heavily on them anyway since I favoured frags or claymores depending on my loadout. But even if I did use them, I'd be fine with F. I played TFC long enough to be able to maneuver well with a finger off the movement keys.
aim down the sights - right mouse button
shoot - I'm sure I don't have to even answer this one.

That works well for me. Everything that needed to be in easy reach was, and I never had any issues. Everything was in easy reach and usually more quickly accessible than I found these things on a controller. Not that controllers weren't fine for COD4, but I wouldn't want to play against PC players with one.

Bert, I know you're just talking from your experience, but from mine, again, I've been able to cruise to the top of the leaderboards in PC matches of Unreal Tournament III while gaming from my Dualshock on my PS3. This goes to Vivi's point as well. I think the speed and accuracy factor that a mouse brings over analog sticks is now nominal. Not non-existent, but certainly nominal. I will give a nod towards counter-strike though, as something you simply can't (or at least shouldn't) play on a console.

I'd disagree, but again, I played months of COD4 on PS3 followed immediately by months on the PC. The players on PC were definitely a lot better on average, and I played better as well once I made the transition. One of the reasons I actually stopped playing was because it became so easy for me to dominate the PC leader boards that I got bored. I'm not sure how good an example Unreal Tournament 3 is anymore. I played a bit on the PS3 against people with KB+M and remember getting crushed, but the game was almost dead on arrival, especially for the PC crowd. I have no idea how good the players that stuck with it are or aren't.

Even still, I'll say this: a good player may be able to hold their own or do well against the average player if they're playing controller versus KB+M for the simple reason that playing an FPS well is more than aiming skill. You've got knowledge of the levels, strategy knowledge, positioning skills, etc. that all come into play, as well as the ability to read the battle happening now and determine the best way to respond to opponents actions. If you can do all of that well, you can put yourself into situations where the game is less about who has the better aim and more about who has the better position and is ready for the other guy. But in a straight up head to head fight, or even when someone gets the drop on you and you have fractions of a second to turn and react, not having a KB+M puts you at a disadvantage the other guy doesn't have. So it's not that you can't do well with a controller, particularly in some games more than others, it's just that you're basically playing with a bit of a handicap and have to do everything else that much better. And obviously, if the game places even more emphasis on getting the first shot, then a KB+M is even more important.

Anyway, I'm free this weekend if anybody wants to get some PC gaming in. It's time I shut up Vivi22 once and for all about Counter-Strike

I like Global Offensive. Come at me bro.

But seriously, 1.6 is cool too. Even if the real CS players are still rocking 1.5 (in some parallel world where WON still exists and Steam never happened). :semicolonpee:

Also, I like the example of Turok 2 better for a controller recommendation than Timesplitters. Not because it was very fun, or plays well at all anymore, but because that game had the most responsive aiming of any console game I've ever played. If the analog sticks weren't fragile pieces of trout modern controllers might use ones that suck less.

[Bolivar]

We'd definitely play Global Offensive. No need to live in the past. I certainly have my qualms, but it's a good enough game to play rather than the older ones.

I still stand by my assertion - the difference is nominal. And when I mean equipment, I mean C4, Claymores, etc. In CoD4 and Black Ops they're their own slot, separate from grenades, so you need to map them too. I also still stand by my tactical grenades assertion, they're just really important to a playstyle.

Anyway, happy gaming.