Valve is a hot commodity in the gaming media right now. With reported buyout propositions by EA (to which founder Gabe Newell said he’d rather Valve “disintegrate” than sell out), the recent launching of Steam Greenlight, and the rumors of a “Steam Box” console, it seems you can’t go anywhere without hearing the name Valve. Today, the house of Gordon Freeman unveils a new endeavor: “Big Picture,” a streamlined way to play your Steam games on your TV. The interface, akin to the 360 Dashboard, is designed for use on Televisions. The conceit behind it is that gamers want to play their games in the living room. With Big Picture, all you’ll have to do is hook up your computer to your TV, hit a button on Steam, and the new interface will pop-up, allowing you to play all of your games from the comfort of your couch.

The real benefit of Big Picture is that the new format is configured to work with your controllers. The product is true to Steam: you’ll be able to browse the Store, manage your games, pull up your friend’s list – do everything you’re able to do previously, only now in a more sleek, clutter-free interface. The format works on computer monitors as well for those wanting to use it, but that defeats the purpose. While this isn’t necessarily a giant leap in the console race from Valve, it’s certainly the first part of a learning process. Perhaps when and if the infamous “Steam Box” does get released, the Big Picture format will serve as a guideline for its user interface.

I’ll definitely be sure to try this out when the format launches later today. Head on over to Kotaku to see all of the finer details of Big Picture.

     

Photos Courtesy of Kotaku.