Hasta La Gadget!

Valve has given us a better idea of when it plans to launch the beta for Steam‘s Big Picture Mode. Steam Big Picture Mode, as many of you already know, allows players to hook up their computers to their televisions and play the games in their Steam library on the big screen. In the latest episode of GameTrailers TV (which features a rather hairy-looking Gabe Newell) Valve’s Greg Coomer announced that the beta will be coming early next month.

“In early September you’ll be able to hop into a beta, click a button, and see Steam reformatted for your TV and usable with a PC game controller, or a mouse and keyboard if you want to play that way,” Coomer said. He pointed out that there are some games that are better suited for a gamepad, so naturally those games will be the best choice for Steam Big Picture Mode. Of course, Valve isn’t going to restrict which games you can play on a television, with Crooner saying that everything will still be there when you make the transition from the computer desk to the living room couch.

We’ve known about Steam Big Picture Mode since spring 2011, and now it seems that everything is finally coming together. Steam’s Big Picture Mode actually inadvertently led to rumors of a Steam console. This reported “Steam box” turned out to be a box that Valve was using to test Big Picture Mode, with the company quashing any rumors that it was about to enter the console space rather quickly.

Big Picture Mode is just one of a few intriguing Steam features that will be rolling out in the coming months. There’s also Steam Greenlight, a feature that lets players vote on which games become available on Steam, and Valve is also currently working on an overhaul of the Steam Community. It’s an exciting time to be a Steam user, so stay tuned.

Steam Big Picture Mode beta kicks off in September is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s been nearly 10 long years since SimCity 4 was unleashed, and next February, we’ll finally be getting a new installment in the main franchise. Electronic Arts and Maxis seem to be making a number of changes with in SimCity, and if you want to check it out ahead of time, you might be pleased to know that you can now register to be in the upcoming closed beta. Of course, you may not get in, but you’ll never know unless you try.

Registration went live shortly after Electronic Arts discussed the beta during its Gamescom press conference. We’re not sure when this beta itself is going to go live, but we imagine (or hope, whichever term you prefer) that it’s only a few weeks away. Also unknown is which platforms are included in this beta, as Electronic Arts didn’t clarify if this beta is open to those playing on a Mac.

This closed beta isn’t just going down to offer longtime SimCity fans a look at the new iteration. In many ways, it’s a necessity for Maxis and Electronic Arts, as they’re requiring that all SimCity players have a persistent Internet connection while playing. The idea behind it is that individual players will be part of a larger persistent world, which – aside from the thinly veiled always-on DRM – does sound pretty cool. Let’s just hope that Maxis and Electronic Arts can get all of the kinks worked out before release – after all, remember how all of that beta testing helped the launch of Diablo III?

As stated above, we don’t know when this beta will be going live, but with registration now up and running, it can’t be far off. Given the large following SimCity has built in the past two decades, you can count on the fact that a lot of people will be interested in signing up, so good luck getting in. The registration form can be found here, and be sure to keep checking back with us here at SlashGear for more information on SimCity!

SimCity closed beta registration now live is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s Gamescom week, and Electronic Arts has kicked things off by announcing Battlefield 3 Premium Edition. No, that isn’t a typo – Battlefield 3 is indeed getting a new edition, 10 months after release. As the name suggests, this new version of Battlefield 3 comes packed with a membership to Battlefield Premium, so if you’ve held out on buying Battlefield 3, this might be worth checking out.

As many of you already know, Battlefield Premium is a service that allows die-hard fans to get more out of Battlefield 3. Much like Call of Duty Elite, it gives access to all past, present, and future Battlefield 3 DLC, allowing players to get in on new DLC a couple weeks earlier before non-Premium members. There are other bonuses, such as exclusive weapons and dog tags, but the early access to DLC is the main draw of Battlefield Premium.

Battlefield Premium memberships run $50 a pop, but this Battlefield 3 Premium Edition is only going to cost $69.99 in the US, something that’s bound to make early Premium adopters angry. You’ve probably already figured out that Battlefield 3 Premium Edition comes with the currently available Back to Karkand and Close Quarters DLC packs (along with the upcoming Armored Kill, End Game, and Aftermath packs), but this edition also comes with a “Multiplayer Head Start Kit.” The kit includes 15 weapons, gadgets, and vehicle upgrades, so new players will be going into multiplayer with a little bit of an edge.

So there you have it, Battlefield 3 Premium Edition is a real thing, and it’s coming next month. Electronic Arts says the game is launching in the UK on September 13, which makes us think that it’ll be releasing in the US on September 11. That’s just a guess though, as we don’t have an official US release date just yet, so keep it tuned to SlashGear for more information!

Electronic Arts announces Battlefield 3 Premium Edition is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Valve has announced that the Steam Community will soon be going through a major change, but like everything Valve does, it’s revealing this “major” update at its own pace. That is to say that Valve will be announcing a new feature every day this week, and today we were introduced to Game Hubs. A Game Hub serves as something as a catch-all for the content related to a game, and every title available on Steam will be getting one.

As you may have figured out by now, Steam lets you do a lot of things with the games you buy. You can take screenshots and record videos, and some games come equipped with support for the Steam Workshop, where you can find and download mods. In additional to all of that, there are also articles from Steam’s gaming site partners, along with comments and discussions from the Steam community. Game Hubs bring all of this content together into one place, so you can see everything the game has to offer easily.

Speaking generally about this incoming update, Valve’s Emily Kent said that this is geared toward giving “the best” user-created content some additional exposure. “The New Steam Community is all about showing off the best content that gamers have created,” she said. “With over 89 million screenshots, videos, Steam Workshop maps, levels, mods, and items, plus news articles and product updates, the community has created an unbelievable wealth of content around their favorite games.”

There’s no ETA for this “New Steam Community,” but Valve says that a beta will be kicking off soon. We’re not sure how to get into this beta quite yet, so for now you’ll need to be satisfied with the knowledge that beta is on the way. Keep an ear to SlashGear, because we’ll have more details about this Steam Community update as Valve releases it.

[via Steam Community]

Steam Community getting ‘major’ update, Game Hubs detailed is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Rovio has introduced a new character for Angry Birds Seasons, a pink-feathered fowl who apparently likes to blow bubbles. This new bird, named simply “Pink Bird,” will be debuting in a new update for the immensely popular game. Alas, we don’t know when the update is scheduled to land, but with Rovio giving the update the title of “Back to School,” it seems it should be arriving before long.

Judging from Rovio’s new animated short below, Pink Bird appears to be a bit more light and dainty than the other birds we’ve used to take down the pigs. She’s shown using bubbles as a weapon, distracting the pigs in the video with with an egg-shaped one, but how these will be used in the game is still unclear. Despite not knowing the Pink Bird’s actual use in the game, we’re sure many fans are simply excited by the prospect of having a new bird in their arsenal.

Angry Birds Seasons: Back to School will be the 13th update for the game, with the first update, Trick or Treat launching way back in October 2010. It’s been an incredibly successful ride for Angry Birds Seasons and the larger Angry Birds franchise, and lately we’ve been seeing Rovio begin to branch out with new games like Amazing Alex. Angry Birds will likely remain Rovio’s main focus for quite some time though, as Angry Birds Space – the latest installment in the series – proved that fans will still eat up anything related to the franchise.

Just like all of the other Angry Birds Seasons updates, we’re expecting that this one will be free when it launches. Aside from the Pink Bird, Back to School will add a variety of new levels, though just how many the update will add is unknown at the moment. Keep an ear to SlashGear, as we’ll be sure to let you know once Rovio spills more details on Angry Birds Seasons: Back to School.

Angry Birds Seasons getting a new pink-feathered character is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.