Hasta La Gadget!

As rumored, Valve’s bringing its digital distribution gaming portal to televisions today with Steam “Big Picture Mode.” Kotaku confirms the news this morning that the TV-friendly version of Steam will launch “later today,” alongside a slurry of screenshots and impressions. Beyond what we already know about the service — it’s the full Steam we already know and love, albeit with controller-based input — a variety of new details abound. A built-in web browser, for one, and a new form of text input for controllers which seems to massively trump the usually QWERTY setup.

The entire store is apparently navigable via controller (though mouse and keyboard still work, if that’s your kinda thing), and you can even prioritize games based on what’s workable with a gamepad. Does this mean that the long-rumored “Steambox” is headed to living rooms soon? Not so fast, says Valve. “We really don’t have a road map. And we think we’re going to learn a tremendous amount through this first release.” Big Picture Mode’s beta is PC-only for now, but a Mac version is promised as coming “soon.”

Update: Users can now opt-in to test the mode and download a beta version of Steam. Hit the second source link below to get started.

[Thanks, Yannick]

Filed under: Gaming, Internet, Software

Valve launching Steam Big Picture Mode later today, look at its snappy UI right now (update: it’s live!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Sep 2012 09:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re getting ready to wrap-up coverage for this Wednesday, and what a day we had. First up we had Nokia’s highly-anticipated Windows Phone 8 event, where it revealed both the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820. There was a lot to take in during the event, and you can find everything you need to know in our Nokia wrap-up. It’s there that you can check out product announcements and hands-on posts with Nokia’s new devices, so be sure to give it a look.

After we had finished up with Nokia’s event, it was straight over to Gotham Hall, where Motorola and Google held an event of their own. Google’s Eric Schmidt took the stage first to boast the latest Android numbers, before Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside hopped up on stage to outline the company’s plan for the “The New Motorola.” After that, it was all about the reveals. Motorola revealed three new phones in total: the long-rumored DROID RAZR HD and the DROID RAZR M, which has had its share of rumors as well, along with the surprise announcement of the DROID RAZR MAXX HD. If you were waiting for Motorola’s new devices, you’ll be pleased to know that we have a couple of hands-on posts that cover all three devices.

Woodside also said today that any Motorola phones from 2012 that don’t get updated to Jelly Bean by the end of the year will be a eligible for a $100 voucher, and it was announced that the developer editions of the DROID RAZR M and the RAZR HD will come with unlockable bootloaders. A little bit later on in the day, we found out that the PureView ad Nokia showed during its presentation may be a little bit misleading, and even though there was a ton of Nokia and Motorola news today, there was still time for a new iPhone leak, this time giving us an up-close look at the battery. Windows Phone 8 will be getting screenshot support, and today the EC approved a mobile wallet team up between three European carriers, much to Google’s chagrin.

Sony is putting its massive 84-inch 4K TV up for pre-order tomorrow, T-Mobile has rolled out unlimited 4G data across the country, and Getac has revealed its new Z710 Android tablet, which looks to be capable of taking a few hits. Pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy Note II have opened in the UK, where the new device has an expected mid-October ship date, and Ubisoft has announced that it will stop implementing always-on DRM in its PC games. Valve has been forced to impose a submission fee for those looking to list something on Steam Greenlight, Epson has unveiled a pair of home projectors, and finally tonight, NASA scientists today delayed the second engine firing of the Juno spacecraft, which will be headed for Jupiter before long.

That’s all for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up! Remember to check in with us tomorrow, as we’ll be at Amazon’s press event, where it’s expected to reveal a couple of new devices in the Kindle line!

SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: September 5, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Earlier this year, despite their initial refutes, Valve appeared to be on track to making gaming hardware of their own. It looks like they’re well on their way as thanks to a new job listing, it looks like the developer is currently seeking an Industrial Designer which basically states how they are frustrated with the lack of innovation, hence the need to step in and do something about it. According to the job description:

“We’re frustrated by the lack of innovation in the computer hardware space though, so we’re jumping in. Even basic input, the keyboard and mouse, haven’t really changed in any meaningful way over the years. There’s a real void in the marketplace, and opportunities to create compelling user experiences are being overlooked.”

In any case it’s probably too early to tell what exactly is Valve up to, but if you’d like to find out more and perhaps even apply for the position if you think you have the right qualifications, head on over to Valve’s website for the details.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Valve to launch non-gaming apps on Steam next month, Upcoming Counter-Strike: Global Offensive patch detailed, Mac support incoming,

An eight-year project to revive Half Life will culminate in the first release of Black Mesa on September 14, the team behind it have revealed, a free game built on Valve’s own Source engine. Up to 10hrs of gameplay will be included in the first release, taking the basis of the 1998 classic title and bringing it up to speed with the new, significantly improved engine, as the developers attempt to address criticisms of Valve’s own Half Life: Source reworking.

“[Black Mesa] will include our re-envisioning of Half-Life all the way up to Lambda Core” the team revealed at the weekend. “We believe this is a great way to provide a complete-feeling 8-10 hour experience with a solid ending, make our fans happy and help us make the best overall game possible.”

Half Life was originally built on Valve’s GoldSrc engine, but the company re-released it in 2004 as a new version after Source was developed. However, public and reviewer response to the game was subdued, with many expecting a greater improvement in graphics and suggesting that Half Life: Source did not take full advantage of what Source could do.

The Black Mesa team took up that challenge itself, the combined efforts of two previously independent projects to entirely recreate the original game. The overall storyline will remain the same, although with some tweaks and modifications whether the Source engine allows for better play, while maps will be enlarged and effects improved.

A second part of the game is expected to follow, though no release date has been confirmed as yet. “We are still working hard on Xen and BMDM” the team says, “but instead of making you wait we are giving you Black Mesa as soon as it’s ready.”

[via BBC]

Black Mesa due September 14: Half Life reloaded is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Welcome to Thursday evening folks. We had a lot of news coming out of Germany for the second day of our IFA 2012 trip, so let’s jump in. We have a ton of hands-on posts to get through, but first, be sure to have a look at our Dell IFA 2012 Wrap-Up for all of the details on what the company announced and what it let us see. Moving on, today was a big opportunity to get some hands-on time with a bunch of different devices announced at IFA today and yesterday, and of course we took full advantage of it.

Starting right off with Sony, we have a hands-on post with the absolutely massive 84-inch 4K Bravia 84X900 TV for you to check out. If a display that’s a little more wearable is more your cup of tea, then have a look at our hands-on with the Sony HMZ-T2. Of course, we’ve also got a hands-on with the Sony VAIO Duo 11, and for those of you who still want more big, we’ve got you covered there too with this Sony Tap 20 oversized tablet hands-on.

Lenovo has announced a number of devices during IFA, revealing the IdeaPad S Series Laptops. We have a hands-on with the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 for you to peruse, along with this Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 hands-on and this hands-on with the IdeaTab A2109 and A2107. That does it for the Lenovo and Sony hands-on articles, but in the words of some guy we see on TV all the time, “we’re not stopping there!” We also spent some quality time with the new Liquid Image EGO HD Mountable Camera, and we recommend that you also have a look at our hands-on with the HTC Desire X.

At IFA today, Toshiba announced a set of three new ultrabooks, and ZTE was there to show off its new Grand X IN smartphone – the first ICS phone to sport Intel inside. It seems that the incoming Windows 8 is making manufacturers go a little bit touch-crazy, and today we were treated to a number of leaks in addition to all of the news from IFA. The Motorola DROID RAZR M 4G LTE has suffered yet another leak, and it would seem that both the next Kindle Fire and the next Kindle Touch were leaked today as well. Speaking of the Kindle Fire, it turns out that the tablets have sold out in anticipation of Amazon’s big reveal next week.

Samsung seems to be learning more toward Microsoft after its loss to Apple, and the company may just have a plan to make Apple pay up should the iPhone maker release a new device with LTE capabilities. The iPhone 5 was featured in a new video and photo leak today, Steam Greenlight is officially up and running, and the Mars Curiosity Rover has finally left its landing site to go and look for clues on the surface of the Red Planet. Finally tonight, Windows Phone 8 may be getting a handy new parental control feature, and Google and Apple’s CEOs have gotten together to talk about a potential patent settlement. That does it for Thursday’s Evening Wrap-Up, but be sure to join us back here tomorrow for more straight from IFA 2012!

SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: August 30, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.