Steam Gets TV Support and New Screenshot System

Valve has just added two new features to its Steam service, support for being rendered on TVs, thanks to a Big Picture mode, and a new screenshot system that makes it easier to take and then share them with your Steam friends.

Valve has been rolling out new features for its Steam service left and right these days, both on the PC and the Mac platforms.

Now, right before the start of the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this week, the company has unveiled a new Big Picture mode for Steam, which will make it easier to use the interface on a TV set, especially if you want to use a controller and not the traditional mouse and keyboard.

Steam is already a mainstay for PCs and Mac computers so Valve wants to expand its use to other screens, including the TV.

Doug Lombardi, VP of marketing for Valve, said of the new Big Picture feature, "Our partners and customers have asked us to make Steam available in more places. With the introduction of Steam on the Mac, and soon in Portal 2 on the PlayStation 3, we've done just that."

"With big picture mode, gaming opportunities for Steam partners and customers become possible via PCs and Macs on any TV or computer display in the house."

The special mode will enable Steam users to connect a controller to their PC and just navigate through a more intuitive service interface, without having to drag out a mouse or keyboard.

More details about the service will be revealed at GDC later this week.

Until then, Steam users can now enjoy a new screenshot feature, which will make it easier to take and share them with your Steam friends.

If you're running any game that has a Steam Overlay and want to take a screenshot, you just need to press F12 (the default key).

You can then use a new screenshot manager to upload them while still in the game or at a later time.

You can upload them onto your Steam Cloud, which has 1GB of storage space, and then share them with your Steam friends as well as on social services like Facebook, Twitter or Reddit.

If sharing's not your style, then you can keep them private just for your viewing pleasure.

The new screenshot system has already been added to the service, so all you need to do is restart your Steam client and wait for the update to be made.