Steam Big Picture mode goes live

Steam's Big Picture mode is now available for all. Developer Valve announced today that the mode is out of beta and available for Steam's 50 million members, following a trial period that began in September.

To mark the occasion, Valve is discounting numerous titles through Steam until December 10. Deals include Limbo for $2.50, Alan Wake for $7.50, and Left 4 Dead 2 and Portal 2 for $5. For more on the special promotion, check out Steam's website.

To access Big Picture, players will need to connect their dedicated PC or Mac, laptop, or desktop computer to a high-definition television with an HDMI or VGA cable. Users will need Windows Vista or later to run Big Picture, as well as 1GB of RAM. For the full system specification requirements, check out the official page.

Steam users can play their games with either a keyboard and mouse or controller. Additionally, Big Picture adds a first-person Web browser, which Valve calls the first of its kind.

Further, Steam's Big Picture features a "Daisywheel" for typing messages and surfing the Internet with a controller. Valve says the traditional QWERTY setup works best for keyboards, with the new interface more finely tuned for use with a controller.