Steam coming to a TV near you via Big Picture mode

Valve is to release a Big Picture mode for Steam, providing compatibility for the service with controllers and TVs.

Valve kicked off GDC today by announcing plans for a Big Picture mode for Steam, which will offer controller support and navigation designed for television interaction.

"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 PS3T, we've done just that," said Valve's Doug Lombardi.

"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 news if Valve's "big reveal" for GDC.

The Seattle firm also said today that it will this week "share with partners the data it gathered during the hugely successful launch of Steam Microtransactions late last year within its own multiplayer classic, Team Fortress 2."

"We've come to understand what type of content sells well in TF2's in-game store, and the various price points at which players value this content," said Robin Walker, game designer at Valve. "Our players are continually teaching us what works and what doesn't. Much of this feedback can be generalized to other titles on Steam, so we're looking forward to sharing what we've learned with partners at GDC. We're also interested in seeing partners get up and running with their own in-game economies, so they can collect game-specific data to inform their design decisions."

Valve's next major game, Portal 2, releases in April.