Steam is updating the user interface of its Big Picture mode to mirror that of the Steam Deck. As has been previously promised, Valve is making changes to the user interface of its TV-focused Big Picture platform. Big Picture is Steam's platform intended for use with a PC working as a console through a user's television, controlled with a gaming controller. The Big Picture user interface was a step forward for couch PC use, but the Steam Deck has iterated Valve's previous effort in ways that make Big Picture all the better.
The Steam Deck is, of course, Valve's relatively new handheld PC device. Yet while the Steam Deck is built to run PC games on a screen just seven inches large, what's important is that it's designed to be navigated with joysticks, not unlike Big Picture with a gaming controller. In that regard, the Steam Deck's user interface is an evolution of Big Picture building on Valve's experience. The Steam Deck is even built to dock with TVs, making it a proper Big Picture alternative on its own.
For Valve, it's always made sense to copy its work on the Steam Deck's user interface into Big Picture, so now it has. An official beta test for a new version of Big Picture has been made available. The biggest change is the implementation of the Steam Deck's user interface for Big Picture. Valve explains that the Steam Deck's controller-first interface is "perfect for all the scenarios Big Picture currently handles."
Since the Steam Deck is a much newer product than Big Picture mode, the update also brings with it a robust selection of new features. Valve lists these new features as new home screen, new universal search functionality, new controller configuration, optimized Steam Store navigation, updated in-game overlay, new system menu, and new quick access menu. Suffice it to say, Big Picture has been completely overhauled.
As exciting as the update is, Valve wants to make clear that this is a test version of the Big Picture update that is still rough around the edges. It's polished enough to be ready to gather community feedback on the product, but it's not ready for full release. Users who opt into the beta can share their feedback through Steam's forums and help ensure the new version of Big Picture is as good as it can be.
It's difficult to see this change as anything but a positive. Valve's Big Picture push didn't end up being particularly popular, and while a large part of that was how expensive Steam Machines proved to be the Big Picture interface was not without its issues, too. The Steam Deck, on the other hand, is popular and easy to use. Plus, unifying the Steam Deck and Big Picture makes for a better platform overall. Expect a full release for all Steam Big Picture users in the months to come.
