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What is the difference between Steam and Big Picture?

Published in Gaming 2 mins read

Steam and Big Picture are both platforms for playing video games, but they differ in their intended use and features.

Steam: The Main Platform

  • Steam is the primary platform for purchasing, downloading, and playing video games on your computer. It acts as a digital storefront, library, and launcher for your games.
  • Steam features a vast library of games, community features, and various tools for managing your games.

Big Picture: For TV and Controllers

  • Big Picture is a mode within Steam designed for use with TVs and controllers. It provides a simplified interface optimized for navigating games and Steam with a gamepad.
  • Big Picture offers a streamlined layout with large icons and intuitive navigation, making it ideal for playing games on a big screen.

Key Differences:

Feature Steam Big Picture
Interface Traditional desktop interface Simplified interface for TV and controllers
Navigation Mouse and keyboard Gamepad
Purpose Accessing Steam's full features Playing games on TVs with controllers
Features Full Steam functionality Limited features compared to Steam

Using Big Picture:

  • Access: You can access Big Picture by launching Steam and selecting "Big Picture Mode" from the top-right corner.
  • Features: Big Picture offers features like browsing the store, managing your library, and launching games with a controller.

In summary, Steam is the main platform for accessing games, while Big Picture is a mode within Steam designed for playing games on TV screens with controllers. Both offer different experiences catering to different user preferences and needs.

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