ValveTime

Big Picture Mode, Valve's optional Steam UI redesign, left beta earlier today and is now available to all Steam users. The mode, which features full controller support, was developed to allow gamers to more easily access and play their favourite PC titles on larger televisions anywhere in the home. Valve have also announced that Big Picture mode is available in over twenty languages, and that over 800 Steam titles feature partial controller support, while 70 feature full support.

Hopefully you didn't spend too much money during the Steam Autumn Sale, because Valve have announced the week long "Celebration Sale" to accompany the release. The sale is a week long, lasting from today, December 3rd 2012, until December 10th at 10am pacific standard time and is intended to celebrate Steam's "Controller-Friendliest" games including titles such as Left 4 Dead, Magicka, Deadlight, Sonic Generations and many others.

Head on over to Steam's Celebration Sale page here and check out the other titles also available for offers up to 75% off. Don't forget that, while they aren't included in the sale, the Orange Box games (Half-Life 2, Episode 1, Episode 2 and Portal) now all feature Big Picture Mode support after an update last week.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is now live, all beta stats and achievements have been converted into the full game, which is now available. The Counter-Strike blog has also been given a large overhaul, which you can check out here. We've also been busy uploading our video review of the latest Counter-Strike title. Can the true sequel to CS1.6 stand up as a worthy successor? Or is this sequel just an embarrassing child? Find out in our review below!

Valve has officially released the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive launch trailer. The whole video was made in the Source Filmmaker, once again helping to show off the capabilities of the software outside of the realm of Team Fortress 2. Check out the trailer below and let us know what you thought of it, and whether or you will be picking up the latest installment in the Counter-Strike series.

Feel like you've missed some of this week's many news topics? Fear not! The ValveTime weekly news round-up is here to help. This week we talk about Gabe's comments regarding Windows 8...again, Left 4 Dead 2 being faster on Linux than Windows 7, Cold Stream is released on Xbox 360 and much more!

We also announce our winner of the Payday: The Heist giveaway from last week, did you win? Find out below!

Valve has officially confirmed to us that they will be attending E3 2012.


Earlier this year Gabe Newell did respond to some fan mail about E3, and he said that they "are not announcing anything at E3... We are going to be showing stuff everyone already knows about (CS:Go, Dota 2, 10' UI, ...)."

But in today's email, Doug Lombardi said that Valve will have some Counter-Strike: Global Offensive stuff at Sony and Microsoft's bustling booths. And a small group from the Steam team will be at E3 on business terms only, so they won't be holding any dedicated appointments with the press.


There was no mention of the "Meet the Pyro" short or the 10-foot Steam user interface, but those are believed to be released later this year. Perhaps we'll see that stuff at PAX Prime?

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