Valve Sneaks Peek of Gaming Headset, Unveils “Wearable Computing” Effort and Big Picture

If you’re a gamer, you’re well aware of Valve’s success in not only producing blockbuster games, but creating a platform for distributing games from other developers. With so much of the PC gaming world conquered, the storied game maker is expanding its reach to your living room – and it’s doing so in some exciting ways. One such product is a pair of immersive gaming goggles. The other is Big Picture, which will bring Steam gaming to your HDTV.

The New York Times took a sneak peek at the goggles, which put you in whatever world your game involves and let you turn your head to turn your character’s head. Right now, the goggles appear pretty unwieldy, but they’re prototypes – this isn’t something that will be launched anytime soon. Still, the concept is intriguing, and the folks at Valve certainly have the creativity and graphics chops for such a project.

Image Credit: New York Times

The beta of Big Picture, being launched today, turns Steam’s layout into one that is better suits your large HDTV. Right now, you’ll be using your computer to manage Steam and play video games on your TV. There is plenty of speculation that a console could follow the launch of Big Picture. Chances are that Valve is starting with Big Picture and then gauging the public’s reaction to it: if the masses want a console, it seems that Valve will have the software portion ready to go.