Build your own small Steam Box PC using Valve’s Big Picture Mode

As PC gamers, we’re big  fans of Valve Software’s Steam service and can’t imagine life without  it. We’ve got a huge library of installed games, all of our friends are  on it, and almost every AAA title is released on Steam, making it  indispensable. The only “problem” with Steam has been that its interface  was designed for sitting 24 inches away, at a monitor, making it  incompatible with couch-bound gaming. Valve has rectified this dilemma  with its recently launched Big Picture Mode, which slaps a 10-foot  interface on top of Steam and makes it easy to control with a gamepad.  Since distance and connection issues can get in the way of running your  desktop PC on your HDTV screen, we’re going to walk you through a more  workable solution. First, we will advise you on selecting a  small-but-powerful PC that’s suitable for a living room, then we’ll walk  you through selecting appropriate peripherals, and finally we’ll show  you how to get it all up and running, ready for Big Picture Mode  deployment. – Read More