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Valve adds 'virtual reality mode' to latest Steam beta
Valve is gradually embracing the warmth of an enormous video screen being mounted to its face, as it updated the beta client of Steam to add a "virtual reality mode" option. The newest beta version of Steam removes the "-vr" command line option in favor of a button in the view menu, which only appears for those with SteamVR installed when a head-mounted display like the Oculus Rift is detected. Virtual reality became a big focal point for Valve in recent years, and its former head of VR joined Oculus VR's new Seattle team just one week ago. Our friends at Engadget seem to believe that this week, the week of the Game Developers Conference, is the time that the virtual reality landscape will begin to "look very different." Given the recent rumor that Sony will unveil its own virtual reality headset in the coming days, we tend to agree. [Image: Oculus VR]
Rumor: Steam beta update file suggests game sharing is coming
Those who opted into the Steam client beta may see some interesting language alluding to game sharing in the "steamui_english" file of the latest update. It's suggested that Steam users will be able to set a shared game library – when the original owner logs into the game, the game sharer gets a prompt to quit out. If you want to see the file for yourself, you'll need to be running the beta version of Steam – go into Steam settings and opt in, then restart the client. Then, you'll need to head into your public folder and open the "steamui_english" file in a text editor like Notepad. Final step: crack open a cold soda, sit back and feel good about being a computer genius.
Left 4 Dead 2 adds Helm's Deep Reborn to official servers list
The fanmade map Helm's Deep – wherein Left 4 Dead 2 players attempt to defend the iconic Lord of the Rings castle fortress from relentless hordes of the undead – is now an officially supported map.It's part of the latest update to Left 4 Dead 2, which addresses consistency issues when playing on dedicated servers – Valve also decided to add Helm's Deep to the official servers list. If you want to add the map to your game, all you have to do is head to the Steam Workshop page for Helm's Deep Reborn and click to subscribe to download the map.The Steam beta version of Left 4 Dead 2 recently added an Extended Mutation system, where players could tweak existing game types and maps or come up with entirely new ones of their own design. To date, the Left 4 Dead series has sold more than 12 million copies.
Steam UI update beta now live; Half-Life 2 achievements spotted
Click image to take a tour of the new Steam. Active Steam users will likely find the first half of this post to be a bit on the old hat side, but we soldier on: Valve's flipped the switch on a new and improved beta version of Steam. If you've already got a Steam account, you can download the new version by hitting up this page. The beta adds all kinds of nifty stuff, like accessible lists of what games your friends have downloaded (along with their personal stats for each title) and some new ways for you to sort and organize game libraries. There's also cross-game achievement tracking -- and Valve's finally done away with Internet Explorer rendering, swapping it out for the friendlier open-source WebKit engine. But, that's not all! Our sister site Big Download was cruising around the new achievements interface and noticed that Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One now have achievements listed under them. As you know, Half-Life 2 released right around the time achievements were finalized, so it never arrived on Steam with them. Sadly, there's no news other than the icons -- which look a lot like those found in the Orange Box on Xbox 360. We'll be sure to keep you posted. %Gallery-86401% Source - Half-Life 2 achievements spotted Source - Steam beta update news
