How do I play Steam games on my TV?

[shaun]

I want to be anle top play games from Steam on the TV but need a bit of help please.

I've connected the PC to the TV via HDMI and can use the TV as a 2nd monitor (extended desktop). I dragged the Steam program over to the TV display, but when I launch a game it always launches on the PC monitor anf I can't get it to show on the TV. I tried a few different settings but if I got the steam to show on the TV then my PC monitor just showed the desktop wallpaper and I couldn't use anything on the PC till i exited steam.

I tried Big Picture and in the display settings it gives me a choice of generic p'n'p display or my pc monitor - if i select the generic display it works on the TV but I can't use the pc on the pc monitor, but if i select the pc monitor then big picture works on the pc monitor and i can use the pc on the TV so its basically arse about face, any ideas?

Cheers

[Forcen]

Use it as the first monitor, or use the tv as the only monitor.

[shaun]

Cheers, but thats not what I'm after - I want to have steam games on the TV but still be able to use the monitor for skype and email

[Tev]

Originally posted by shaun:

Cheers, but thats not what I'm after - I want to have steam games on the TV but still be able to use the monitor for skype and email

So why don't you do your Skype and email on the second screen?

Just use a borderless window mode on the first screen for the games.

[Vaemer-Riit]

Go to your display settings and set your tv as the primary display device.

Unless the game gives you the option it will always use the primary display for full screen mode.

[ohad]

Hi shaun, I wrote a tool for this purpose exactly: https://sourceforge.net/projects/tvgamelauncher/

[ohad]

Originally posted by Spawk:

Originally posted by shaun:

I want to have steam games on the TV but still be able to use the monitor for skype and email

That won't work unless you use software that enables you to use two displays independently, otherwise you'll still have to alt-tab out of the game. Programs like Actual Multiple Monitors will do that for you, even though they're still not 100% perfect with all games.

Depends on the game. At any rate the game loses focus if you do anything on the other display, so you have to kind of click inside it again when you want to get back to it.