Valve released a new version of the Steam client
Valve has announced the release of a new version of their Steam client, encompassing refined features previously tested within the beta branch. This update introduces a novel foundational framework, with substantial efforts directed towards transforming the code-sharing mechanisms amongst the Steam desktop client, Big Picture mode, and Steam Deck. This also signifies expedited implementation and iterations of fresh features.
In the updated Steam client, targeted visual and usability enhancements have been incorporated, spanning dialogues, menus, fonts, and color schemes. Concurrently, the main Steam header, footer, settings, and screenshot manager have all received updated user interfaces. The Steam notifications have been revamped and upgraded, proving more practical than before. On this occasion, Valve has entirely reconstructed the in-game interface, not only introducing a completely new interface but also integrating several practical tools.
The innovative note-taking feature allows players to make annotations during gameplay, offering rich text formatting options, the ability to paste images, and the capacity to record multiple notes for each game, even when in offline mode. Notes will be stored per game and synced across other PCs or Steam Decks where the player is logged in, also remaining accessible on the game details page.
Valve has additionally introduced a feature to pin windows from the Steam interface, enabling them to overlay onto the game display. The opacity level of these windows is adjustable, with only the content of the window being pinned, excluding the title bar and other unrelated user interface elements. This novel feature is well-suited for accessing notes, guides, discussions, achievements, and web browsers, proving ideal for recording progress or consulting guides while gaming.
Apart from the aforementioned contents, there are numerous updated elements which players can gradually discover during use. Notably, this new version of the Steam client can enable hardware acceleration for Steam versions on Mac and Linux.
