Valve continues to overhaul updates to the slow but content-filled Steam client, and next on the list is the aging of the game overlay. Revealed today.this reimagining comes as part of a major code reorganization taking place behind the scenes of the entire Steam software ecosystem, which includes the desktop client, Big Picture Mode, and Steam Deck.
As the embedded images show, the multiple information boxes at the bottom are gone, with a very clean toolbar (which can be in icon or list view) providing access to all previous and some new options. Taking his place to do. Users can pick and choose which windows they want to open, and Steam will remember the selection between games for easy access.
One of the new options is Game Overview, which quickly shows which achievements are close to triggering, playtime, screenshots, guides, and other relevant information about the game being played. Also new is the notes section, which lets players write down anything they need on a per-game basis that Valve will sync across devices and be accessible outside of games.
Notes, guides, discussions, and even web browser windows can now be pinned, allowing their most important parts to hover in front of the game even when the overlay is disabled. At the same time, Valve has updated client notifications to show more relevant updates and the screenshot manager to provide more information and be faster. Users will also find minor UI changes across the client, with some touch-ups in places like the header, settings, and server browser.
To join the Steam client beta, go to the Account tab in Settings and toggle the Beta Participation dropdown. On the Steam deck, it can be found in the Beta Participation section of the system menu, the same for Big Picture users.
Valve also highlighted that hardware acceleration is finally coming to the macOS and Linux versions of Steam, enabling faster and more responsive UI elements. Linux users can try it out now, but macOS users will have to wait a few weeks for their beta update to land.
