Latest Steam Client Beta Update Adds Many Fun and Flexible New Features

[T0@st]

Steam Client Beta updates do not normally attract much attention - Valve's iterative patch notes for the digital service application read in a mostly mundane way - but this week's trial system upgrade has turned heads. Valve has managed to introduce some interesting new features with this latest update - the in-game overlay system has been overhauled so users are offered the option to pin related windows over/on top of an active game session. Players are granted multiple options in the adjustment of overlay window opacity levels - so web browsers, document apps and image browsers can be customized to best suit the in-game experience. Users will also be happy to discover that they can now watch their favorite movies, TV shows or streaming platform within the same screen space as their chosen game - no need to minimize and arrange multiple app windows or shift everything across multiple monitor setups. The screenshot manager has been enhanced to a greater degree - Valve states that: "it's responsive, you can choose from large or small thumbnails, view recent screenshots rather than by game, and you can manage online screenshots as well as local screenshots".

A new Notes App has been introduced via the latest Steam Client Beta update - users can now jot down their thoughts and observations during game sessions. Valve boasts that the application offers: "rich text formatting, the ability to have multiple notes per game, and can even be used in offline mode." The blog also provides explanations of other handy features and improvements: "The new toolbar gives you access to anything you may need in the middle of a game - friends chat, achievements progress, guides, discussions, a browser, and more. We've picked a couple windows by default, and you can pick and personalize the pieces of content you'd like to see in your overlay - settings are saved between games. This toolbar can be switched between an icon view and a list view in Settings. The Game Overview is your one-stop shop to see what's going on with the game since you last played it. For example, it shows what achievements you have in progress, which friends are playing the same game, top guides, news, and more."

Today we're shipping a significant update to Steam Client Beta, with new features and improvements to the Steam Desktop experience. This includes:

• Overhaul of the In-Game Overlay, with an updated design and new features
• New Notes app, saved per-game, and accessible in-game or out
• Steam Client notifications are now richer and more useful
• The screenshot manager has been completely refreshed with new functionality

In addition to these features, a good portion of the work we did in this update went into significant improvements under-the-hood, including changes to how we share code across Steam Desktop, Steam Deck, and Big Picture Mode.

As always, we are eager to gather feedback and hear what folks think. Read more about the update here.

Other changes:

Big Picture Mode
Added support for Mouse4 (Back) as B button in the interface
Fixed opening the "Reorder controllers" dialog in the main Big Picture Window when a game is running

Steam Input

• Added new config export path that works while offline. In personal configuration dropdown the options are now "New Personal Save", which is this new option and "New Sharable Personal Save", which uses the existing Steam Workshop backend.
• Filter the configuration export options based on whether the device is connected to Steam/Offline
• Fixed some flashes when adjusting sliders in the Quick Settings section of the configurator
• Fixed moving right in the mode settings page not jumping to the appropriate settings sub-page
• Fixed turning off the Dual Sense Edge controller

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[Space Lynx]

update is garbage and makes it hard to find things in settings that most of us have memorized the location. absolutely unnecessary to change location of settings.

Valve 0/10 - Steam Beta Update for Steam Deck and Steam for Desktop Windows 11 April 27, 2023

My Steam Deck games no longer launch on the beta channel... beta channel worked flawless until today. 0/10 wtf valve. Steam Beta for Windows 11, updated today as well, its the clunkiest mess I have ever seen, very grid and block based, lags as well, its not curved and smooth like normal...

www.techpowerup.com

 

[oxrufiioxo]

update is garbage and makes it hard to find things in settings that most of us have memorized the location. absolutely unnecessary to change location of settings.

Valve 0/10 - Steam Beta Update for Steam Deck and Steam for Desktop Windows 11 April 27, 2023

My Steam Deck games no longer launch on the beta channel... beta channel worked flawless until today. 0/10 wtf valve. Steam Beta for Windows 11, updated today as well, its the clunkiest mess I have ever seen, very grid and block based, lags as well, its not curved and smooth like normal...

www.techpowerup.com

Gabe just trying to Troll ya bruh.

 

[zlobby]

Where HL3?

 

[ZoneDymo]

That notes tab could be very useful for some games

 

[Space Lynx]

That notes tab could be very useful for some games

indeed, i usually just use index cards and hand write... i probably still will... i don't like the idea of that note being there the entire time i am playing, ruining my immersion/field of view

 

[MarsM4N]

Where HL3?

Keep on dreaming, Mr. Freeman.

 

[Space Lynx]

Keep on dreaming, Mr. Freeman.

I think Gabe said one time the main reason for not making HL3 is that the expectations are so high he knows it is impossible to reach them and people would be disappointed in the end. I could be remembering that wrong, but I think I read in that in a magazine once.

 

[MarsM4N]

I think Gabe said one time the main reason for not making HL3 is that the expectations are so high he knows it is impossible to reach them and people would be disappointed in the end. I could be remembering that wrong, but I think I read in that in a magazine once.

"TheActMan" made a great documentary a while ago about Steam. Especially the chapter "Workplace Environment" gives some great insights about how they changed. Thanks to their "flat structure" Valve employees just do what they like, without any direction. They are now more focused on cosmetics & micro transactions. But who knows, Halfe Life: Alyx just came out of nowhere, so who knows. I bet if Half Life 3 comes, then on a fresh engine. Counter Strike 2 is just around the corner on a new engine, so ...

 

[Kohl Baas]

"TheActMan" made a great documentary a while ago about Steam. Especially the chapter "Workplace Environment" gives some great insights about how they changed. Thanks to their "flat structure" Valve employees just do what they like, without any direction. They are now more focused on cosmetics & micro transactions. But who knows, Halfe Life: Alyx just came out of nowhere, so who knows. I bet if Half Life 3 comes, then on a fresh engine. Counter Strike 2 is just around the corner on a new engine, so ...

The problem with Half-Life is that too many time has passed. It is literally impossible to stay true to itself and not being "too little too late" so to speak. The games, especially AAA games have evolved so much gameplay-wise that you can't just implement all of that evolution without changing everything except the name and maybe the atmosphere.

You might be able to reboot the series, but the same problem applies.

 

[Redwoodz]

Another app trying to log all your user data to sell. Can't even stop random screenshots being captured every session. Stop the bloat.

 

[Suspecto]

update is garbage and makes it hard to find things in settings that most of us have memorized the location. absolutely unnecessary to change location of settings.

Valve 0/10 - Steam Beta Update for Steam Deck and Steam for Desktop Windows 11 April 27, 2023

My Steam Deck games no longer launch on the beta channel... beta channel worked flawless until today. 0/10 wtf valve. Steam Beta for Windows 11, updated today as well, its the clunkiest mess I have ever seen, very grid and block based, lags as well, its not curved and smooth like normal...

www.techpowerup.com

Almost nothing has changed and the update is the best thing to happen to Steam in a long time.

 

[chrcoluk]

The notes idea sounds cool.

 

[Space Lynx]

Almost nothing has changed and the update is the best thing to happen to Steam in a long time.

It was just frustrating not being able to find the settings I needed, when I used to know their location, but now that I am getting the hang of it, yeah it is not too bad.

The notes idea sounds cool.

Yeah

 

[Sleazus]

Since when did the game activation not list what game you were activating?
I had a long hiatus from beta because a game I was playing wouldn't work with it.