A new client beta update for the desktop version ofSteamwas deployed yesterday, and its added some pretty nifty features for PC gamers to take advantage of.
Unfortunately, the update is currently only available in a beta form, which means users will need to physically opt-in themselves if they want to check it out. A full release of the update, along with all of the included features, will be available in the future, but no firm release date was given by Valve. But for those who have opted into the beta, there are plenty of new features included in the latest update.
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Valve has said that a vast majority of the changes in the latest beta update were actually made “under the hood,” meaning most of them won’t be immediately visible. “Much of the work went into changing how we share code across the Steam Desktop Client, Big Picture mode, and Steam Deck,” Valve announced.
But that’s not to say there aren’t plenty of visible changes too, as this actually seems like a pretty substantial update to the Steam client. First up is a complete overhaul of the in-game overlay, which will now allow for more customizability. The overhaul includes a new toolbar to allow users to access anything they may need in the middle of a game, such as friends chat, achievements progress, guides, a browser, and more.
Then there’s the new notes app, which is arguably one of the coolest little features to be added in the update. Like most note apps, it will allow players to write down anything they wish and pin it to their screen so they can view it in-game. Valve says that these notes are saved per game and are synced across to any other PCs you are logged into, and are also accessible outside the in-game overlay, on the game details page.
Have you ever wanted to watch a film whilst playing your favorite PC game? No, me neither. But Valve has said screw it and let us do it anyway. A new feature will now let users pin windows from the overlay so that they can appear on top of the game while in-game. Users can adjust the opacity level of the window and it will work with notes, guides, discussions, and the web browser. So yes, watching a film whilst playing a game is now actually possible.
There’s also an overhaul to Steam’s notifications, a new screenshot manager, and more included in the update. If you want to find out more, check outValve’s full blog post.
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