Steam beta update previews an upcoming UI that doesn’t look half bad
The downloads view gets a significant redesign to make it both good-looking and useful.
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What you need to know
While the news cycle has been dominated lately by theSteam Deck, Valve’s boffins continue to plug away on the Steam client for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and the latest beta client is one to pay attention to. There are the usual fixes and tweaks underneath, but what’s most interesting is the emergence of some redesigned UI elements that look really rather good.
The downloads page is the biggest change, having been completely redesigned with not only a new look but new features, too. The complete list of changes can be found on theannouncement post, but besides the new look, some of the key additions include:
The UI overhaul also applies to the library folders area of the settings menu. Each drive you have a library folder on gets its own tab and there is also an option to easily move games between drives. This doesn’t seem to work at the moment, at least not with any games I have installed, but when it does it’ll be a nice, easy way to move games about without having to dive into File Explorer. Presumably, this will also be useful for moving games between the internal drive and the SD card on the Steam Deck, too.
Steam Input also gets some love, with tweaks to its CPU usage, as well as support for yet moreXbox Series Xcontrollers. Apparently, all of the newest PowerA controllers are now supported by Steam Input, making them easier to use with your PC games.
If you want to take the new look for a spin yourself you can opt-in to the beta program in the settings menu of the Steam client on your PC. The latest version is available now for Windows, Mac and Linux.
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Richard Devine is a Managing Editor at Windows Central with over a decade of experience. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently, you’ll find him steering the site’s coverage of all manner of PC hardware and reviews. Find him on Mastodon atmstdn.social/@richdevine
