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New Steam interface revealed, available as public beta
| Date Posted | Author |
|---|---|
| 25th February 2010 | Matt Bailey |
Valve has revealed a new version of the Steam client that gives the digital download service its first big overhaul since launch back in 2003. Since that time the service has grown tremendously, both in the number of features on offer - from the Store through to stat tracking - as well as the number of people using it. The user interface has been given a refresh to make thing easier to navigate, and it also includes a welcome replacement of the technology used to power the web browser that is used for the store front and in-game browsing. The IE engine is out the window, and in comes WebKit, which is the technology used in Google Chrome and Apple's Safari browsers, and should also make allaboutgames.co.uk look much better while playing your games.
In fact, the in-game overlay itself has had quite a bit of an overhaul, which much more useful information available up front, including other friends playing that game and recent achievements. There's even a rather helpful clock ticking away, making you aware of just how much of your time you're spending on Steam.
You can find out more details on the UI update on the Steam website or you can try out the current beta version for yourself. Just load up Steam, head to preferences, and opt-in to the beta from there. Beware, though, the beta tag is well earned at the moment with a few instabilities for some users.
