Valve has recently rolled out a fresh update for the Steam desktop client, which not only brings a new interface but also aims to enhance the platform's performance on desktop, mobile, and the upcoming Steam Deck. While the previous update focused on improving search functionality, the latest one promises a lot more improvements under the hood. Valve's efforts to cater to the users' needs are evident as they have analyzed the search trends and made changes accordingly. For instance, searching for a game series will now display the top games in that franchise along with its hub on Steam. With this latest update, Valve is set to deliver even more improvements.
After updating their clients, users will immediately notice the changes brought about by the June 14 update for Steam. The Steam Library now boasts a new desktop font, while the Notifications tab sports a fresh look that can be enjoyed by both mobile and Steam Deck users. The downloads tab has also been upgraded, with an icon for the game now appearing at the bottom of the client along with a download bar. Moreover, Mac and Linux users can now turn on hardware acceleration to align the Steam Desktop client with its Windows counterpart.
The in-game overlay has also undergone a revamp, featuring a new appearance and some new features for desktop users. A new toolbar at the bottom of the screen allows users to select widgets and customize them according to their preferences. One of these widgets is the Notes feature, which was previously available in a Steam Beta client build. These notes can be pinned onto the overlay and displayed on top of a game for easy reference, and are saved in the cloud for access across multiple devices. Users can also use pins to place videos and browser pages on the game window for faster access. In addition to the new features and fonts, the Steam client has also received bug fixes, including a fix for the issue of DualSense Edge controllers turning off.
Valve is certainly not slowing down this summer, with a new update for Steam and the highly anticipated release of Counter-Strike 2 on the horizon. It's exciting to think about what other surprises the PC gaming powerhouse has in store for its loyal Steam users.
The latest Steam client update is now available for download, bringing with it a host of new features and enhancements to the Steam Desktop experience. Users can expect an improved and streamlined interface, making it easier than ever to navigate and access all of the great content available on Steam. So if you're a Steam user, be sure to update your client today and take advantage of all the exciting new changes!
The Steam Client notifications have been revamped with more options for customization. Now, users can choose which notifications they want to see and where they want to see them. Additionally, there have been visual and usability improvements made to the dialogs, menus, fonts, and colors. Some of the areas that have been updated include the screenshot manager and achievements.
The in-game overlay has been revamped and can now be accessed by pressing Shift+Tab. It boasts a fresh design, additional features, and increased customizability.
Furthermore, there is now a notes feature that allows for rich text formatting, image pasting, and offline functionality. Multiple notes can be saved per game and can be accessed through the in-game overlay, desktop client, and Steam Deck.
Players can now enjoy a new pinning feature that allows them to keep panels from the in-game overlay visible while they play. With adjustable opacity settings, this functionality provides a more customizable gaming experience. Additionally, when a gamepad is connected, the updated controller configurator can now be accessed directly from the overlay, streamlining the customization process.
The Steam versions for Mac and Linux have received an update that allows for hardware acceleration. Apart from this, a major part of the update involved improving the software's functioning behind-the-scenes, such as modifying the way code is shared across Steam Desktop, Steam Deck, and Big Picture Mode.
Read more about the update and watch the announcement video in the blog post here.
Other changes:
General
Display an error if the user is trying to log in anonymously in the client. This mode is only supported for steamcmd.
Uninstalling a game no longer displays a modal dialog
Fixed "Manage Storage" button opening the storage settings page
Fix soundtrack cover art not appearing in content management panel
Fixed popup menus opening at the wrong DPI in multi-monitor mixed-DPI configurations.
Fixed some context menus opening incorrectly when the opening window is maximized.
Fixed in-client link to support FAQ detailing Windows 7/8/8.1 end-of-life.
Improved login refresh dialog to display in overlay even if a game is launched from a second Steam session while another game is already running. Also resolved the issue where accessing app properties led to the Steam client becoming unusable.
Fixed download rate limiting not working in some cases
Fixed error when navigating the game list with arrow keys and landing on a category header.
Improved navigation functionality within the client by fixing an issue where clicking on store or community links in a news post did not redirect to the website. Additionally, addressed a potential crash during game downloads and cloud syncing when toggling bandwidth limits.
Improved sign in user interface by resolving issues that occurred when switching between entering a Steam Guard code and entering a backup code. Additionally, users who own the game through family sharing will no longer see the game released spotlight in the library, as the game is now ready for preload.
The close button on the Update News dialog has been improved to remain fixed at the top of the dialog, and will now move down to the bottom of the dialog once the content has loaded. Additionally, the issue of category capsules overflowing into the app details page has been resolved for situations where the window is very narrow.
Added new Achievements popup accessible from the game details page
Fixed "View Updated Items" context menu items in the Downloads section for games that have updated Workshop items
Moved 24hr time setting from Friends & Chat to Interface
Stopped forcing 12-hour clock display if the user did not explicitly select the 24-hour clock. The default is locale dependent.
Fixed incorrect UI state when a game is purchased while the user is in a timed trial
Updated URL for store checkout process.
Added a tooltip to "Other" section in storage settings to explain what it contains
Fixed occasional crash when toggling a game's favorite status through the play bar on the game details page.
Users can now customize their Ready to Play settings to include or exclude streaming and choose whether their local computer should be the default option for details. By default, these settings are enabled on desktop but disabled on Steam Deck. Additionally, we have resolved the issue of game list flickering to the top when selecting games that are already in a collection.
Fixed artwork modal sizing height based on screen width, fixes close button being off-screen on taller images.
Friends & Chat
Fixed issue where "Invite to Play" was not available in the Friends List for some games (e.g. CS:GO)
Fixed issue where going idle would cause Friends & Chat to reconnect when offline
Fixed chat tabs sometimes overlapping window controls if a lot of tabs are open.
Rearranged and reworded several items on the friends list context menu to make them more clear.
Fixed the friend menu causing a black bar on the underlying chat or group window in some cases.
Improved performance of the interface in the overlay when animated Steam avatars are enabled
Big Picture Mode
Removed support for -oldbigpicture command-line option
Improved styling in the Quick Access Menu's Friends List and resolved issues with notification toasts appearing in the incorrect location on multi-monitor setups or with varying DPI settings.
Apply text filtering preferences in Guides in the Overlay
Removed soundtracks from All Collections since it has its own tab
Fixed an issue where two settings pages could be visible at once
Fixed the switching of monitors when going in/out of BPM at start up
Fixed overflowing friends list when sharing a screenshot
Expand the hitbox of buttons in the footer to make them easier to click
Fixed showing notifications in the Big Picture Mode game overlay
Improved performance of dual trackpad typing in the Virtual Keyboard
Resolved the issue of a crash that occurred while making an in-game purchase in the Overlay after funding the Steam Wallet. Additionally, fixed the problem where the Main Menu and Quick Access Menu became unresponsive upon selecting a custom startup movie.
Any button press will now cancel the Wake custom startup movie
Fixed a black screen freeze when clicking on a store widget within a news post
The game invitations now display the launch option dialog instead of automatically selecting the first option. In case the user has already chosen an option and opted to remember it, the same option will be used without showing the dialog again. Additionally, the problem of endless loading throbber when selecting a group chat has been resolved.
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
In addition to games, search results will now include tags, allowing you to search for specific categories such as "Free to Play" or individual tags like "survival" or "zombies". Furthermore, users will now receive additional toast notifications that were previously only available in Desktop mode.
Improved the What's New section on the home screen by bringing back the display of Special Offers. Also resolved a navigation problem in the Quick Access Menu where the Battery icon in the header was leading to the last section instead of the intended Performance section.
Fixed inability to click on Steam notification toasts (eg. wishlist, comment).
Steam Input
Increase responsiveness of the "Joystick Deadzone" visualization
Gyro As Joystick can now optionally output to Left Joystick
Fixed Gyro's Left/Right Stick Deflection Modifier not working
Fixed Modeshift bindings not being removable when viewing the command on the input
Resolved an issue where selecting the "apply configuration" button prior to loading a configuration preview could result in the selection of an incorrect configuration. Additionally, addressed an issue where an autosave could become lost during the editing process.
Fixed the DualSense configuration preview not showing Mute button bindings
Fixed bug causing DualSense triggers to only read as 0/100%
Fixed error when viewing a configuration in the "Search" tab of the config browser
Added several missing Steam Link App virtual controller-specific settings to the configurator
The latest update includes a new feature that enables the export of configuration even when offline. The personal configuration dropdown now consists of two options - "New Personal Save" for the new offline export option and "New Sharable Personal Save" that uses the existing Steam Workshop backend. Additionally, the configuration export options are now filtered based on the device's connection status to Steam.
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
Added binding listener dialog that lets you bind inputs by hitting a mouse button, keyboard key, or gamepad button
The functionality of LED color and brightness action has been restored as a bindable action. Users can access the Action settings within the Game Pad tab while selecting an action binding. Please note that this feature is only available on controllers with LEDs, except for the Switch Pro. Additionally, we have resolved the issue where switching between the stand-alone instance of the desktop configurator and a game would not refresh the in-game layout.
Added missing inputs to the "Listen" dialog
Fixed a bug where repeatedly opening the configurator to the same config could cause edits to not stick
Fix Right Trackpad Click in the controller binding listening page being bound to Left Stick Click.
Ongoing rumble is now interrupted when switching away from the app that requested it.
Reduced maximum individual SIAPI rumble requests from 10s down to 3 seconds.
Fixed crash on macOS when using a PS4 controller
Improved the scalability of the Controller Summary page for different screen sizes and dimensions. Additionally, incorporated a mouse position dialog into the configurator, which includes the option for transparency within the game or using screenshots to determine position.
The sensitivity of Nintendo Switch Pro and JoyCons Gyroscopes has been adjusted to align with other controllers, ensuring a Natural Sensitivity Scale that results in consistent in-game output regardless of the controller used. As a result, Steam Input sensitivities for SwitchPro and JoyCon configurations will be automatically adjusted to compensate. It is important to fix the rotation settings when binding Gyro to Mouse output for optimal performance.
Improved calibration screen to eliminate fixed joystick dead zones. This ensures that the specified value is used when launching a game, even if it is less than 2048. Additionally, fixed the issue of gyro smoothing settings not updating when switching to shifted modes.
Improved detection of the Steam Virtual Gamepad on macOS has been implemented. The use of yaw correction-to-the-average-heading for Gyroscope as Joystick/DPad/Buttons/Lean has been identified as causing subtle drift over time, particularly in games that require frequent turning in one direction such as driving and flight simulators. This correction was also applied in GetMotionData (Steam Input API), which affected games that relied on the sensor fusion quaternion for aiming. To address this issue, the correction toward the average has been eliminated.
During fast rotations or when the controller is stationary, the Deferred Sensor Fusion technique applies accelerometer correction for pitch correction from gravity sensors. This approach is implemented based on the stationary noise tolerances in the calibration page, which significantly reduces the "ouija effect" during fine aiming in experiments. It is important to note that these gyro changes do not affect the "Gyro As Mouse" feature, as it solely relies on gyroscope readings and not accelerometer. Moreover, to accommodate abnormally noisy gyroscopes, the allowed noise threshold for gyroscope in the Gyro Calibration page has been increased three-fold, enabling them to pass the drift correction/calibration process.
Steam Deck
Fixed issue where a game's specific uninstall UI was not visible
Support has been incorporated for various notification types that are displayed in the Desktop Client and Mobile app, which include Wishlist, Trade Offer, Steam Turn, Help Request, Major Sale, and Comment. To enhance user experience, a bell icon has been added to the header to indicate new notifications and a green indicator has been introduced in the notifications list to highlight new notifications.
Linux
Fixed an issue that prevented the steam client from immediately reconnecting to the steam servers when resuming the system from sleep.
Fixed an intermittent crash when the OS audio server restarts.
Fixed a case where the per-app Steam Play compatibility tool override dropdown would not appear.
Fixed 'Delete Proton Files' not cleaning files that contain : in the path.
Fixed a crash when steam fails to connect to the pulseaudio server.
Incorporated within the Settings is a new 'Compatibility' tab that allows for modifications to be made to SteamPlay settings. Additionally, Steam has implemented the use of the system's global scale factor, which can now be configured through KDE settings under org.gnome.desktop.interface/text-scaling-factor.
Added a commandline switch to override the window scaling factor: "-forcedesktopscaling <float>".
Dynamically update the UI's scaling factor when the KDE system scaling setting changes.
Fixed issue preventing locally installed tools from being used as default steam play option.
Fixed issues with listing and adding flatpaks as non-Steam shortcuts.
Improved compatibility tools have been implemented to ensure that Steam Linux Runtime is fixed and fully supports all titles. However, it is important to note that enabling hardware acceleration on Nvidia GPUs may cause Xorg to crash. Although hardware acceleration is disabled by default on this platform, it can be enabled through the Settings->Interface or by opting into the beta branch. Please be aware of this known issue when making changes to your settings.
Known bug: dpi scaling may not work correctly when hardware acceleration is disabled.
Remote Play
Fixed the remote player getting "host busy" dialog after the overlay is dismissed
Show MB/s instead of KB/s in the bandwidth rate settings
Source: Steam
