Steam Deck UI Comes to Desktop as Valve Rolls Out New Update for the Handheld; All We Know About Neon Prime Project and More
Steam’s Big Picture mode is now getting replaced by the Steam Deck UI. Valve announced that the newest update to the client will bring the handheld console’s UI to PC. It was reported in July last year that the Deck UI will replace Steam’s Big Picture mode on desktop.
“We are preparing to update Big Picture mode with the new interface we designed for Steam Deck, and today we’re making it available for testing. This update has been a long time coming, and we’re very excited to start gathering community feedback,” the company said while announcing that the updated Big Picture mode is now available for testing.
“This controller-first interface was designed for Steam Deck in handheld and docked mode, and is perfect for all the scenarios Big Picture mode currently handles,” Valve said.
The updated Big Picture mode includes features like:
- New Home Screen, where you can continue playing recent games, and see what’s new with the games in your library.
- New Universal Search, that searches across Library, Store, and your friends
- New controller configurator, designed for ease-of-use of picking, adjusting, or creating custom controller configurations
- Optimized Steam Store for controller navigation
- Updated in-game overlay, with access to achievements and guides: Press Steam / Guide / PS button while in game
- New system menu, for quick navigation to different parts of the interface: Access this with the Steam / Guide / PS button
- New quick access menu, for access to notifications, friends list, quick settings, and more: Access this with Steam / Guide / PS button + A
Valve said that the team is “still polishing rough edges” but the interface is at a point where they are ready to gather community feedback. If you want to try out the new UI, you have to opt into the Steam Client beta. Check out the instructions here.
New Steam Deck update lets you check handheld’s components
A new beta update for the Steam Deck can now let you see the device’s components. The beta update can be downloaded by going into the handheld’s system settings, and selecting the Steam Update Channel. After the update, you can check out the Steam Deck component lookup view by going into system settings, Model/Serial Numbers button under the Hardware header.
“With this new component lookup view, you’ll be able to see the model and manufacturer of major components in your Steam Deck,” Valve revealed. “We are making this information available to provide further clarity and transparency about the components and their sources for your specific Steam Deck, as it’s something we’ve seen customers are interested in.”
The company also said that this information can be useful for customers who want to repair or replace components via iFixit, as this feature will enable you to know which specific part needs to be repaired.
The list will essentially show a snapshot of the parts that are inside your handheld. It is worth noting that it will not show any replacements or swaps made after manufacturing.
More on Valve’s Neon Prime
Valve registered a mystery video game trademark for “Neon Prime” around three weeks ago that may be a new video game IP the company is working on. Tyler McVicker, formerly of the Valve News Network, says that Neon Prime could be a “Dota-adjacent sci-fi game.” It could be made by Dota lead developer IceFrog, and could take place in other dimensions, such as the Continuum or the Moons of Ultoria. According to McVicker’s sources, the game will not be a first-person shooter. It is also, of course, not related to Valve’s Half-Life: Citadel, which is currently in the works.
Valve Software’s indev game, NEON PRIME, is likely a DOTA-adjacent Sci-Fi game, made by ICEFROG, taking place in other dementions, such as the Continuum or the Moons of Ultoria. It is likely NOT an FPS, and obviously, unrelated to Half-Life: Citadel, Valve’s other indev game. pic.twitter.com/6L5PoJ9RT7
— Tyler McVicker (@Tyler_McV) October 26, 2022
In other news, Terraria has become the first indie game to receive one million positive reviews on Steam, as pointed out by PC Gamer. According to the list of games with the most positive user reviews on Steam, Terraria is just behind Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (5.9 million), PUBG: Battlegrounds (1.2 million), Dota 2 (1.5 million), and Grand Theft Auto V (1.2 million). This weekend, Steam also broke its own concurrent record with 30 million users online at one time.
