I'll also give my thoughts after playing around with this. First and foremost: we can finally sift through our own library using tags. GLORY HALLELUJAH. I've waited years for this. I much...
I'll also give my thoughts after playing around with this.
First and foremost: we can finally sift through our own library using tags. GLORY HALLELUJAH. I've waited years for this.
I much preferred the checkboxes for categories on the right-click menu, rather than the single-use menu entries. With each new game I add to my library, I dump it into a couple of different categories. This used to be a one-step process, but now it's a lot more: I have to put it in one category, which removes it from "Uncategorized", then find it in the category I just put it in and then repeatedly right-click and select each option individually. It's a lot more of a process than it used to be. Hopefully they bring back the checkboxes.
Community content is given too much real-estate, IMO. I turned on "low bandwidth mode" as a way of hiding it, but that just blanks a huge chunk of space instead of redistributing what's there.
The small font size seems at odds with the larger box art and bigger images in general. The new single-game screen has a nice big screenshot across the top with the title in huge letters, and then everything else is REALLY tiny.
Similar to font size, contrast also seems more minimal than it should? I'm not a designer by any means, but it seems like the text blends in with the background more than it needs to.
There's no Proton information. In the old interface, when a game launched with Proton there was a nice box next to it that let you know which version was being used. Here, there's no visual indicator at all that it's using Proton, nor do I know what version is being used outside of the settings.
I don't know if this is just a UI change or a backend change, but when I logged in to the new UI, all the free-to-play games I'd ever played that never stayed in my library were now added to it. Seems they'll now "stick" to your account whereas, in the past, they would disappear from your games list if you uninstalled them.
All in all, I'm happy to see an updated UI. I think it's been a long time coming, and most of my complaints are minor nitpicks that I'm sure they'll tweak and improve once they start getting community feedback. Honestly, the biggest and most important change for me is that I can use tags to sort my library. That, to me, is far more important than the appearance.
I've linked this before so you might have already seen it, but I use this site a lot to do the kind of sorting and sifting based on tags/features/etc. (but hopefully will need to do it less now if...
I've linked this before so you might have already seen it, but I use this site a lot to do the kind of sorting and sifting based on tags/features/etc. (but hopefully will need to do it less now if Steam can do some of it): https://www.lorenzostanco.com/lab/steam/
I have used Depressurizer quite a bit in the past to filter through my steam library as well. I have two main category tiers, HLTB length and Review Score. I also have one other category for just...
I have used Depressurizer quite a bit in the past to filter through my steam library as well. I have two main category tiers, HLTB length and Review Score. I also have one other category for just Co-Op but its not nearly as big as the other two tiers.
Having joined the beta, my first thoughts: "Oh god, everything's different. How do I find anything? Why are they showing me this stuff, wtf?" A little less stream of consciousness: The Home page:...
Having joined the beta, my first thoughts:
"Oh god, everything's different. How do I find anything? Why are they showing me this stuff, wtf?"
A little less stream of consciousness:
The Home page:
The fact that "What's new" is unsortable, unfilterable, and doesn't default to sorting chronologically is terrible. I'm getting news two months old and news from games I haven't played in over a year.
Easy access to recently played games in big, visually interesting buttons is good, especially the one-click play for the most recent game.
Showing your collections in big visual buttons in the main panel is fine, but doesn't actually show any benefits over the list on the left, especially because it respects the "Show only ready to play games" filter. With that filter on, I can't actually find games to install them, which hopefully won't trip up too many people.
Single Game View:
It's prettier, but in having big visual blocks you actually need more screen real estate to get the same info. Your activity and your friends activity is what you see first off, but most of the screen is a giant banner with game name and art. It's fine, and it's definitely an update, but I'm not sure it's actually an improvement.
The "Play" button is bigger. This is helpful for people who had trouble clicking a small button.
I really like the update. I love blur/glassy looks in general, so the new screen when on a selected game is literally a dream come true. The library also looks super nice as well imo - a little...
I really like the update. I love blur/glassy looks in general, so the new screen when on a selected game is literally a dream come true. The library also looks super nice as well imo - a little more detail and games that are currently installing have a little blue ring around them to show progress.
I kind of miss the old UI a bit, but honestly, I think it's overall just improvements.
I'll also give my thoughts after playing around with this.
First and foremost: we can finally sift through our own library using tags. GLORY HALLELUJAH. I've waited years for this.
I much preferred the checkboxes for categories on the right-click menu, rather than the single-use menu entries. With each new game I add to my library, I dump it into a couple of different categories. This used to be a one-step process, but now it's a lot more: I have to put it in one category, which removes it from "Uncategorized", then find it in the category I just put it in and then repeatedly right-click and select each option individually. It's a lot more of a process than it used to be. Hopefully they bring back the checkboxes.
Community content is given too much real-estate, IMO. I turned on "low bandwidth mode" as a way of hiding it, but that just blanks a huge chunk of space instead of redistributing what's there.
The small font size seems at odds with the larger box art and bigger images in general. The new single-game screen has a nice big screenshot across the top with the title in huge letters, and then everything else is REALLY tiny.
Similar to font size, contrast also seems more minimal than it should? I'm not a designer by any means, but it seems like the text blends in with the background more than it needs to.
There's no Proton information. In the old interface, when a game launched with Proton there was a nice box next to it that let you know which version was being used. Here, there's no visual indicator at all that it's using Proton, nor do I know what version is being used outside of the settings.
I don't know if this is just a UI change or a backend change, but when I logged in to the new UI, all the free-to-play games I'd ever played that never stayed in my library were now added to it. Seems they'll now "stick" to your account whereas, in the past, they would disappear from your games list if you uninstalled them.
All in all, I'm happy to see an updated UI. I think it's been a long time coming, and most of my complaints are minor nitpicks that I'm sure they'll tweak and improve once they start getting community feedback. Honestly, the biggest and most important change for me is that I can use tags to sort my library. That, to me, is far more important than the appearance.
I've linked this before so you might have already seen it, but I use this site a lot to do the kind of sorting and sifting based on tags/features/etc. (but hopefully will need to do it less now if Steam can do some of it): https://www.lorenzostanco.com/lab/steam/
Nope, this is my first time seeing it. Wish I'd known about it before today! It seems very powerful.
I have used Depressurizer quite a bit in the past to filter through my steam library as well. I have two main category tiers, HLTB length and Review Score. I also have one other category for just Co-Op but its not nearly as big as the other two tiers.
Having joined the beta, my first thoughts:
"Oh god, everything's different. How do I find anything? Why are they showing me this stuff, wtf?"
A little less stream of consciousness:
The Home page:
Single Game View:
I really like the update. I love blur/glassy looks in general, so the new screen when on a selected game is literally a dream come true. The library also looks super nice as well imo - a little more detail and games that are currently installing have a little blue ring around them to show progress.
I kind of miss the old UI a bit, but honestly, I think it's overall just improvements.
If anyone does like the update, there's always Playnite.