Valve revealed in a presentation at a developers event in Barcelona that their Big Picture Mode for Steam was getting a fresh new design.
According to Toni Dominguez, an attendee at the event, Valve’s efforts are being sunk into creating a new user interface for their Big Picture Mode. The mode allows users to have a more seamless experience using Steam when playing from their couch by providing an easy to use UI that doesn’t need a keyboard and mouse to navigate.
Yes, indeed. According to them, they're working on a calendar for games (to introduce scheduled updates, livestreams or special XP weekends, for a specific title), a new interface for Big Picture Mode and a better implementation for Steam Reviews.
— T X N I (@AlegreDominguez) January 24, 2018
The refresh would be a welcomed one, as the current design feels stagnate and outdated. While still extremely functional and sleek, Valve will have to introduce a wow factor or create a need to have big picture mode used more.
Big Picture Mode isn’t the only thing being refreshed. Last year, data miners discovered a plethora of files indicating that Steam would also be getting a new UI, and as of January 5 of this year, Valve is still working hard on it, says product designer Alden Kroll.
Yes: We're still working on it 🙂
— Alden Kroll (@aldenkroll) January 5, 2018
While the files are old now, they do show a pristine new look to Steam, but also a Steam where games will now share a space with other types of entertainment like tv, movies, music, and even comics. This redesign could mean that Valve is focused on creating a hub of entertainment for the 67 million active users on the platform.
Source: PCGamesN
