Valve continues to adjust Steam's Big Picture Mode and handheld client interface. With the Steam Machine about to reach players' hands, the gaming giant seems to be re-evaluating its UI once again. The latest Steam beta client introduces a new feature called "Big Art Mode".
This mode can be optionally enabled. Its core change expands game thumbnails into a large vertical display rack at the bottom of the screen, with the selected game's cover art enlarged to fill the background, replacing the previous shelf-style grid layout. This design is functionally quite similar to the third-party community tool DeckyLoader.
In addition to Big Art Mode, this beta version also introduces several customization options, including new custom screensavers and an optional personal calendar on the main screen.
Linux users will also benefit. The desktop interface of the beta client now displays compatibility information when installing games not verified by the system. The compatibility tool dropdown menu is also now always visible, allowing players to choose different versions of Proton or Wine in addition to the default Native runtime.
Furthermore, the latest beta improves the overall launch performance of the Steam client and includes several experience optimizations related to game recording, the in-game overlay, Steam Input in Big Picture Mode, Remote Play, and exiting Steam via the system tray. The full update notes have been posted on the Steam Community.
