New sections and wide images — Valve updated the Steam homepage
After two months of beta testing, the Steam team has officially changed the design of the store's main page. They have made a series of specific enhancements.
From a visual standpoint, one of the most noticeable changes is the use of higher resolution images. As a result, on modern monitors, the page has become wider, and the images larger.
However, more importantly, new options have been introduced. Specifically:
- Two sections featuring discount information have been added to the page: one displays games from the user's wishlists, and the other shows DLCs for games they already own;
- A personal calendar has been placed on the main page, listing upcoming releases recommended to the user;
- The overall volume of recommendations on the page has increased. An infinite scroll feature has been introduced, allowing gamers to see more games;
- There's more information about games as well. Hovering over a project image now reveals its brief description, rating, tags, as well as a micro-trailer and reasons for the recommendations;
- The "Popular Upcoming Releases" section has been revamped to better align with its name, showcasing truly anticipated games. Valve emphasized that more niche upcoming games can be found in other sections, such as the personal calendar;
- If desired, gamers can now disable the display of animated images and micro-trailers in the settings.
"Over the years, we've added new sections and provided more opportunities to discover and learn about games, and with this update, we want to focus on the coherence of the main page. Each section has a unique set of tools and information, giving players numerous ways to explore the vast diversity of the Steam game catalog. The primary aim of this visual update is to balance the uniformity of interface elements with the unique features of each section," Valve commented on the new design.