Valve has pushed out the Steam Discovery Update, which will give Steam's homepage a complete makeover and make it simpler for users to filter through a gamut of games to find the one they are looking for.
Valve released the update on Monday, Sept. 22, that introduced new features and functionalities to the digital store, which will in turn enhance the user shopping experience as the number of gaming titles on Steam, a leading online platform for PC, Mac, and Linux software, games and digital entertainment, grow.
"The new Steam Store is here. And yes, it's blue. Told you so," tweeted Steam Database.
What prompted Valve's decision to update the Steam Store was the fact that since Jan. 2014 nearly 1,300 titles have been added to Steam's repertoire, compared to 304 in the same period in 2013. This reflects the increase in demand and the current update is a step in that very direction to cater to the growing needs of the consumers. A smarter homepage has come about as result of inputs from publishers, developers and publishers.
"We have made great efforts to increase the number of titles we can publish on Steam, which means more choices for customers," revealed Alden Kroll, Valve's UI designer. "This update introduces multiple features and functionality to help customers explore Steam's growing catalog and find the games they are most interested in playing."
The Steam Discovery Update brings with a revised recommendations system called Discovery Queue, which is a list of games where a user can swipe their way through new game releases. This queue is based on user preferences i.e. what they have played before and enjoyed. Users can add suggested games to their wishlist or skip them.
New search and discovery tools have also been introduced to aid users. One has the option of sieving out games one owns already or is not interest in from the list.
The update also brings Steam Curators, a program which will enable any user to recommend games to the gaming community based on their choices. The Curators can publish reviews and will also be able to amass followers who like their game choices. Their reviews can be rated by users.
Whether Valve's attempt to make Steam more user friendly and easier to navigate goes down well with user remains to be seen.
