The latest Steam client beta update is adding a handful of helpful new quality-of-life improvements, including the ability to see just how much space a game is going to take up before the player starts to download it. Storage space remains a pressing issue for video game fans, especially those who use their gaming PCs for things other than playing the latest chart-topping Steam games.
In the platform's current form, Steam users can only see the storage space requirements for a game once they click the “Install” button. While this is a relatively minor inconvenience, some wish that they could see how much free drive space they will need for a massive title like CD Projekt Red's ever-popular The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt or Cyberpunk 2077 before they begin to download it to their system. Not being able to easily see the installation size may seem like a minor issue, but it's particularly annoying for those with limited space, and is just one of many problems that has caused frustrations for Steam players over the years.
According to TheGamer, Steam users who opt into the most recent client beta update will be able to view the amount of data a game will take up right from the main game screen. This stat is placed right next to the "Install" button and replaces the current "Last Time Played" listing - though Valve assures players that this will return once a game is installed. Another update is a cloud sync icon that's shown next to the 'Play' button, which tells players when their save progress is being saved to Steam's cloud server. This also lets players know if they need to upload their save data manually. So far, these features are only available in Steam's client beta, but users can opt into it quite easily from the "Account" tab in their Settings menu.
These new quality-of-life updates for Steam might be especially helpful for players looking to pick up the upcoming Steam Deck console, which is finally set to release on February 25. A few of Steam's most recent updates appear to have been made with the Steam Deck in mind, such as the new console's UI interface replacing Steam's aging Big Picture Mode at some point after the console's launch. Storage space on the Steam Deck was one of the many issues fans have wondered about since its surprise announcement last summer, but Valve president Gabe Newell assured fans that even the cheapest Steam Deck model will feature an SSD slot for added storage capacity.
Even players who aren’t planning to buy a Steam Deck when it finally launches at the end of the month might appreciate Steam’s newest client beta features, as the ability to see how much space a new game will take up and whether or not their save data has been successfully uploaded to the cloud will make using Steam easier. It isn’t yet known when Valve will add these new features to Steam en mass, but anyone who wants to try them out early can do so by activating Steam’s client beta - which also allows them to provide Valve with feedback to help improve Steam even further in the future.
Source: The Gamer
