Valve has announced that the much anticipated update to the Steam Library will be coming in the form of public beta on Tuesday, September 17. Filled to the brim with new and improved features, the company is aiming to completely strip down the somewhat mundane experience of going through your games and make it a fun and enduring one.
The Steam Library will now have a spiffy front page that shows games that you and your online friends have played. This page will also feature titles that are part of the Steam Events, which is something of a special tool that developers will be able to use for direct communication. This includes people who already own their titles, as well as anyone who visits the Steam Store.
One of the most significant improvements is the new landing page that will include easy access to your games, events, and updates. It will also show you what your friends are playing, essentially removing the friend sidebar that was a long time feature for Steam. You’ll also be able to create your own collections, putting a unique spin on the library.
As we mentioned before, new events are part of this package. Working with Valve, the studios will be able to promote their titles with tournaments, free XP weekends, and challenges. The main crux of this is to both, get someone to buy their game, or if you already own it, remind you that it’s sitting on the side just waiting for you to start it up again.
It’s a great way for both Valve and the developers to not only create fair competition between each other, but also make everyone aware of their product. Not that Valve ever had to really worry about anyone not buying anything in their store, it’s easily the most popular and dominant online digital retailer in the world.
Despite the recent threat of the Epic Games Store, Steam is still used by millions of people, due in large part to the vast array of games that are constantly being added every day. Still, this overhaul to the library is a most welcome one, and we can’t wait to try it out. The Steam Library Beta will launch on Tuesday, September 17.