Steam Big Picture's Steam-Deck-inspired UI overhaul finally gets its full release
After four months in open beta.
After four months of open beta testing, Valve's long-promised overhaul for Steam's Big Picture mode is live for everyone, giving the ageing UI a welcome, Steam-Deck-inspired makeover.
Steam's Big Picture mode was first introduced all the way back in 2012, providing a fullscreen, controller-focused UI option specifically designed for use with TVs and controllers. Since then, revisions to Big Picture mode have been incremental at best, and Valve's recent major overhaul for Steam's desktop mode left Big Picture looking particularly long in the tooth.
Thankfully, in July 2021, Valve announced it would be replacing Big Picture's increasingly musty design with the far more modern UI created for its Steam Deck handheld gaming PC, introducing an updated home screen providing easy access to recent games, universal search, a new controller configurator, and more.
Nearly 18 months on from that announcement, Valve's overhauled Big Picture mode is finally out of open beta testing and available to everyone as part of Steam's latest client update.
As ever, the full list of changes, improvements, and fixes across Steam's latest update is extensive, and full patch notes can be found over on Valve's blog.