Steam's Updated Front Page Shows Real Screenshots from Games
It was designed to surface titles relevant to your interests.
Valve has made it much easier to see what you're actually buying on Steam before paying up. The company has unleashed the Steam front page refresh it promised, which gives the store an upgraded facade that focuses on surfacing titles and updates relevant to your interests. Discovery Update 2.0, as the distributor calls it, adds screenshots to game listings. Since Valve now requires developers to post real screenshots instead of augmented images, you'll get a good idea of what a game actually looks like.
Steam's overhauled front page also gives you a quick way to edit your preferences, adds direct links to common destinations in the store, lists your friends' activities and includes a highlights section that shows titles based on the kinds of games you play and ones your friends recommend. It has a section for featured special offers, as well as a clickable preview of curators' recommendations and big blue buttons to help you get around easily.
Valve has provided a preview of Steam's new and upgraded features if you want to see what's changed before you click around the actual store. As for how effective the redesign actually is in helping you discover games, we'll let your wallet be the judge of that.