Steam reviews often make or break game sales, especially for games that are primarily popular on PC. There’s no arguing that Steam is the best storefront for PC gaming, as it accounts for 75% of total PC revenue for a lot of studios. As announced in the Steam Client Beta update for February, Valve is now adding even more features to Steam. The most important one is the ability to attach hardware specs when adding or updating reviews.
For now, the feature is limited to people who are a part of the Beta. If you’re on the beta, you’ll see a tickbox next to your reviews that allows you to attach your current PC specs. You can configure and create a reusable profile for these specs, allowing you to automatically use them for reviews in the future. In short, you only have to write them once.
A Smarter Way To Read Reviews And Spot Issues
Valve is also adding a feature that can record “anonymized” framerate data. This will help Steam collect performance data, identify your system hardware, and help Valve learn more about compatibility, ultimately improving the experience on Steam. The family sharing feature is also getting a new layout and navigation, and the Steam Deck feedback for Deck Verified ratings will now ask for a reason if you disagree with the Deck Verified status.
All of these are great upgrades, but the hardware specs one is the most significant. Performance gripes in reviews often depend on hardware, and without context, it’s hard to tell if it’s the game’s fault or a mismatched rig. Valve is probably hoping this cuts down on misleading takes, like someone blaming optimization but running outdated gear. Ultimately, the feature is optional, so you can skip it if you like.
Optimization is a major problem with AAA PC games these days, and this update will ultimately make things more transparent. It might make developers more accountable, as it would blatantly show bad optimization when a user’s specs are clearly up to the recommended standard. On the flip side, it will create more discourse in the replies to reviews (which would get a bit toxic), but help users understand if their hardware is slow.
