Steam on the living room TV just got prettier. Valve’s latest stable Steam Client Update, released October 13, adds a new Big Art Mode for Big Picture’s home screen along with the client’s first built-in screensavers.
Big Art Mode and screensavers
Big Art Mode is a new home screen layout that leans on large game artwork. It can be switched on in Big Picture under Settings, then Home. The same update adds a Personal Calendar to the Recommended tab on the home screen.
The screensaver lives under Settings, then Customization, and comes in two flavors. The default is a slideshow that can pull artwork from your recently played games and your own recent screenshots. The second is a retro bouncing Steam logo, the kind that drifts around the screen hoping to hit a corner. Big Picture can also load custom screensavers placed in the config/uioverrides/screensavers folder inside the Steam install, much like custom startup movies, and Valve’s bouncing logo file can serve as a template. A new setting can keep the screensaver from kicking in while you are in a game, and video playback in the store or browser will now hold it off.
Remote Play, controllers and Linux
The update goes well beyond looks. Remote Play gains an experimental video codec called Pyrowave aimed at high-bandwidth, low-latency streaming, along with better Vulkan capture performance and color accuracy. On the new Steam Frame headset, controllers now default to gamepad input in VR games that do not support VR controls. The new Steam Controller picks up a second Bluetooth pairing slot and adjustable rumble intensity.
Linux users get Proton set as the default for Windows programs added as non-Steam games, a clearer compatibility tool menu, and a warning when installing games known not to work with Proton. Steam Deck and Steam Machine owners get a “Default to Desktop Mode” toggle and HDMI CEC support that asks a connected TV to switch inputs when you press the controller’s system button.
The full patch notes are long, and GamingOnLinux has a readable breakdown. The update should already be live for anyone running the stable Steam client. It is the latest in a busy stretch for Valve, which has also seen its hero shooter Deadlock climb past Team Fortress 2’s peak.
