Browsing your library is much smoother, and you might just discover something new

Another section, called "Start something new," feels like an acknowledgement of the massive backlogs that many Steam users accumulate through the service’s regular sales with rock-bottom prices. It presents games in your library that you’ve never played before, either suggesting them because of their popularity on Steam or just selecting them at random. If you’re sitting down on your couch without much idea of what you want to play, it could be a useful way to discover something from the depths of your library.

Elsewhere, there are reformed search modes for both your library and the store, which pop up potential results as you type, sort of like predictive text for PC games. Individual game pages have also undergone a reshuffle, with a similar left column to the Library view letting you access DLC and other options. Overall, browsing your library is much smoother and logical than the previous version's unadulterated stream of content, and it might just help you find something new.

The new interface is still a little buggy — that’s what the beta channel’s for, after all. I saw UI elements rendered halfway off the screen in the Windows version, and while the Mac client seemed more visually stable sometimes it’d load as a black screen or crash altogether. The UI is also clearly targeting 16:9 TVs above all else, as it shows black bars on my 1920 x 1200 monitors. But it’s clear Valve is thinking hard about how to make PC gaming easier from the couch, and hopefully the issues will be ironed out in time for the Steam Controller’s launch. A Steam Machine may not be a wise purchase for now, but more and more people may find that it's not the worst idea in the world to just hook up a PC to your TV.