One more tool to make the Steam client the all-purpose software for PC gamers.
Just a few days after launching promotions for certain versions of its Steam Deck, and with the summer sales just getting underway on its Steam platform, Valve has added a new string to the already well-stocked bow of its Steam client. It's a string that many gamers have been waiting for, but one that could well cause a few teeth to grind, particularly among certain software developers such as the famous Open Broadcaster Software (better known by its acronym OBS), which has become the Swiss army knife for gamers wishing to share their videos on the Internet or stream on sites such as Twitch.
Valve
Valve has therefore decided to take advantage of its dominant position in the PC video game market - Steam is by far the number one PC platform/store - to offer gamers a new tool that should very quickly find its place with streamers, but also with those who simply want to show a particular sequence to friends, or even practice. The new module has been dubbed " game recording ", and of course allows you to record... your games! Valve insists on its universality, explaining that it is not limited to Steam games: " even your games from non-Steam titles can be recorded, as long as the game allows you to run the Steam overlay ".
Most importantly, Valve emphasizes the tool's ease of use. Basically, all you have to do - like most of our competitors - is press a dedicated button to manually start/stop the recording of a game sequence. What's more, a timeline makes it possible to place manual markers throughout the recorded sequence. That said, Valve aims to be helpful with automatic cues placed - automatically, that is - when an achievement is unlocked, for example. The idea is to highlight certain important moments in a video. Valve insists on the possibility of using this recording function to " see how [your] character died, or to [ remember] a previous dialogue with an NPC ".
Valve
Finally, game recording is obviously designed for sharing or streaming game sequences. Here, Valve emphasizes the simplicity of publication and easy sharing thanks to the use of the MP4 format and the introduction of QR codes to give temporary access to the video(s). Note, however, that for the time being, game recording is only available to Steam users who have requested access to the beta version of the client: Valve prefers to go step by step before making this new feature completely public, but anyone can access this "beta" channel, simply by going to Steam's settings.
