User reviews on Steam may get more informative after a Steam Client Beta update released on Thursday, which adds an option for users to attach their hardware specs to game reviews. Steam users have always been able to share their specs in the text of their reviews, but the option to automatically include that data could encourage more users to add it, potentially making reviews more useful.
When a user posts a negative review or reports having performance issues, the attached hardware specs could reveal why, highlighting when performance issues might be caused by a player’s hardware rather than a problem with the game itself (such as specs that are below a game’s recommended minimum). The option appears as a checkbox beside the text window where users write their reviews, so users who prefer not to share their hardware data can simply leave the box unchecked.
Thursday’s beta update also includes an option for users to share anonymized framerate data with Valve. The update notes state that this data will be “stored without connection to your Steam account” and will be used to monitor game compatibility and to improve Steam. However, right now this option is currently focused “on devices running SteamOS,” Valve’s Linux-based operating system that runs on the Steam Deck.
