Steam client beta adds Steam Deck-friendly install size and cloud sync indicators

rockpapershotgun.com:

If you’re opted into Valve’s Steam client beta, you may have noticed a couple of small but potentially very helpful UI updates that rolled out in the past few hours. Changes that are available on desktop but could be even more helpful, methinks, on the upcoming Steam Deck.

The first appears on the Library page of games you own, but haven’t installed yet: a new “Space required” string that lists how much hard drive or SSD space it will need. As it stands on the main Steam client, you can’t normally see this info without clicking the Install button, so that’s a click saved whenever you’re trying to find out if a new game (or nostalgic re-install) will fit onto stuffed storage.

Clearly that’s a handy change for any PC or laptop, though I do wonder if it was made with the Steam Deck in mind. With even the most expensive Steam Deck’s SSD size maxing out at 512GB, free space could quickly fill up, unless you also shell out for an up-to-spec SD card. Or ignore Valve’s advice and upgrade the SSD itself. Either way, the Steam Deck’s UI will share plenty of elements with Steam's desktop interface, so you can probably expect the more readily available install size indicators to help allocate space on the handheld too. For now, here’s a lil' before and after:

The second change replaces that indicator once a game is installed, and it’s a new Steam Cloud icon that shows whether your save files are synced or not. Again, it’s small amendment, but one that more conveniently communicates info that you’d otherwise need to try launching the game to find out. A cloud with a tick means all is well, and if a game is out of sync, you can click the icon to attempt a re-sync. Neat!

This feature (or something near-identical to it) would