Steam will finally let you record your gameplay, even on Steam Deck

By Tomas Franzese Published June 26, 2024

Using the game recording feature on a Steam Deck. — Valve

Steam, the popular game launcher and storefront run by Valve, is finally testing a feature that would allow players to record gameplay clips right from the Steam app.

It announced the “Game Recording Beta” in a Steamworks Development Events blog and with a dedicated web page Wednesday afternoon. The gist of Steam Game Recording is that players will be able to record footage of themselves playing a game in the background while using Steam. This has multiple uses. Using the Steam Overlay, players will be able to replay clips of gameplay they just captured and find “key moments” from their playtime through event markers on something Valve calls the Steam Timeline.

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People can also use tools to clip and lightly edit that gameplay footage, and the Recordings & Screenshots interface on Steam is being reworked to make editing and sharing easier. Right from Steam, players will be able to share gameplay videos with friends, export them, or save them through a Save/Share menu. Valve wants Game Recording to work on Steam Deck, and Valve wants to make it easy to send those Steam Deck videos to the Steam apps on PC and mobile.

For those worried about the impact this will have on the performance of their games, Valve says it designed Steam Game Recording “with the goal of taking as little computer resources away from the game you are playing as possible,” especially if people are using an Nvidia or AMD graphics card. Players can try out game recording by opting into the Steam Client Beta group, while game developers will be able to add more in-depth Game Recording support to their games through Steamworks.

A former Gaming Staff Writer at Digital Trends, Tomas Franzese now reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

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Gaming

This free plugin will make games on your Steam Deck look even better

Ghost of Tsushima running on the Steam Deck.

A modder named SnooOranges3876 has released a plugin for Steam Deck titles that lets players adjust graphics on the fly, improving appearance and performance, and the best part is that it's both free and easy to use. Called LetMeReShade, this plugin allows players to adjust illumination, contrast, colors, and much more on the fly. It can be particularly beneficial to older titles, too.

The plugin is available through GitHub. It circumvents the often-complicated install processes for ReShade mods and instead lets players quickly apply those mods to games. In the example video, SnooOranges3876 is seen changing shaders in Cyberpunk 2077 and Heavy Rain, with several other titles like Alan Wake and Monster Sanctuary as potential options.

Gaming

This Steam Deck accessory just put the nail in my gaming PC’s coffin

A Steam Deck connected to a TV plays Rift of the Necrodancer.

After years of putting it off, I recently accepted that my PC is in dire need of an upgrade. A graphics card swap last year slowed its march towards obsolescence, but it was clear that my outdated processor needed a boost to match. The more I researched, the more I realized that wasn’t my only problem. I was looking at a full motherboard swap, potentially setting me back $1000. That was all to maintain what’s become my least favorite way to play games. I’d much rather sit on my couch and use my Steam Deck than play on the same monitor I stare at all day for work.

While I know I’ll have to upgrade eventually, I just found another good excuse to put that off a little longer. Razer just released its own Nintendo Switch-like dock, dubbed the Handheld Dock Chroma, built for devices like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally. It’s a deceptively feature-loaded piece of plastic that has already transformed my gaming habits, putting another nail in my PC’s coffin. That comes at a cost though, both figuratively and literally, which stops this from being the one dock to rule them all.
Design and compatibility
If you’ve used a Nintendo Switch before, you should know exactly what to expect with the Handheld Dock Chroma. You place your device of choice into it, connect it to the dock via USB-C, and voila. Your portable device now outputs up to 60 frames per second at 4K on whatever screen you want, whether it’s a monitor or TV. It’s the kind of accessory that any Steam Deck owner should have.

Computing

Valve needs to rethink the Deck Verified program

Steam Deck held between two hands.

The Steam Deck Verified program was a good start, but it's time to move on.

Valve separates compatibility with the Steam Deck into four buckets. You have Verified games, which have a green check mark for Valve's seal of approval, and you have Playable games, which would normally get a Verified badge had it not been for some small issues (i.e. small text or invoking the on-screen keyboard). Those are the two categories you gravitate toward.