It certainly is a brand new year, and with it may come a brand new Steam client. I think I speak for everyone when I say "It's about time."
Revealed today via Steam Database (a website run by noted Steam dataminers), this new Steam client appears to be more in-line with the visual hub-based nature of Steam's Big Picture, with a more user-friendly library list and easily accessible sections for things like comics, movies and TV, all of which you can only find in the current Steam client if you already know where it is.
But, while all of these things are desirable aspects, and the new client would be desirable to me, certain aspects make me seriously question the legitimacy of this leak.
For one, Steam Database is well-known for these leaks, but many of them have turned out to be false or simply never turned out at all. It's gotta be two years ago now that Steam Database pulled up data on Half-Life 3 being in production.
Also, a close examination of this image reveals a few striking errors that I have a hard time believing were made by Valve. Any fans of Mortal Kombat will know that the hard "c" is a dirty letter, never to be mentioned or used in the game. But, the phrase "Mortal Combat X" is used twice on this image. Twice!
Then you look at things like Halo 5 Guardians and Forza Motorsport 5 which are obviously not available on Steam, and there's not sign that they ever will be. While this could simply be a mock-up, you have to wonder why Valve would make such a proof-of-concept, if you will out of inaccurate or misspelled game titles when anyone who owns Steam would have at least 100 games from which to use a title.
I hate to be a naysayer, but I just want to manage expectations. Believe me, I fully understand the need for a new client, and this concept does pique my interest, but I just haven't seen enough to shake my skepticism. That being said, no one will be more happy to eat crow than me, if this leak turns out to be legitimate. So, by all means, come back to here if that happens, go to the comments section and let it rip.
