Game reviews often feature simple praises or complaints, such as high scores for impressive performance or reports of frequent crashes. Understanding the reviewer's setup can alter perceptions—for instance, a glowing endorsement from a user with top-tier graphics hardware versus a negative one from someone using an underpowered device like an older tablet. Steam's new beta now offers this additional context in certain cases.
In the most recent Steam beta release, reviewers have the choice to include details about their computer's hardware when submitting feedback for a title. While some users already share such information voluntarily, an integrated tool to streamline this process provides valuable insights for others assessing compatibility and performance on their own systems.
During testing of this beta option on a game’s store page, the feature proved to be elective and turned off initially, which is a positive design choice. Although Steam accounts maintain reasonable privacy, disclosing precise hardware components might contribute to online tracking efforts. The system also supports storing various hardware profiles, useful for those who switch between setups like a standard gaming PC or portable device such as the Steam Deck.
Despite the option being active for users, the attached hardware information does not appear in the reviews viewed by others. An examination of recent feedback for leading titles showed no displayed specs, and even after enabling the feature in a personal review, it remained hidden. It seems likely that the data is stored backend and will become public in a future update, possibly after the beta phase concludes and rolls out widely.
This experimental capability is available in the current Steam beta client. To join, users on the regular version should navigate to the settings menu, select the Interface section, and choose participation in the Client Beta program.