Steam just updated its reviews system to show when a user has 'played primarily on Steam Deck'

Steam's review system has been updated to show when the reviewer in question has spent most of their time with a game on a Steam Deck, rather than a desktop PC or laptop. Following the change, if a Steam Deck player posts a review of a game on Steam, a little Steam Deck icon will appear in the top right corner of their review.

Valve announced the change via the official Steam Deck Twitter account, stating «We've just shipping a new feature on Steam that shows when a customer review was written by someone who played primarily on Steam Deck. Keep an eye out for the Deck icon to see how those players reviewed the game.»

It's a small but sensible change that reflect the growing diversification of how PC gamers play their games. While the change is likely intended to show Deck players whether or not the reviewer had a good time with the game on Valve's handheld, it's also useful context for desktop or laptop PC players. If a Deck player complains about shoddy performance in a review of some graphically intensive game, for example, they know that's likely not to be reflective of their own experience. Likewise if they complain about the controls, or are reviewing a game that isn't Deck Verified.

Good morning! We’ve just shipped a new feature on Steam that shows when a customer review was written by someone who played primarily on Steam Deck. Keep an eye out for the Deck icon to see how these players reviewed the game, and let us know what you think! pic.twitter.com/RYVa9wVGYiAugust 22, 2024

This is the second notable change Valve has made to Steam reviews this month. Last week, Steam introduced a new 'helpfulness' system designed to boost reviews that are genuinely informative, while deprioritising reviews it identified as unhelpful. The latter category includes «one-word reviews, reviews comprised of ASCII art, or reviews that are primarily playful memes or in-jokes.» The helpfulness system doesn't remove such reviews entirely. It simply drops their ranking beneath