Steam Gives Storage Manager and Download Page a Much-Needed Refresh

Steam has released new-and-improved versions of its downloads page and storage manager, and PC gamers everywhere are rejoicing. The release allows you to view multiple libraries at once, view all download speed details in one clean line, and reorder downloads, among other capabilities.

For those with extensive game libraries, the update is long overdue. Steam’s previous storage manager wasn’t as much a manager as it was an underwhelming display. It didn’t contain any real functionality; all it did was show the amount of storage space you were using for games on any given drive. The only thing you could do with it (besides wonder why you bought so many games) was create a new library folder, into which you could shift future downloads.

Steam’s new storage manager is much more user-friendly and offers improved visibility as to which games are installed on a specific drive. You can still create new folders, but now you can also easily select individual games and move them onto other drives. The updated storage manager also features a visual display of how much storage you’re spending on games and other content, versus how much free space you have to fill with wishlist items. You can even order by game size, title, or which games you last played.

Steam’s downloads page also received a facelift, both in regards to accessibility and to overall user-friendliness. Valve changed the page’s color scheme to be more discernible to the visually impaired. Rather than only showing content progress as a game is downloading, the page now displays disk allocation, which prevents confusion as to whether a download has actually completed or still has a while to go. You can select an information icon next to a game’s title to convey what category the update falls into: Game Content, Downloadable Content, Workshop Content, and Shader Pre-caching. And for those with several updates or installs to catch up on, downloads are now reorderable by dragging and dropping titles.

If you want to try out the new storage manager, you first have to enroll in Steam’s beta program. This can quickly be accomplished by opening Steam settings, and under the “Account” tab changing “Beta participation” to “Steam Beta Update.” Steam will prompt you to restart the software. After that, open settings again, and under “Downloads,” click “Steam Library Folders.” The updated downloads page can be found at the bottom of the Steam client by clicking “Downloads.”

Continue reading

NASA Gives Up on InSight’s Burrowing Mars Heat Probe

NASA's InSight lander has been studying the red planet for more than two years now. During that time, InSIght has beamed back data on the planet's seismic activity, weather, and even the sound of blowing wind. It was also supposed to relay data on the planet's internal temperature, but NASA has announced that it's giving up on that endeavor after being unable to get the heat probe to burrow into the fine Martian soil.

Razer Synapse Bug Gives Windows Admin Access to Anyone Who Can Plug in a Mouse

You might want to keep an eye on your USB ports for the next few days. A security researcher has disclosed a disturbingly easy way to gain admin privileges in Windows 10 without a password, and for once, it's not Microsoft's fault.

Oculus Gives Discontinued Oculus Go a New Lease on Life with Unlocked Software

The release of the Oculus Go in 2018 was an important step for Facebook's Virtual Reality division, but the product was short-lived. After being made obsolete by the Oculus Quest, the company discontinued the Go in 2020. Still, Facebook sold millions of the standalone headsets, and now they're more capable thanks to an unlocked software update.

Humble Bundle Drops Linux and macOS, Gives Customers Mere Weeks to Save Their Games

Humble Bundle has announced a change to the subscription that some gamers won't like. It's simplifying its subscription offerings and rolling out a new launcher, but that launcher is Windows-only.