Valve introduces native gameplay recording tool for Steam and Steam Deck in beta

Valve has introduced a native gameplay recording tool whithin the Steam client, currently available in beta, including Steam Deck support. This new feature enables users to easily capture and share game clips. Users can choose between continuous background recording or manual activation via a hotkey. While recording, a "Steam Timeline" is displayed, allowing users to add markers for interesting moments. Developers can also integrate notable moment markers into the timeline, a feature already seen in games like Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2.

The tool is designed to capture in-game footage only, excluding desktop activities, similar to other alterantives like Nvidia ShadowPlay, Bandicam or OBS Studio. Users have the option to select which audio channels to include in their recordings. Sharing options include exporting to MP4, sending to the Steam mobile app, or creating a temporary link.

The tool is optimized to minimize performance impact, utilizing NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards to reduce the performance cost of video recording. On systems without these graphics cards, the CPU handles video recording, which may result in a noticeable performance impact. Valve plans to add more features, including individualized game settings, in future updates.