The "What's New" thing is obnoxious advertising that shouldn't be there when I'm trying to launch games I've already bought. It really cheapens the Steam experience. That kind of intrusive, excessive advertising is what I hate about every other launcher there is.

Steam used to stand apart in that way. The What's New section itself was formerly user-configurable, by way of Steam skins. Now, it's an irritating popup only avoidable by making some sneaky edits to the .css file (with workarounds available via google search). Perhaps it could be made optional again, to balance the clear and obvious pressure to inject more advertising value with the desire users have for a smooth and clean experience. Steam is the most weighty platform on the market. It shouldn't have to kowtow to the gods of advertising.