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The device originally sold for $50, but after it was discontinued the remaining stock was practically given away for the price of $2.50. The product was discontinued in 2018 with Valve shifting their attention to a software version of Steam Link which works on mobile devices, some smart TVs, and the Raspberry Pi microcomputer. The Steam Link was first introduced by Valve in 2015 with the intention of enabling people to play games in any room of their house. However, turn-based RPGs, real-time strategy games, and many other great titles are perfect for something like Steam Link.The Steam Link is a set-top box designed to enable streaming games from a computer to a separate monitor or TV. Input lag makes these games unplayable, and a streaming service will always have more noticeable lag than playing directly at the source. However, some types of games – most notably FPS and fighters – are still not recommended over a streaming service. Valve has done a good job at smoothing out many of the issues that originally came with the Steam Link service. Just make sure your computer at home is turned on and connected to the Internet and of course that Steam is turned on. Stuck on a long bus commute? Sync your Bluetooth controller to your iPhone and start a round of Civilization VI. Once you’ve set up Steam Link, you can stream your games no matter where you are. The process is simple and takes very little time. However, if any errors arise, you might be prompted to update your drivers. After you’ve finished the test, you can start playing remotely.Open Steam on your PC or Mac and look for the square icon with an up and down arrow in the top right corner. For the initial setup, you’ll need to be on your home network.However, the Steam Link app is free and requires nothing more than a decent Internet connection to play your favorite games on your mobile device, even if you’re away from home. How Steam Link WorksĪpple initially refused to allow the Steam Link app on its devices, but their decision has since changed, most likely because users can’t purchase games through Steam Link any longer. As of last week, Steam Link is also now compatible with iOS and Apple TV. Steam Link lives now lives on as an app on compatible televisions, mobile devices, and in the Raspberry Pi.
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Unless users had significant bandwidth and a reliable WiFi connection, the majority of games experienced too much input lag to be playable.
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Even when other controllers could be used in lieu of the original, the Steam Link just did not perform as well as expected. But problems arose from the ill-fated Steam Controller, a device that just didn’t quite fit the needs of the user base.
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