Valve revealed, during the Game Developers Conference, a new hardware accessory for televisions. It is called Steam Link and wants easy access to video games from a PC with Steam on any TV in the house. The new device will benefit from the functionality In-home Streaming, which promises high resolution and framerate, at a fairly low price.
The new Steam Link is more like a device of the type Chromecast, than with the micro-console. It only has the possibility to communicate with Steam and offers no other functionality. Its only function is to play a video stream transmitted by a PC on a TV from another room. We don't have details about the hardware included in the Link, but we can see from the outside what connectivity options it includes. Steam Link offers three port-uri USB, a port HDMI, a charging plug and will connect to the network via Ethernet.
Connecting to the cable network is necessary to ensure low latency and flux video in Full HD and 60 frames per second. Since we are talking about local connections, gameplay-ul it should be fluid, and the video quality should be good. Valve claims that Steam Link does not require configuration, as it can automatically detect PCs on the network. Also, it is compatible with all variants of Steam, being able to be connected to PCs with operating system Windows, cu Linux, MAC OS X or even Steam OS.
All processing is done on the main PC, so the level of detail, as well as the video stream, will be limited by its capabilities. For such a simple product, Valve asks for an appropriate price: 50 dollars. It comes without Steam Controller, which will be launched in November, along with the new ones Steam Machines.
Those who want to enjoy a casual gaming experience on the TV in the living room will no longer need expensive systems to play the games on the main computer. Valve did not announce when Link will be released, but confirmed that we will be able to buy it in 2015.
