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I bought the Steam Link with the idea that I would have a hassle-free device to play video games on my television. After playing with it for a few hours, the device shows potential but does not deliver what Steam is trying to sell.
Note: The Steam Link is using a wired connection, and my desktop GPU doing the streaming is a GeForce GTX 660.
Introduction
I've been a console player for many years. When the last generation of consoles came out on the market, I got rid of my Xbox 360 to start playing on my computer and, even better, on Linux, but I've always preferred to play on my television. The problem with playing on a TV is it's not always in an easy location.
I tried with a 25 foot HDMI cable, it worked but I would have needed a 50 foot cable to be able to get a permanent installation and, I'm lazy. I did not want to play with the drivers to switch between my computer screen and my television all the time.
So, when Steam announced the Steam Link, I pre-ordered it.
Unboxing
The device is surprisingly small; not much longer than a pencil. It comes with an AC adapter, an HDMI cable, a network cable and a multiple outlet fitting. So you can buy one here in Canada and bring it back to UK. :)
The Steam Link does not have any LEDs except for the network cable. It really is a plug and play device.
Testing
One thing you need is a controller (I did not try a keyboard) to have it work. The box will start and scan your network to discover a computer with Steam. When it finds one and connects to it, it will display an authorization code that you have to enter on your computer. It is a very simple setup and I was really happy with its simplicity.
When the Steam Link connects to my computer, the Big Picture Mode starts automatically and this is where the complications started.
I was very excited and started to look around the menus. The first thing I noticed is that I had flashes of the wallpaper from my desktop here and there. Navigating or just waiting to do nothing. It's just a flash but it is enough to spoil the experience. (First support ticket opened with Steam). If you want to use the Steam Link, be sure that your screen saver is not activated. I have not yet reported the bug to Steam.
Anyway, I had to step out for a couple of hours and when I came back, I launched the Steam Link again and I saw my screen saver. I was not able to do anything. So I went on my computer to move my mouse and everything went fine.
I launched my first game and it had no sound. When I was in the Steam menu, I heard a background sound and another sound when switching in the Steam menus, but no sound for my game. After researching on the web, the trick is to connect headphones to my computer and then start the Steam Link; weird enough, but it works (second support ticket opened with Steam).
Editor Note: The article author sent us a message to tell us the sound problems went away by opting into the Steam beta.
The experience with the games I tried are really random:
XCOM: Enemy Within - The performance was choppy, so I had a real bad experience with it and it wasn't enjoyable at all. Reducing the video settings helped a bit but not enough. Especially when it is so smooth on my desktop directly.
Mark of the Ninja - I've never been able to use my Steam Controller; the game freezes every time. I don't think it is a Steam Link issue but an incompatibility with the Steam Controller... (To be investigated)
Borderlands Pre-Sequel - Wonderful, it plays flawlessly. It is smooth and working fine.
Defense Grid 2 - I got a green screen on the Steam Link but it was fine on my computer. I changed some video settings around, same result. (Third support ticket)
Conclusion
I don't think the Steam Link was ready for the mass market and it inherits all of the bugs: Big Picture Mode which is not really stable, incompatible games etc.
That being said, it is a device that shows a lot of potential, but I would suggest you to wait before buying it. Right now the experience is very disappointing. I really hope that it is working better for some of you.
All I wanted was to plug and play on my TV, but I end up trying to debug the thing and wondering if I should return it. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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If so, I'm extremely glad I didn't get one.
What would be the benefit of a "local" steam client sans any games?
Yes, it's like a Chromecast. Works fine for Windows as the host perfectly fine. I just think this is just an issue with not enough Linux support on all fronts (and it's really not Valve's fault - remember, they are just pioneering).
You also have to realize Valve isn't publicly traded like the console crowd.
I played around with the steam streaming feature the last few days between my gaming PC (AMD Phemon Quad 4x3GHz / 8GB RAM / GeForce 450GTS / Win7) and my Linux HTPC (Intel I5 Quad 4x3.3GHz / 4GB RAM / GeForce 610 / Xubuntu 14.04 x64).
Streaming itself worked fine but my Gaming Box would stream better if I had a GeForce which supports h264 encoding in hardware (e.g. 650GTS).
Oh yes, and also a box similar to the Steam Link limits you in such a way that you can not connect to the Windows streaming source via RDP in case something fails during connect. Steam Streaming is often a bit "buggy" if games launch other external programs (e.g. FarCry 3 with UPlay).
I would like to thank immortel for the feedback. Seems that similar to Steam streaming this thing has still some way to go.
Last edited by Darksoul71 on 17 November 2015 at 9:00 pm UTC
I mean really, the hours wasted on these things before they get refined on EVERY title and work without compression artifacts or lag could be spent putting in some extra shifts and building a SFF pc or even saving up for a base level Alienware steam machine with pixel perfect, no lag, crystal clear that will last you way longer and give better overall VFM.
Streaming and cloud always sound techy but in reality its just always going to be flawed in some way vs a PC until wholesale home wireless connections and net connections ( for cloud ) are really ultra solid & consistent.
Last edited by on 18 November 2015 at 3:16 pm UTC
What type of network are you running? I assume gigabit but does that mean running cat5e/cat6 between your host OS, switch network, and SteamLink?
What are the specs of your host computer? Do they meet the requirements of the game or do they exceed them?
What network equipment lives between your host and link? Is it a 5 port piece of crap switch (or worse hub), or a managed/smart switch with proper QoS,
I run my steamlink with a properly provisioned network and a fairly good host computer - the performance/experience was very positive. Sure, you can feel a small input delay on an FPS, but picture and quality were impressive for what this device is doing.
While the steam controller takes some getting used to, I was able to play Guantlet at 1080p 60fps with friends from the comfort of my couch, while my gaming computer was running from my office.
Here's the purchase page for the Steam Link. It says "Wired connection recommended". It doesn't say "Properly provisioned, QoS capable, gigabit network essential". A "5 port piece of crap switch" will still be (way) better than the WIFI minimum requirements, so why focus on that? Incidentally, it looks like the Steam Link itself only supports 100Mb, so Gigabit is even more of a red herring here.
Essentially, this is a case of YMMV. A lot of folk are more tolerant of the audio and stuttering issues than others, but so far, around 130 positive reviews are somewhat balanced by around 35 negative reviews. So 1 in four are having a hard enough time to say "stay clear".
And it sounds like this review is one in the four.
I assume he doesn’t mean gigabit wireless as that’s not a standard
sure there are some quad stream AC routers at the very top end with 'theorectical' gigabit connections but the nomenclature isn’t to call them 'gigabit wireless'
He mentions in one instance his host machine runs the games smoothly.
good for you, but im fairly convinced having spent a good time around friends and read about peoples setups online for years / steam forums, that most people actually use wireless LAN and have very little network knowledge.
Its got to work for everyone, if you spend $150 - $200 (routers,switches,cabling) in time and money on setting up a decent network ( and the time spent gaining the knowledge, time is money ) then spend another $50 on a Steam Link .. were getting close to Steam Machine territory or just a really cheap self build ( or a console )
your admiring what it does, but its not really doing anything smart that hasn’t been around for years and years or that technically people have already setup themselves (( a colleague did this a few years ago and was able to play online Steam games from his andriod mobile phone at work over 3g to his host windows machine miles away at his home , using the touch screen ! )) its not a technical show piece, its meant to be a simplest, slick, easy to use out of the box unit.
when it works, im sure its a nice trick to have for that back room with the spare TV too far away from the main PC but still somehow close enough that both the PC and the far away from can talk clearly to the router.
My point is, there are too many variables to get an all round consistent experience for everyone.
Last edited by on 18 November 2015 at 12:05 am UTC
I agree that while the device cannot operate at gigabit speeds, it should be noted that everything else should be able to. A 10/100Mb switch or cables for that matter, will have issues reaching their max performance should any other traffic get involved. Core communications should exceed performance for the end device. If it doesn't, or meets it, then issues will probably occur.
As for wireless, as you and Valve pointed out, it's not recommended in the best case scenario. So yes, any cable is better than no cable.
I'm similar to your friend then, having modified VNC sessions to perform in a similar way. The problem is that in my case, the small computer I used cost more than $50 and had other limitations. I'm happy to see Valve expanding on this technology at a price point that isn't too outlandish. I certainly hope Valve continues to make changes, upgrades, but this initial release is critical to future development of this platform as it starts to pave a way for future investment.
I completely agree. But most people read reviews as if biblical. In order to provide an accurate picture of what can be accomplished vs. what we experienced, data must be provided so that others can either assist in troubleshooting (IE: why performance isn't as good as expected), or shed light on what they are doing correctly.
The main point to my comment was to point out that given my setup with the Link compared to the OP's setup, we experienced different results and therefore would give different recommendations to others on purchasing units for themselves. I'm only pointing out that without notes, configuration, setup, network, etc... all those variables, this review turns into a "I had a bad experience so you shouldn't buy it". Just my opinion.
Not looking to make a fuss, just trying to add to the conversation.
Last edited by longshot902 on 18 November 2015 at 1:45 am UTC