My First Hours With A Steam Link

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.