Now this is the kind of thing that makes me a fan of Valve as a company, as they continue to build up interesting features that are genuinely cool. Introducing a Beta for Remote Play Together - Invite Anyone.
Remote Play Together is the system on Steam that allows you to host a game on your local PC and invite others to join you, and they don't even need to own the game. It's a way to turn local co-op / multiplayer games into an online supported title and play with others. Super useful, as there's some awesome titles out that that don't natively support online play. Remote Play Together - Invite Anyone is an extension of this, allowing you to host a game, copy a link from your friends list and send it to anyone you know to play with you and they don't need a Steam account.
Quite a huge deal this, enabling even more people to play games with you easily.
The invites work through the Steam Link app, which has one big caveat at the moment: Valve doesn't currently support a normal Linux desktop with it. Steam Link with Invite Anyone links is supported by Valve across Windows, iOS, Android, or a Raspberry Pi. We have emailed Valve to see if the Steam Link app will be brought over to Linux proper, will update if / when they reply on that. Update 25/02/21 17:15 - Valve has confirmed to us that Steam Link app is coming to Linux proper. Valve press told us over email "it is in the works" but they "don’t have a target release date to share just yet".
Side-note: if you have the normal Steam Client installed, it will just run through that like Remote Play Together does normally. Additionally and some good news - hosting from Linux appears to work fine and does so just like the normal Remote Play Together system for Remote Play Together - Invite Anyone.
Just load a game, make sure you're set to online and then copy the link and send it to someone:
Once they have your link, it only takes a few seconds for everything to load in. It works surprisingly well too, although that will depend on how the game handles input and your networking. Some games aren't very good with it, some are perfection and feel awesome.
If their device doesn't have the Steam Link installed, they will end up seeing something like this inviting them to go and download it:
Testing over here was done by copying the link from our main Linux desktop, and then joining via the link on a cheap Android phone and — yep, it works alright:
To try the system you need to have your Steam Client opted into the Steam Beta. Full details in this post.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Steam Link is supported by Valve across Windows, iOS, Android, or a Raspberry PiIt is also supported on Samsung Tizen TV and Android TV, maybe others also, idk.
Oh Tizen as well? Didn't know that. That makes it even more annoying that there is no regular Linux version, as AFAIK the Tizen version should not be so different from one.
- Remote Play for Streaming
- Steam Input for HW independent input
- Steam itself for subscription/game license management (e.g. Games and EA Play)
- Steam TV for Broadcasting
- Cloud Save to keep your savegames across multiple VMs
- (Proton for Linux based VMs -> less overhead and simpler to manage)
A lot of things like Steam Remote Play doesn't even require the dev to make any changes. So they would have a huge catalogue right from the start.
In contrast to Stadia, you get to keep the licenses to play on your own HW, similar to GeForce Now. I think optional Game streaming can be a good thing (for example to bridge the time with GPU shortages)
Last edited by jrt on 25 February 2021 at 11:03 am UTC
Come on Valve, just open-source the damn thing!
It's pretty obvious at this point that Valve has everything needed to make an optional cloud gaming subscription if they want to.
Yes, there's just a few missing pieces of the puzzle: I assume they're now working on getting this to work in web browsers?
It's pretty obvious at this point that Valve has everything needed to make an optional cloud gaming subscription if they want to.
Yes, there's just a few missing pieces of the puzzle: I assume they're now working on getting this to work in web browsers?
If they support Android, Windows and Samsung I say they have everything they need for success. In this domain the convenience browser adds is marginal and it won't make that much difference imho.
Browsers truly matters only when it comes to circumvent censorship ans/or walled gardens (-> Apple).
Last edited by Mal on 25 February 2021 at 11:52 am UTC
Massinissa Feb 25, 2021
Will some data be transferred to Valve ? Because the steam account's owner agreed to to the EULA, but not the person invited.
I'm guessing about as much data is transmitted as when playing with someone sitting on your couch who hasn't bought the game either. So video to the eyes, audio to the ears and input from the hands. Valve probably have to be careful if they log the second player's IP, though, since in some jurisdictions an IP counts as personal data.
But I also guess some Valve legal person has vetted this, otherwise I don't think they'd announce it yet.
Last edited by Liam Dawe on 25 February 2021 at 7:20 pm UTC
Update 25/02/21 17:15 - Valve has confirmed that Steam Link app is coming to Linux proper. Valve press told us "it is in the works" but no "target release date to share just yet".
I am hoping whatever is being developed sorts out the issues blocking it running on Pi4s with LibreElEC. Would love to have a combined media and game system.
I mean, this wouldn't stop most Linux gamers from using it, since most Linux gamers already have the Steam client anyway. There are some who don't because they object to Steam's DRM, but surely that objection would extend to this service. So, if you'd use this you already can because you have the Steam client, and if you don't have the Steam client you wouldn't use this.
Still be good for them to get it handled, but feels way less urgent than I first thought.
I think optional Game streaming can be a good thing (for example to bridge the time with GPU shortages)Game streaming as a option is undoubtedly a great thing! Noone can dispute that. With streaming you can buy a slim and cheap laptop and still be able to play major games. The issue with streaming is actors trying to monopolize it and tell you how and where to stream your games. Not unlike what Microsoft is doing with local releases. I hope Valve's streaming becomes better and better because I sure want them to succeed knowing their streaming option is one that gives you the most flexibility as of right now.
Last edited by Linuxwarper on 25 February 2021 at 10:34 pm UTC
gradyvuckovic Feb 26, 2021
Valve will remain the king of it's domain as long as it can keep up such fantastic and useful innovations that genuinely make gaming on PC better.
As for Linux support, I think we have no reason to doubt that Valve is indeed working on that and the only reason why it isn't available at launch is probably because it simply wasn't ready in time. No sweat, I have no doubt it will arrive in good time.
I think optional Game streaming can be a good thing (for example to bridge the time with GPU shortages)Game streaming as a option is undoubtedly a great thing! Noone can dispute that. With streaming you can buy a slim and cheap laptop and still be able to play major games. The issue with streaming is actors trying to monopolize it and tell you how and where to stream your games. Not unlike what Microsoft is doing with local releases. I hope Valve's streaming becomes better and better because I sure want them to succeed knowing their streaming option is one that gives you the most flexibility as of right now.
Valve is in a unique position, if it wants, to give us a streaming service where we still retain a reasonable control of our game licenses. I.e. Buy Steam game, play it on your rig and/or on steam streaming.
Instead any other streaming solution a la Google or Amazon will invariably tie your game license to their own streaming service. The day you stop paying subscription you lose everything. It's the infamous video streaming model brought to the gaming world.
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