Steam Link

Demiurge predicted this!

In case you don't have an encyclopedic memory of all the things Demiurge has predicted: http://www.polygon.com/2015/3/3/8145...

IMAGE(http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/000/264/200/acb.jpg)

nostradaMex predicted this:

* Some random VR helmet launches before the Oculus Rift. The Rift is popular when it launches but doesn't become the standard... It's only the beginning of the VR Console War, games aren't even the main focus
* Half Life 3+New Left 4 Dead+New Valve IP+New Source Engine are all officially announced AND released in 2015, confirmed to be compatible with the first official release of the SteamOS+SteamController. Actually, they're launching together, and you also get a free pie with purchase. And they hire John Romero and he makes a great game! IT'S VALVE'S GREATEST YEAR EVER, also Megan Fox is single again and I'm next in line, this is NOT wishful thinking, I have seen the future

It's all coming true... Just waiting on the Megan Fox bit

IMAGE(http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/062/2/9/steampunk_link_by_shoze-d4rkkih.jpg)

?

OK, that thing is smaller than I thought...

IMAGE(http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/IMG_4184-980x653.jpg)

What's inside?

I've been struggling with finding a decent streaming solution for our household. I don't have a spare pc or notebook capable of decoding a streaming signal and I haven't been successful in figuring out a way to run an hdmi cable from the gaming pc to the livingroom tv. This thing looks perfect to me.

tanstaafl wrote:

OK, that thing is smaller than I thought...

IMAGE(http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/IMG_4184-980x653.jpg)

Note the circular power input... I wonder how big the power brick for this thing is. It's still a nice package though.

It is funny when the power brick is bigger than the actual gaming unit.

Hmmmm. Hope this works, and I hope it gets launched here without gouging.

*edit*

Oh, and if it streams video as well it's probably an insta-buy.

MrDeVil909 wrote:

Hmmmm. Hope this works, and I hope it gets launched here without gouging.

*edit*

Oh, and if it streams video as well it's probably an insta-buy.

I'm not sold based on my experience with streaming from pc to pc. I'd still like dedicated hardware attached to my tv - either a PC or Steam Box. The price IS nice though, and I agree that this needs video streaming apps as well.

I bought a Steam Link in the sale, as it was considerably cheap, and I'm about to buy my first house, so figured it'd be perfect for just playing games like Cities Skyline or Football Manager in bed.

I'm just wondering though, for anyone that has one, is it easy to connect a wireless keyboard/mouse combo to the thing, and if so, which is the best to get? I've seen a few, but I obviously don't want to spend something on a keyboard that will have issues with it.

It's got USB ports, so anything with a dongle should be fine. It's also got bluetooth, I think, but I haven't tried that.

I didn't have any issues pairing a cheap bluetooth mini keyboard / touchpad with the Steam Link.

Just got one in the most recent sale. With powerline ethernet it's working fine. Does anyone know a clean way of sharing the connectors between the Link and real PS4? So far it's been kind of a pain to pair and unpair them all the time- I can do it but an easier procedure would be nice for the kids.

I suppose I could try using them wirelessly for the PS4 only, and over USB cable for the Link since I have a couple of long cables.

If they're connecting via bluetooth, probably not. I remember having a similar problem when I was trying to get a PS3 controller working with both my PC and PS3.

I tried a few configurations and found that connecting to the Link via USB cable is going to work best. That doesn't transfer the Bluetooth painting so we can just unplug the controller and operate the PS4.

Now to see if I can pair my old Logitech K700 RF keyboard from my google tv device. Probably not since it's not Bluetooth and the old device had the receiver dongle built in. Not like I need a keyboard very much anyway.

You guys mind sharing a link to a long USB micro cable that actually has proven durable over dozens of plug/unplugs? I've tried 3 or 4 different cables now for my PS4 headset and they all give out within a month or so.

Mr Crinkle wrote:

You guys mind sharing a link to a long USB micro cable that actually has proven durable over dozens of plug/unplugs? I've tried 3 or 4 different cables now for my PS4 headset and they all give out within a month or so.

I've not tried USB, but I've started getting Anker cables for Lightning cables for our iOS devices (which are notoriously easy to break). So far so good, haven't had any cable failures.

They talk up a big game about how much durable their cables are than their competitors.

I have a pair of 'Eversame' 10' nylon braided usb cables. The one that gets the most use has begun to get a little flaky in the micro plug after 2-3 months, but it still mostly works. They're about $10 for 2 on Amazon.

Just picked this up. Some questions on capability does it stream about anything from a pc as well or is that better answered on reddit?

You can minimize big picture and just get the entire desktop. It basically just gives you access to the whole machine.

You can also add non-steam games to steam, and then use the Link to stream them without dropping back to the desktop. This gets trickier with other games that require their own launcher to work, but can usually be done. I've been playing the GOG version of Witcher 3 using the non-steam game method.

Thanks that's good to know. Has anyone has good success with newer router and going the wireless route?

I hope to do some network cable running but this section will present a challenge. Old home, finished walls and ceiling and a fireplace between where I want to run cable.

Powerline networking may be an option to get a wired signal there without having to snake cable. A pair of them is relatively inexpensive, and they work like magic. Before I ran a cable, I was running mine through powerline, and it worked great.

Chaz wrote:

Powerline networking may be an option to get a wired signal there without having to snake cable. A pair of them is relatively inexpensive, and they work like magic. Before I ran a cable, I was running mine through powerline, and it worked great.

That could work but on principle I don't believe in witchcraft...

Like wireless networking isn't witchcraft?

Chaz wrote:

Like wireless networking isn't witchcraft? :)

That's the holy spirit

Hobear wrote:

Thanks that's good to know. Has anyone has good success with newer router and going the wireless route?

I hope to do some network cable running but this section will present a challenge. Old home, finished walls and ceiling and a fireplace between where I want to run cable.

I recently bought my first house and it needed an entire rewiring due to a dodgy job being done by the previous owners. I specifically asked them to put an ethernet port that connected the upstairs router to downstairs because I knew that Steam Link really needs that wired connection.

It all depends on how your house is wired though, in my opinion. Powerlines can work fine as long as you have good wiring!

It also depends on the size of your house. I'm in a smaller place (for an American), at ~1500 sq ft. My computer is at one end of house and my router + steam link are at the other. The link is wired directly to the router and the computer is the only device in the house on the 5GHz network. With that setup, I get solid 60fps performance over wireless N.

I actually initially tried powerline networking assuming that wireless performance would be terrible and after doing a bunch of testing I found the powerline performance to be equivalent at best, so I returned the kit and just stuck with wifi.