Valve’s digital distribution platform for PC games will soon enable players to stream video games on their smartphones through a Steam Link app. This is basically where gamers can use their PC rigs to connect with their phones and then play using the handsets without necessarily having to sit in front of the computer getting busy being website traffic or something.
It will come in handy when indisposed such as when you’re sitting in the toilet.
Although it’s a primarily PC-focused platform, many gamers were hoping that they could someday play their favourite Steam titles on their smartphones. This is what the Steam Link app is intended to facilitate once it launches for both iOS and Android mobile devices.
Now, before you get your hopes up with visions of walking the streets while playing Call of Duty, there are a few caveats. It doesn’t exactly work like other mobile games.
Needs A Decent Rig
Before you can run the Steam games through your mobile device, you need a decent rig first. This means that it can’t be a potato laptop or an office-issue desktop. The graphics card needs to be top notch, for starters (perhaps an Nvidia GTX 980), and the RAM can’t be lower than 8GB. The CPU should be at least at 3.4GHz, as well.
So, as you can see, you’re going to need a beefy setup before you can use the Steam Link app to play a game on your smartphone. If you already have one, however, there’s still actually more factors to take into consideration.
Good Internet Connection
Since the Steam Link service relies on an internet connection to work, you’re obviously going to need a fast internet speed and at least a 5GHz Wi-Fi network. A wired Ethernet connection is preferable, as long as it’s stable. It basically the kind of connection that can handle quite a bit of website traffic if push comes to shove.
From there, it’s just a matter of actually pairing your mobile device with your computer so that you can see what you are steaming on the smaller screen. Then you can take it anywhere as long as it’s within range. You might also want to mind the walls since thick ones are going to pose a problem.
No LTE Connection Yet
Unfortunately, even though you can play Steam games your mobile device if you have a beefy gaming rig, you can’t play just anywhere. It would have been nice if LTE connection was available so that you can just go to the office or the park and play there, if you wanted to. Right now, though, this just isn’t possible.
Controller-Ready
There is a bit of good news, though, especially for those who might have issues playing on tiny screens of smartphones. Using the Steam Link app actually allows for compatibility with the Steam Controller, as well as iOS controllers that are MFi-compatible. There currently isn’t a full list of what controllers will work with the service, but it’s safe to say that the most popular ones will.
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