Valve has released the Steam Link app in beta for Android TV. The app lets you play full PC games on your TV screen via home network streaming.

Steam Link on Android
The Steam Link app was announced last week and is now available in beta for free on the Google Play Store. It works with Android TVs such as those from Sony, Philips, and other brands as well as Android TV powered media players. It also works with Android mobile devices.

With the Steam Link, PC and Mac games can be streamed over a home network connection either wirelessly with 5GHz WiFi or through a wired connection. It requires a PC or Mac with Steam installed.



Valve tells Variety that the app defaults to 1080p at 60fps game streaming but that, if you have a fast and stable network connection, you can stream games in 4K at 60fps, too.

- “If you have a powerful rig, wired network, and very good client device, it’s possible to stream at 4K 60 fps,” Sam Lantinga, Valve, told Variety. “You can go into the advanced streaming settings, and tune streaming resolution and bitrate for the best experience in your setup.”

The system behind Steam Link outputs a MPEG4 H.264 encoded video stream from your graphics card and transmits it with custom low-latency protocol over the home network to a receiving app on a mobile device or TV screen. It currently works over Ethernet and WiFi but not yet over a 4G data connection. You also need a bluetooth game controller.

The app will also be made available on Apple iOS and tvOS later.



- Source: Valve, Variety