For best performance, you should have both your main PC and your TV connected to the internet via an ethernet cable.The former lets you stream PC games from your PC to other devices, including your smart TV, while the latter lets you play your PC games on other devices even when you’re not on the same network! One of the best developments of recent years is Steam Link and Remote Play. And while some may be wary of its tight grip on PC, it’s justified that position through a steady rollout of great gamer-friendly features. But if a new TV isn’t quite within budget, the Steam Link remains a viable option, and we quite liked it when we checked it out upon its release last fall.Steam is the dominant platform of PC gaming. Valve dominates the digital marketplace on PCs, and a partnership with Samsung, the recently troubled but still dominant electronics maker, gives the company another leg up over any competition. The functionality also makes sense when you consider how common it is to find other streaming services embedded into new TVs, like Netflix and Hulu. There’s the official Steam Controller, but others work through USB it’s unclear if that functionality will be included with the new smart TVs.Īlthough Steam Link is a cheap alternative to the Steam Machine, Valve’s bigger and pricier streaming apparatus, eliminating the need for the external box at all could prove appetizing to big PC gamers.

There are few other details available beyond that, including when to expect these to go on sale, but it’s enough to give Steam-loving, potential new TV buyers a reason to hold off.Īnyone hoping to stream some Steam off their TV will still need to provide their own controller, for which they have a few options. SteamSpy) and developer Dave Oshry, who was in attendance at the developer-only event. Valve is partnering with Samsung to make Steam Link capabilities available straight from the manufacturer’s upcoming TVs, according to tweets from Sergey Galyonkin (a.k.a. But during a Steam Dev Days presentation yesterday, the company announced it was doing streamers one better: by integrating the technology directly into new smart televisions. Steam Link, Valve’s adorable, $50 set-top box, is currently the easiest way to stream games from the platform straight to a TV.

Steamlink smart tv