
The Steam Link was, at the time, a very popular product among Steam’s library.

Too little bandwidth would mean image quality would suffer, whereas too high latency would make real-time gameplay unpleasant or impossible. The only real issues of this device came down to those of bandwidth and latency. Steam Link made it easier, gave a greater range, and, all things considered, was usually a cheaper alternative. While similar feats to what the Steam Link could accomplish would theoretically be possible with a combination of long cables and converters, this approach streamlined the process. Playing these games would require input devices to be linked to the system, whether these devices were gamepads, keyboard and mouse setups, or Valve’s Steam Controller. Though the primary benefit of this would be to couch players, it would also allow play on smaller devices such as tablets or even smartphones. This technology aimed to allow users the ability to play their PC games anywhere in their home, not just at their gaming desk or workstation. When paired with a user’s Steam account, this system would allow users the stream games from their computer to any connected video device via a network connection. Released on November 10, 2015, the first Steam Link was a combination hardware and software package developed for PC gaming. So, what exactly is the Steam Link, where did it come from, and what might it mean for the future of gaming? Over the years, many services and systems have attempted to gain a foothold in this market, with Valve’s Steam Link being one of the more successful and famous. Game streaming is not a new development in technology, but it is an element which is yet to achieve its full potential.
