Valve surprised everyone last week when it announced a new app called Steam Link that allows PC gamers to stream their games to mobile devices. Valve also revealed that the app would be available the week of May 21st, but it looks like Christmas came early for Android users, as the app is currently available (in beta) on Google Play.
“The Steam Link app brings desktop gaming to your Android device,” reads the description for the app on the Google Play store. “Just pair a Bluetooth controller or Steam Controller to your device, connect to a computer running Steam on the same local network, and start playing your existing Steam games.”
Steam Link supports any Android app running Android 5.0 Lollipop and above, as well as Android TVs. For the best results, the PC you’re streaming from should be connected to your router with an Ethernet cable, and your Android phone or tablet should be connected to the 5GHz band of your home WiFi network.
“If you have a powerful rig, wired network, and very good client device, it’s possible to stream at 4K 60 fps,” Valve’s Sam Lantinga told Variety on Thursday shortly after the beta launched. “You can go into the advanced streaming settings, and tune streaming resolution and bitrate for the best experience in your setup.”
The app is coming to iPhones, iPads and Apple TVs as well, but Valve says that Steam Link is still pending further review from Apple at the moment. When it finally arrives, it will support devices running iOS 10 and higher. In the meantime, the early responses from Android users who have used the Steam Link app have been overwhelmingly positive, so it’s definitely an app that any Steam user with an Android phone or tablet should check out.
