Photo credit: arstechnica.com

Steam Link Finds New Life on Raspberry Pi 5

The Steam Link, once a niche product, aimed to bridge the gap between PC gaming and the living room experience. This small device allowed users to stream games from their PCs directly to their televisions, boasting compatibility with approximately 1,500 games and accompanied by a unique controller. However, its success was reliant on a robust network and often required a fair amount of technical know-how.

Valve, the company behind Steam, made the decision to discontinue the Steam Link hardware in November 2018. Yet, the company did not abandon the concept. Today, gamers can utilize a Steam Link app available on various platforms that continues to facilitate the streaming experience. Valve’s ongoing commitment to advancing Linux-based gaming has yielded considerable progress. For those seeking a dedicated device for streaming Steam games, the new Raspberry Pi 5, in conjunction with Valve’s support, can serve as an effective alternative to the original Steam Link.

As outlined in a recent post on the Raspberry Pi blog, earlier attempts to utilize Steam Link on Raspberry Pi devices faced challenges. The shift from proprietary Broadcom libraries and the adoption of Wayland display systems necessitated a re-evaluation of the setup process. Collaborating with Valve, Sam Lantinga contributed to the optimization of Steam Link for the Raspberry Pi 5 hardware. The latest version, Steam Link 1.3.13, showcases impressive capabilities, allowing Raspberry Pi 5 units to stream at resolutions up to 1080p with 144 frames per second (FPS) using the H.264 protocol, or even up to 4K at 60 FPS or 1080p at 240 FPS, given the supporting hardware and network efficiency.

An independent test by Jeff Geerling demonstrated the performance of Steam Link on the Raspberry Pi 5, revealing smooth gameplay during sessions of Red Dead Redemption.

While I personally lean towards using a Moonlight/Sunshine setup for game streaming, as I find it can offer superior performance, the Steam Link remains unbeatable in terms of ease of setup. It merely requires that Steam is operational on the host PC and involves straightforward configuration on the client side. The Raspberry Pi 5’s compact design makes it an ideal choice to position discreetly near your television. Moreover, should the gaming functionality not meet your needs, the versatility of the Raspberry Pi means you have countless other potential projects at your disposal.

Source
arstechnica.com