The market is full of options for streaming games from your main computer to secondary devices like phones and tablets. Valve has offered a hardware solution called Steam Link for a while, but earlier this month the company announced a software equivalent for Android devices. The first beta of Steam Link has just appeared on the Play Store, so it's already possible to test its performance with titles like PUBG, Fortnite, Rocket League, and many more.
Taking your games to the couch
Personally, I'm convinced there's no better way to play than sitting at your computer and slicing through your favorite titles like butter with the mouse and keyboard combo... but sometimes you just “don't” feel like sitting, and you want to throw your body onto the couch, holding a simple gamepad and looking at a giant screen. Some games are casual or relaxing enough to do this, but the idea of running dozens of meters of cable from the HDMI output of your graphics card to one of the TV inputs isn't the most efficient thing in the world. That's where the magic of streaming comes in. Valve offered a very convenient solution through its Steam Link device, and now it's the turn of the “software edition” compatible with Android.
Steam Link beta for Android
The original announcement of Steam Link also includes iOS, but its appearance in the official store has been delayed until Apple decides to give the green light to the software. In contrast, the Steam Link Android beta is already available on the Play Store, with very good preliminary reviews. In a perfect world, all the user has to do is download a copy of Steam Link to their Android 5.0 or higher device and enable the link with Steam on the computer, but there are some very important suggestions (almost requirements to be honest), starting with 5 GHz WiFi connectivity, a physical Ethernet link between the router and the computer, and the use of a compatible gamepad.
What performance can you expect?
If you're wondering what kind of performance you should expect, I'm afraid there are too many floating elements to give a precise answer. First, the relationship between computer, router, and mobile device. Second, the app is still a beta, and it will most likely receive several optimizations in the future. Finally, the games. Most indie titles deliver an acceptable experience, but if you want to play Fortnite on your smartphone, or why not another high-profile tank (PUBG and the Doom reboot are the first that come to mind), you need to tolerate a detail or two. Now, remember that Fortnite is not on Steam, it must be added manually as an external game, and its gamepad support through this route is limited. Patience.
