Steam, the platform most used to manage, download and buy video games for PC, has released a function called Steam-in home which, in practice, allows you to play video games installed on a PC, from another computer . Video gamers who have two or more computers in the house can only install them on one and play them on the others, as long as all the computers are connected to the same wifi or wired network.
Thanks to this feature it becomes possible to play streaming all the best PC games on older computers that perhaps would not be able to keep these installations and also on Mac and Linux, where many games are not compatible.
To use the home Steam function it is therefore necessary to have:
- A host PC with Windows operating system.
Currently, streaming can only be done from a Windows PC.
- A client computer that can be Windows, OSX or Linux where the Steam program is installed and running.
- Activate the beta program from the Steam settings ( Steam -> Settings -> Accounts )
- A fast enough network at home.
The two computers must be networked, preferably with an ethernet connection or even under a wireless network that is at least Wireless N.
Once the computers are connected to the network with the Steam program enabled and enabled for beta functions, we can start.
Games must be installed on the host computer.
For example, you can start with Team Fortress 2 and other free Half Life based games on Steam.
Then log into the client with the same Steam account and open the library to view the games bought or downloaded from the other computer, the host.
The Play or Install button on the client is replaced by the Stream button .
You can still click on the arrow next to install the game locally which is certainly preferable for better performance.
To optimize home streaming of Steam video games, it is advisable to change some settings for maximum performance.
On the host machine, in the Steam menu -> Settings, select Home streaming on the left side of the window and, in "Host Options" choose "Advanced Host Options" to enable hardware encoding (which is active by default) and " prioritize network traffic . "
On the client computer, in the same section Home Streaming Settings you can choose between fast, balanced or splendid .
Going into the advanced options of the client you can get more accurate control by setting the " Bandwidth limit " set to Automatic by default.
Manual options range from 3Mbit / s to 30Mbit / s or unlimited.
If you have a fast network with Wireless N or a Wireless AC router, you can choose the higher option.
Alternatively, if the streaming game has strong delays and lag, you can try to limit the resolution of the game always from the advanced settings of the client.
Update 2018: Video game streaming also arrives on iPhone and Android with the Steam Link app, so you can play games installed on your PC on your smartphone, tablet or TV.
As explained in the presentation page of the application, to use Steam Link, for free, it is only necessary to have a compatible joypad controller (the list on the site) and then connect, via the app, the smartphone to the PC, ideally using a wifi network 5 Ghz.
