Steam is the standard way to play games on your PC, but the company offers ways to play games elsewhere as well. In particular, the Steam Link device allows you to stream games from your PC to your TV.
As another option, Valve introduced a Steam Link app for Android in 2018. While the ability to play PC games on your smartphone sounds exciting, we don't think it's as good as it sounds. This is why.
The Steam Link is a physical device that Valve sells for $50. It connects to your TV via HDMI and to your home network via Ethernet or Wi-Fi, and then streams Steam games from your PC to a TV. It is useful if you want to play from the comfort of your sofa; we have previously shown you how to set up Steam Link How to set up your Steam Link for PC gaming on your TV How to set up your Steam Link for PC gaming on your TV Steam Link allows you to stream your PC games to a TV for a better gaming experience. play. Here's everything you need to know to set up your new Steam link. Read More
The Steam Link app performs basically the same function, except it's free. All you need is a PC running Steam, a compatible Android phone, and an internet connection. Notably, the app is not available for iOS due to Apple guidelines.
But is it worth setting up the Steam Link app for Android? Not when you consider these four factors:
Presumably you have at least a 20-inch monitor for your desktop. And if you play on a laptop, you might have a 13- or 15-inch screen. With Steam Link, you'll be able to experience the same games on a small 6-inch (or smaller) phone screen. That doesn't sound fun.
The best Android games take advantage of phones' smaller screens, but playing PC games on your phone doesn't offer you this luxury. While most games should look decent, there's some nice graphical downgrade here. It's a bit like watching a movie on a small airplane seat screen; It's doable, but it's not the ideal way to enjoy a movie.
This is not a problem with the proper Steam link as it connects to your 40+ inch TV. You could use the Steam Link app on an Android tablet for a bigger screen, of course. But tablets aren't as popular as they once were, so it's a waste of several hundred dollars just to play on another device if you don't already have a tablet.
Most PC gamers swear by keyboard and mouse controls. They're objectively better for first-person shooters, and they make sense for a lot of other genres too. However, the Steam Link app does not support keyboard and mouse combo.
When you walk through the settings, you can choose between the Steam controller, another Bluetooth controller, or touch controls (more on that soon). We invite you to try to connect a keyboard to your Android phone How to connect a USB keyboard to your Android phone How to connect a USB keyboard to your Android phone Have you ever wanted to use a real keyboard on your Android device? Lucky for you, it's actually quite easy to set up. Read More
Also, even if you have a keyboard and mouse connected to your phone, there is still the issue of latency. Most games demand a high level of precision from your mouse, which won't happen when you're streaming games over a network.
Many of the games have controller support, so you should stick to that if you plan on using the Steam Link app. For some people, this will severely limit their library and the app's usefulness.
With something as precise as video games, it's not surprising that the Steam Link app has some requirements for your network connection. Your phone and PC must be on the same network, so you can't play on the go.
Steam also recommends a wired connection, which is not possible on an Android phone or tablet. For wireless use, it is recommended to use a 5GHz network. While this has less congestion than a 2.4GHz network, it also has a shorter range. This limits the distance you can play from your router.
If your PC is not already connected to your network, you can basically forget about using this application. Maybe you have a laptop without an Ethernet port, or you have to use Wi-Fi at your desk because of your home setup. In any case, Steam Link will be nearly unplayable due to lag.
This will obviously vary based on your setup. But various potential issues mean that many people will find Steam Link unusable or unsatisfactory due to network concerns. Steam even says that powerline adapters (a common fix for Wi-Fi problems) can have issues with interference.
We mentioned earlier that the lack of keyboard and mouse controls will likely sour the experience for many. Without these, your options are to connect a Bluetooth controller or use touch controls.
If you already have the Steam controller or another Bluetooth-enabled controller, that's great. (We show you how to connect a PS3 controller to Android How to connect a PS3 controller to your Android phone or tablet How to connect a PS3 controller to your Android phone or tablet If you have an old PS3 controller lying around, connect it to your phone or tablet But if you don't have one of these controllers, you'll have to spend some money on one or put up with touch controls.
In case you've never tried them, the touch controls are terrible. They're passable for slow-moving RPGs like Pokémon, but little else. Any game that uses more than a few buttons, or requires precise movement, will get old quickly with touch controls. Plus, they fill the screen.
We don't mean to rule out the Steam Link app entirely here. It's certainly a good tool, and Valve, for what it's available for free, is awesome. However, it does require you to jump through several hoops to achieve gameplay that's really enjoyable, which makes it more trouble than it's worth for most people.
If you don't have any additional peripherals and use a wireless connection, the Steam Link app gives you a slow gaming experience on a small screen with poor controls. You'll have to spend time and money to resolve this situation, at which point you'll wonder if it was worth it.
Why not play your games on your PC as they are meant to be enjoyed? There you have a bigger screen, proper controls, and lag-free gameplay.
If you don't like Steam Link, it might be worth checking out these other ways to stream games from your PC to your TV 5 ways to stream video games from your PC to your main TV 5 ways to stream video games from your PC to your main TV You want to play PC games on your TV. But your PC is in one room and your TV is in another. Streaming is the solution, here are the best ways to do it. Read more.
