Valve may have already introduced us to its new Steam Machines powered by the Steam OS that's looking to take on the modern day consoles, but it was still unclear as to how Valve will capitalize on that idea since not all PC games have a Linux port. However, all those doubts are now cleared thanks to the introduction of Steam Streaming.
Steam Streaming is said to allow users with Steam Machines to stream games from their local Windows PCs. But how exactly will this work out? Let’s take a closer look at the concept.
According to Valve, Steam in-home streaming, “will allow you to play a game on one computer when the game process is actually running on another computer elsewhere in your home.”
“Through Steam, game audio and video is captured on the remote computer and sent to the player’s computer. The game input (keyboard, mouse or gamepad) is sent from the player’s computer to the game process on the remote computer.”
It adds that any two computers in a home can now be used to stream a gameplay session, enabling playing games on systems “that would not traditionally be able to run those games.”
“For example, a Windows only game could be streamed from a Windows PC to a Steam Machine running Linux in the living room. A graphically intensive game could be streamed from a beefy gaming rig in the office to your low powered laptop that you are using in bed.”
“You could even start a game on one computer and move to a more comfortable location and continue playing it there,” it adds.
Also, a Q&A session clarified a number of technicalities related to the service, and confirmed that the service “is optimized for home streaming,” although, “Internet streaming is currently not supported.”
Valve confirmed that “your computer is dedicated to running the game and input is coming from both the remote client and the local system. It would be very confusing if someone were trying to use the computer at the same time.”
The company says that it’s in its early stages of testing Steam in-home streaming, and given the huge varieties of home hardware and network configurations, the company is reaching out to the fans for “your help in learning about what works best.”
To keep up the interest toward the Steam-powered machine, Valve has now announced the launch of Steam Reviews, allowing users to write reviews for games on Steam.
Users are also allowed to post negative reviews about a product they feel is worth mentioning to the entire Steam community. The company writes:
“If you are unhappy with the product, or don't believe that it is delivering on what it promises, you may write a review and tell other customers why you do not recommend it,” although abusive reviews or spams will be reported.
