Upcoming Steam Link App Will Let You Play Steam Games on Your iPhone, iPad and Apple TV

[MacRumors]

Valve today announced the upcoming launch of the Steam Link app, which is designed to allow Steam users to play Steam games on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV using either a 5GHz network or a wired Ethernet connection to a host PC or Mac.

Because of the requirement to stream via an Ethernet connection or a 5GHz network, it won't be possible to play Steam content on the go, but it will be handy for accessing a Steam library while at home on alternate devices or while at a friend's house or another location with a high-speed wireless connection.

Steam Link will launch during the week of May 21, and in addition to being compatible with Apple devices, it will also be available for Android devices that include phones, tablets, and Android-enabled TVs. Steam Link has previously been available for dedicated Steam Link peripherals and some Samsung TV sets.

The Steam Link app will include support for both the Steam Controller and Made for iPhone controllers.

Steam also plans to introduce a Steam Video app later this summer, which will let users play Steam movies and shows on their Android and iOS devices using a Wi-Fi or LTE connection. Valve has been offering movies and TV show purchases for some time now, and that content is currently not available on mobile devices.

Article Link: Upcoming Steam Link App Will Let You Play Steam Games on Your iPhone, iPad and Apple TV

 

[alllexx]

So excited for this!

 

[fairuz]

Just curious, why do they require a 5GHz wifi network? And also, how do they even know? Man, that's layer 1 or "1.5," I forget...

 

[Icaras]

Awesome! A reason to get rid of my Steam link finally! Would rather much use my Apple TV then have a separate box.

Just curious, why wouldn’t this be ideal for use on “the go”? Modern iPhones and iPads use 5GHz.

 

[GreyOS]

Can you please explain how the steam controller- distinguished from Made For IPhone controllers in the article - will work on iOS devices because I thought controllers HAD to be made for iPhone?

 

[adamjackson]

Can I play Civ VI on my AppleTV then? what do I need?

iMac 5K + AppleTV 4K + ?

 

[Menel]

Why do they require a 5GHz wifi network? And also, how do they even know? Man, that's layer 1 or "1.5," I forget...

Bandwidth, and latency for your first question.
IDK for the second.

 

[Delgibbons]

Why do they require a 5GHz wifi network? And also, how do they even know? Man, that's layer 1 or "1.5," I forget...

All people seem to need data processing....

or the pizza one

 

[Valbunny]

Well damn it, I still live in 1990 so my internet isint fast enough, and isint 5GHz.
Wonderful news though. DSL FTW!!!

 

[GizmoDVD]

I don’t get it.

SteamLink needs to be connected to a PC/MAC and from there it will stream to a device?

 

[CJM]

I don’t get it.

SteamLink needs to be connected to a PC/MAC and from there it will stream to a device?

Steam is running on either a Mac or PC and it will stream to an app on your device.

 

[keysofanxiety]

Well damn it, I still live in 1990 so my internet isint fast enough, and isint 5GHz.

Hate to be "that guy", but Wi-Fi wasn't a thing for consumers in 1990. Heck the Internet was barely a thing. There were big ol' routers the size of a pizza box which you'd have to smother with a pillow to keep quiet and would download at a blazing 14.4Kb/s.

Not being pedantic, just thinking it's crazy how quickly things have evolved. Your children wouldn't be able to imagine that there was a time without the Internet, or wireless networking. Many can scarcely believe it now.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

Can you please explain how the steam controller- distinguished from Made For IPhone controllers in the article - will work on iOS devices because I thought controllers HAD to be made for iPhone?

I'd imagine it'd be paired with your PC. At least, that's how I'm envisioning it for my use.

I'm not sure which controllers to buy now, the SteelSeries Nimbus or Steam controllers.

Edit: $41 vs $75 on Amazon. Easy choice when I gotta buy 4. lol

 

[GizmoDVD]

Steam is running on either a Mac or PC and it will stream to an app on your device.

Do you need to buy the Link device for it to steam to an Apple device?

 

[Valbunny]

Hate to be "that guy", but Wi-Fi wasn't a thing for consumers in 1990. Heck the Internet was barely a thing. There were big ol' routers the size of a pizza box which you'd have to smother with a pillow to keep quiet and would download at a blazing 14.4KB/s.

Not being pedantic, just thinking it's crazy how quickly things have evolved. Your children wouldn't be able to imagine that there was a time without the Internet, or wireless networking. Many can scarcely believe it now.

You're right, you really didnt need to be that guy, and it was my fault I suppose for specifying 1990 rather than the 90's. Good on you

 

[fairuz]

Bandwidth, and latency for your first question.
IDK for the second.

I don't think there's a difference in latency, or it's tiny. And the bandwidth of 2.4GHz wireless-N should be more than enough.

 

[Icaras]

Can I play Civ VI on my AppleTV then? what do I need?

iMac 5K + AppleTV 4K + Steam app for macOS/Windows

 

[Saipher]

How about a stand alone Steam app for the Apple TV huh?

 

[Winter Charm]

I don’t get it.

SteamLink needs to be connected to a PC/MAC and from there it will stream to a device?

Yes. So you can leave Steam running on your iMac or MacBook Pro (Or a PC if you have one), and play a game on the couch via a bluetooth controller and your Apple TV. The mac will be running the game, and it gets streamed over your local wifi (hence the 5Ghz requirement for latency and bandwidth needs) and you can play on any device.

 

[fairuz]

How about a stand alone Steam app for the Apple TV huh?

I don't think Apple's App Store restrictions would allow it because it would download apps. Also, there'd be so few games that it wouldn't be worth. I did have the Apple TV as a game console dream a while back, and it never came to reality. Oh well, I have a girlfriend now, so I don't care.

A Windows PC acting as a "gaming server" for a house sounds pretty sweet if there aren't any pitfalls. But there can't be any issues. Even casual gamers don't tolerate anything going wrong.

 

[ikir]

Pretty interesting for AppleTV. Anyway I hope Valve update Steam for Mac, it is sill so “Mavericks”, it doesn’t even has os native full screen.

 

[RagingBrosGaming]

Sorry Valve. My Nvidia shield works like a charm with no lag. Steam link is a horrid nightmare.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

Do you need to buy the Link device for it to steam to an Apple device?

No, this app is taking the place of the Steam Link device. This is essentially going to function just like streaming games from your Nvidia-equipped gaming rig to your Nvidia Shield TV (android TV set-top box).

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

How about a stand alone Steam app for the Apple TV huh?

I wonder if TV would have the horses for that? Conceptually, it would probably have (want) to be backwards compatible with the "4" too, instead of being a 4K exclusive.

 

[soupcan]

This is basically Steam In-Home streaming coming to iOS and Apple TV.