Valve’s Steam Link peripheral was launched back in 2015 and allowed players to stream games from their computers to a TV without a direct connection. It made it possible to enjoy Steam games on the big screen, as most people tend to have larger TVs than PC monitors.
However, Valve decided to shutter the product after over three years on the market, with the last of the Steam Link units now disappearing from store shelves. So, what are those that want to stream games to do?
Thankfully, Steam Link is now available to install and use on the low-cost Raspberry Pi, bringing game streaming to the masses without the £49.99 price tag of the Steam Link unit. The issue is that there is no Raspberry Pi App Store, so there are a few steps to installing the Steam Link app.
Don’t worry; here, we explain how to install and use Steam Link on a Raspberry Pi.
What you’ll need
- Raspberry Pi 3 or 3B+
- Raspbian Stretch OS
- Keyboard and mouse
- Xbox One controller and microUSB cable (optional)
Installing Steam Link on Raspberry Pi
Thankfully, installing and running Steam Link on the Raspberry Pi is a relatively simple process and should take no longer than five minutes. The only catch? The software is only compatible with the newer Raspberry Pi 3 and 3B+ running Raspbian Stretch OS, so you may need to buy an upgraded model if you’re currently using an older device.
To install Steam Link, turn on your Raspberry Pi and follow these instructions:
- Open LXTerminal, found on the Raspberry Pi desktop.
- Type the following command line:
curl -#Of http://media.steampowered.com/steamlink/rpi/steamlink_1.0.7_armhf.deb
sudo dpkg -i steamlink_1.0.7_armhf.deb - Press Enter to begin the download.
- The Steam Link app should then appear in the Games menu – but you’re not done yet.
- Open the Steam Link app to download the full app and any required updates. Once this process has been completed, a Steam Link shortcut should appear on your desktop.
And that’s essentially it!
From here, simply follow the on-screen instructions to link your Steam Link-enabled Raspberry Pi to your PC and enjoy wireless gaming on TV. Once you’re all set up, plug your Xbox One controller into the Raspberry Pi and load up your favourite games.
Performance shouldn’t be limited by your internet connection speeds as it’s all handled locally, but we would recommend using a wired connection with CAT-6 Ethernet cables for the best performance.
