ASUS Steam Link

The steam link is a niche device that serves one purpose, and does extremely well. If you're a PC gamer who likes to stream games to the living room, then this is the device for you. The Steam Link is a sleek, minimalist device comparable physically to other streaming media players like Roku and Apple TV. Connectivity-wise, it has three USB 2.0 ports, one HDMI output, Bluetooth 4.0, official controller support for the Steam Controller, wired or wireless Xbox 360 or One controllers, Logitech Wireless Gamepad F710, or any USB keyboard and mouse. It also allows for the use of unofficial peripherals through the installation of Steam Beta, which uses the VirtualHere USB client to turn the USB ports in the device into extensions of your own PC. I've set up my joystick for Elite Dangerous this way. It's a simple and hassle-free process.I have mine hooked up to the wired LAN, and it works wonders. I see complaints about the wireless not being ideal, but that's how life works so far; wired is better. With a wired connection, games stream flawlessly, with the occasional minor hiccup, giving PC gamers the living room console experience they've always wanted. And it's not really a big deal to wire up your house these days, not with the prolific availability of affordable powerline adapters like this one: TP-LINK AV500 Nano Powerline Adapter Starter Kit, up to 500Mbps (TL-PA4010KIT)An awesome secondary feature of the Steam Link is the ability to minimize Steam while streaming from your tower. That may sound odd, since Steam is the reason you've bought this, but minimizing Steam gives you full access to your desktop, and let's you use your TV as a monitor while your tower is still in another room. This is a great option for anyone who wants to do work or watch movies saved on the tower on a big screen in the living room. Sometimes I'll sit on the couch to get some writing done on the big screen, just for kicks. I'll work on whatever I'm doing for the day in glorious 50" theater mode.Perhaps most impressively of all, at least to me, is the fact that Valve ships all the cables you'll need right in the box. I haven't seen an electronic device do this for yeeeeeaaaaaarrrrrrrssss. I don't know if it's some kind of pandering attempt to make you buy the Link, but you'd think that sort of generosity would be more advertised. But seriously, they should win an award for this alone.This is not something that everyone needs. But if you've been looking to play PC games in your living room or elsewhere in your house and not have to lug your tower around to do it, then this is your best bet. And with the ability to take your whole desktop with you, the convenience of setting up any peripheral you want, and, of course, the cables, the Steam Link definitely makes the grade.

Have mine connected to WiFi 5G with Asus RT-N66U router and it works great! No lags in frames or anything. Using the screen overlay it shows that it's running the game @60fps, this fluctuates 30-60fps depending on what's going on in the game. Ran the connection test the result was 9% potential latency loss which I thought was too minimal to worry about. It might be an issue for FPS games which I'd never play hahaWent with wireless since I'm a techy, *cough* nerd, and like to be with the latest tech... wired is soooooo yesteryear :PPairing with DS3 controller was a bit more complex than it says on their wiki... it is not plug n play wireless even after the update to the latest firmware. It did work wired but this is not the function I wanted since my TV is far from where I'd be sitting to play. In my case I had to go with the beta build and wait for install/reboot. After that the DS3 controller was plug n play wireless, connect the DS3 controller with USB to Steam Link and disconnect once detected and done wireless DS3 controller as if connected to the PC. FINALLY AFTER 30min of searching the web and reading different guides and checking YouTube that were outdated (all said wired only!)... good thing I'm an IT guy SMH The one star less is due to this...Played Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning, old game I know but it's the one I'm playing at the moment, and it looked great. Mostly play retro or older games... also catching up with my queue as I work full-time and have responsibilities. Sometimes being an adult sucks! lol Going to try the remastered edition of Darksiders aks Warmastered Edition and see how it handles it as it was re-rendered to be in ~4K. Might also reply The Evil Within and see how it handles as well.However, was disappointed that it picks up the resolution of your monitor and that is what's used in the stream on the TV. My monitor is pretty old relic with 1680x1050 LCD (AOC 2019Sw1) whereas my TV is a 4K smart (LG 43UH6100). So I'm playing 16:10 on a 16:9 screen >_> I'd have to see if increasing the resolution on Win10 would affect the stream resolution output by Steam link or if this is strictly dependent on the monitor. I've checked their FAQs and this is a limitation that I wasn't aware of... guess it's finally time to upgrade the monitor XD Nope.... couldn't put off checking while wrapping this up and changing the Win10 resolutio to 1920x1080 affects Steam Link as well while streaming PC and in game resolution change to 1920x1080 gets Steam Link running the game with this resolution at 60fps. Was going to upload a screen shot from in game with the screen overlay FPS and resolution but Steam doesn't capture that info... Did not drop 1 star since there is a work around... it is a streaming device and doesn't handle the resolution native.Got this on the Cyber Week sales for $19 and think it was a steal... might of paid the full price knowing it was going to be this good.

Wow this baby has been going up in price but still worth every penny. I have no complaints if you know what to do with this box its actually a very powerful device. Sure I haven't figured out every feature but this is what I use it for: To stream steam games onto my big screen tv, beautiful wallpapers, stream music, watch live tv or anything for that matter (since you can stream your desktop effortlessly!) The newer updates have really helped its performance and reduced lag/stuttering. It is true the wifi is not great but then again neither is the one on my shield which cost 5 times more. This is my set up and works like a charm. To get a flawless 1080p stream: My Main PC (which is what steam box is streaming from) is connected via Ethernet to the router, upstairs I use a powerline adapter (Monster Power® Black Platinum 800) which allows you to use Ethernet to Ethernet (up to 4 times faster). So that's for 1080p. Downstairs (yes I have two of these babies) I run it at 720p runs just fine and the picture look pretty good: Main PC is Ethernet to Ethernet but this box uses wifi. So after much research, trial and error this is the verdict on how to use this box correctly and get a seamless stream.1080P: Ethernet to Ethernet from source to the steam box. All devices should use Ethernet for 1080p.720p: At least one should be Ethernet to Ethernet the other like the box can use wifi (granted the signal is strong). Granted if all devices have full bars in terms of connection with the router this might work as well.560p: if everything is running wifi.Overall awesome purchase, bought my second one during Christmas at a steal price. Still, even though it costs a bit more now, totally worth it and can do things that my Nvidia Shield cannot do. So together they give me a total Smart TV experience. Also, I bought a switch so that both boxes can get Ethernet to Ethernet via power line adapter and everything is working like a charm. Last thing, this box will recognize your xbox pc controllers so just food for thought if you have any of those, probably don't need the controller.

Si tienes una PC capaz de jugar a 1080p (1920x1080) o si es menor la resolución eso se verá en tu pantallaEl steam link será capaz de duplicar lo que se ve en tu computadora a tu televisiónHoras de diversión con tus amigos en tu sillónPros:-Para configurarlo tardé menos de 2 minutos-Se pueden usar varios mandos (más abajo)-Big Picture (la interfaz de steam a la hora de usar el link) es amigable y facil de usar-Se pueden jugar juegos que no son de Steam (Battlefield, Fifa etc.)-Es bastante pequeño y tiene buen diseño-Se han añadido configuraciones de audio (5.1 Stereo etc.)-Es capaz de prender la computadora remótamente (Wake on LAN)-Puertos Usb (uno en el costado derecho muy accesible)-Conexión Bluetooth-Wi fi* (Se recomienda conectar el link con un cable ethernet para jugar sin problemas)Contras:-No tiene botones físicos (si crashea tendrás que desconectarlo de la corriente)-Aún Steam no tiene aplicaciones de entretenimiento (Netflix, Spotify, Youtube) he leído que ya hay un SDK del steam link, así que esperemos que pronto haya-A la hora de navegar en el Escritorio (sí se puede) usando el control es incómodo e impreciso (por eso uso Controller Companion)-No todos los juegos son compatibles, la mayoría si (el foro del steam link es muy activo y pueden ayudarte)-El audio le falta mucho los bajos (pero cuando juegas con amigos es lo que menos te preocupa)Lista de Controles probados por mí-Xbox 360 Alábrico-Xbox 360 Inalámbrico (Se requiere Receptor Inalámbico para PC)-Play Station 3 (Sólo alámbrico)-Play Station 4 Funciona por bluetooth (inalámbrico)-Wii U Pro Controller Funciona por bluetooth (inalámbrico)Juegos Probados-Battleblock Teather-Awesomenauts-Nidhogg-Castle Crashers-Dead Space-Gta V-Left 4 Dead 2-Gang Beast-Limbo-Super Meat Boy-Guacamelee-Portal 2El Steam Link tiene un muy buen futuro, es un dispositivo excelente para tener en la tele e invitar amigosy cumple los1080p a 60fps

El equipo llegó súper maltratado, con manchas y con grasa de dedos. La verdad no me dió nada de confianza pero tengo que admitir que funcionó bien y de momento no me ha dado problemas. Recomendado si tienes una tv viejita

Having played with this for an entire week, I think I can form some opinions on this product now.Package contents. Fantastic.I can't believe how weighty the package was. It comes with the Steam Link, AC Adapter with several international plug adaptors, HDMI cable, and a flat ethernet cable for a tangle free experience. Everything feels premium, and it comes with everything to get you started.Performance. Great but varies depending on the game.Some background on my setup. I used ethernet for my Steam Link. Bumped the client setting to "beautiful". My gaming rig is powered by a GTX 1070 and steam host setting is set to hardware encoding with NVFBC capture method.So far, for less graphically demanding games like Dragonball Xenoverse, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm, Final Fantasy XIII, and Metal Gear Rising: Revengence, the experience is fluid and perfect. The bitrate maxes at 30,000kbps and the graphic quality is flawless even while moving.For racing games, I have found games like F1 2013 (a bit old but still pretty) to be completely buttery smooth without any hint of graphic issues even at max speeds down the straights of Spa. For another old game like GRID autosport, the experience was a complete 180. While the game runs fairly smooth but when driving at high speeds, there are periods of reduced video quality and great amounts of macro blocking/smearing. In comparision to NVIDIA's shield, the same game (GRID Autosport) deliver a flawless experience without any issues with regards to graphic quality. I think it has to do with how optimized Steam is using NVIDIA's encoder for each particular game.For more graphically intensive games like GTA V, stuttering would occur while driving and there would be periods of macro blocking/smearing as if the video stream's quality is greatly reduced. However, on games like Crysis 3 (shortcut via Steam) on completely maxed settings. No issues. Game plays fantastic. Likewise, Tomb Raider on maxed graphics also looks wonderful and runs completely fluid.I would say for the most part the Steam Link experience has been great and only a few games do not behave well.Value. Can't be beat.For the low price, you get something that does the same thing as NVIDIA's gamestream without needing to buy $$$ of kit. It works with so many controllers. I'm using both Xbox One and Xbox 360 controllers and it has been a complete joy. Yes there are small issues here and there but I'm sure with future updates the experience will be even better.

Valve's Steam Link is an excellent way to stream your PC to your TV, but may not make sense for everyone. For me, it was a very quick and easy way to arrange my system given that my computer was already hard wired to my router and that my router just happened to be beside my TV.Once the Link was hooked up and running, I had some issues with connectivity. Sometimes it wouldn't connect to my PC, sometimes it would lose the connection while streaming (never in-game though, interestingly). Then I found out it was a controller issue, that it kept disconnecting when it wasn't finding controller input. This was because my controller's wireless connection was being interrupted by the strong wi-fi signal, given that my wireless router was right beside my Link. In the end, it was as simple as moving the dock for the wireless receiver (provided with the Link at no extra cost) to the other side of my TV stand to protect it from the wi-fi signal. Presto chango! All my problems were solved. It now connects every time, my controller has a solid signal, and everything works just as it should.The Steam Link may not be a perfect product, but for the price (I also got it on sale for more than half off) it is a good product and definitely worth the purchase. I was debating returning it, but given that my problems were easy to fix after I had done some research, I was very pleased that I decided to keep it.Also, one of the strongest aspects of the Link is the associated Steam controller. You can play the controller on your PC without the Link (the controller comes with the wireless dongle necessary), but it is a good experience pairing the two up. I will leave a separate review for the controller.My only wish for the Steam Link is that, for someone like me who switches between playing on my PC and on my TV, I would like to see settings in the Link that will automatically adjust the games' screen resolution to fit the TV. Playing Civilization VI on the TV can get annoying if you don't either change the resolution or move up close to the TV given that the in-game text can be so tiny. You can do it manually, changing the resolution in-game, but it is time consuming and annoying to have to switch every time I go back to my PC. It would probably not be difficult for Valve to add two resolution settings one for when it's playing on the PC and another that automatically kicks in when the game is booted up on the Link. Fortunately, as we have seen with the Steam controller, Steam is excellent for releasing better (and more customisable) software as they get feedback from their users. This gives me hope that this, and other improved features, will be incorporated in future software updates.The only reason I gave this product 4 instead of 5 stars is because of the minor issues I've had with set-up and some frame-rate and resolution issues. These things may all be fixed in the future. Overall, excellent product.