Board 8 > Steam Link for $2.50, ceasing production.

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/353380/Steam_Link/

Don't actually know how this works or if it even will, but I ain't passing that up.
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I bought one at gamestop last year for 5 bucks with free shipping.
Glad to see that it's half that price now lol
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what is this
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If nothing else, it comes with a very nice HDMI cable.
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damn, i meant to pick one up last time it was on sale but with the shipping as i decided against it as i was broke at the time. so i saw this topic and was like OMG MUST FINALLY GET IT but alas, they're already stopped in Europe.

So I still have to have a controller hooked up to the PC? My living room is across the house from my PC.
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LapisLazuli posted...

So I still have to have a controller hooked up to the PC? My living room is across the house from my PC.

No, it has bluetooth or you can plug them into the Link itself, I believe
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So PS4 controller will connect to it no hassle? This is sick, good thing I didn't look into it when it cost more, lol.
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PS4 yeah. I actually just looked that up myself. It sounds like you may need a wired controller of some kind to connect to the Link to go into the options to pair the PS4 controller, but after that you're good.
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I bought one for $5 last year and its still sitting on my desk, unopened.
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ChaosTonyV4 posted...

I bought one for $5 last year and its still sitting on my desk, unopened.

i'll give you 10

Oh hell I had no idea this was a thing.

Uh I think I'll go ahead and buy it.
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How do I buy more than one through steam?

I mean, that 8$ shipping makes it kinda silly to buy just one.
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I think it's limited to one per Steam account, since you have to be logged in to buy it.
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Is the Steam Controller any good? Should I pick that up while I'm at it?

Part of the reason I don't really PC game is because I hate not using a controller.
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the steam controller is apparently really good for things you wouldn't use a controller for but worse than a regular controller for controller games

I bought this and the Steam Controller during the Summer sale. Pretty pointless purchases.
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OliviaTremor posted...

I bought this and the Steam Controller during the Summer sale. Pretty pointless purchases.

This is why I didn't buy them because this is what I was expecting to think if I did.
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well it's bought
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STElNER posted...

the steam controller is apparently really good for things you wouldn't use a controller for but worse than a regular controller for controller games

In other words I should just use an old 360 controller. Got it.

Bought one. Maybe I'll get to enjoy some PC games for once.
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Meow1000 posted...

OliviaTremor posted...

I bought this and the Steam Controller during the Summer sale. Pretty pointless purchases.

This is why I didn't buy them because this is what I was expecting to think if I did.

Yup. I got it, played around with it for a bit, realized it is pretty much just a limited mirroring device like a chromecast, apple tv or something and that was about it. With the controller I spent so much time trying to get the damn thing to work for even the most basic of games like Hollow Knight that I just stopped even bothering. The whole experience was pretty meh and made me realize I don't really mind just playing games keyboard and mouse at my computer.
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I actually really like mine and have gotten tons of use out of it. I use a wired connection and it's my go-to to play any steam games. The controller is actually really nice for certain PC games where you don't need to have quick, high accuracy mouse motions.

Like this has been perfect for any parties at my house.
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STElNER posted...

the steam controller is apparently really good for things you wouldn't use a controller for but worse than a regular controller for controller games

Ehhhhhhhhhhhh I think it works better than a standard controller in platformers with more than just jump due to the grip buttons being able to function as the X/B buttons, and any other similar types of games.

The right "analog" stick requires a lot of adjusting and fine tuning to work better than just a normal analog stick tho, which is p lame, and the d-pad kinda sucks.
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there you go there's someone who knows what they're talking about, shame he already based his order off my post

I know what I'm talking about. The Steam Link and Steam Controller are pointless if you already have any other controller and a big monitor.
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My PC is in my room which I do not game in. If I don't get the Steam Link I will literally never play any of the dozens of games I own on Steam. I already quit Trails in the Sky because I hate playing on PC so much, this is the only shot it has.
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$8 for shipping??

Fuck. I was gonna buy one for Steiner, but surely theres gonna be a cheaper way to buy it from GameStop or something this Black Friday.
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ChaosTonyV4 posted...

$8 for shipping??

Fuck. I was gonna buy one for Steiner, but surely theres gonna be a cheaper way to buy it from GameStop or something this Black Friday.

Out. Of. Production.

If the store doesn't already have them I SEVERELY doubt they'll get any more.
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So basically if I have a spare laptop/computer I could leave it turned on in a corner somewhere and use this box to play games on the TV with a controller? And any controller works? That's amazing, how did I not know about this earlier.

profDEADPOOL posted...

The right "analog" stick requires a lot of adjusting and fine tuning to work better than just a normal analog stick tho, which is p lame, and the d-pad kinda sucks.

There are ton of games where you can configure the right pad to work as a mouse for looking around and it's very useful. It's my favourite PC controller for playing third person games like Dark Souls or Hitman. Having an extra set of bumpers where you fingers usually rest is useful too. Some people get really into mapping out controller shortcuts but I've never been comfortable doing so.

ShatteredElysium posted...

So basically if I have a spare laptop/computer I could leave it turned on in a corner somewhere and use this box to play games on the TV with a controller? And any controller works? That's amazing, how did I not know about this earlier.

It'd probably be easier to hook up your laptop directly!
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So is it basically a way of screen sharing? So if I can already screen share from my laptop without it, it's pointless?

Yeah all the Steam Link does is a way to screenshare.
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Yeah, the Steam Link is just an easy way to stream games from your Steam installation to your TV.
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I'm looking at maybeeeee 100ft, two walls. Wonder how it'll hold up. How much data does it use?
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ShatteredElysium posted...

So is it basically a way of screen sharing? So if I can already screen share from my laptop without it, it's pointless?

Essentially yes, especially when it introduces minor latency. I have my desktop directly plugged in to my TV so it's largely a useless product for someone like me. The target audience is really folks who have their desktop in a completely separate area from their TV with no easy way of directly getting a wire to it.
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LapisLazuli posted...

My PC is in my room which I do not game in. If I don't get the Steam Link I will literally never play any of the dozens of games I own on Steam. I already quit Trails in the Sky because I hate playing on PC so much, this is the only shot it has.

I should also say that if you don't use a wired connection it is spotty sometimes. For games like Trails it will be fine, but for anything with a decent bitrate, it becomes choppy.
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I have no way to hook up my tv to my desktop so this is great in theory but I can't figure out how to make it work because I'm dumb and also I think my tv will have too much latency for gaming anyway

It's pretty much all older or indie games for me. Can't think of any worthwhile PC exclusive big budget games from the last few years.
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Xiahou Shake posted...

ShatteredElysium posted...

So is it basically a way of screen sharing? So if I can already screen share from my laptop without it, it's pointless?

Essentially yes, especially when it introduces minor latency. I have my desktop directly plugged in to my TV so it's largely a useless product for someone like me. The target audience is really folks who have their desktop in a completely separate area from their TV with no easy way of directly getting a wire to it.

Well I have a spare gaming laptop right now so my plan was to make that essentially a steam console for my TV. It's an older gaming laptop but should be fine for the older games on Steam I think.

I guess I'll pick one up, worst case it's only $10. Well and I guess I need a 360 controller since I only own Playstations

ShatteredElysium posted...

Well and I guess I need a 360 controller since I only own Playstations

You can use Playstation controllers on PC too! Actually you can use whatever the hell you want, Switch, Gamecube, Xbone etc - that's the beauty of it! But it's especially easy to use Dualshock 4s since Steam has easy built-in support for them.
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Xiahou Shake posted...

ShatteredElysium posted...

Well and I guess I need a 360 controller since I only own Playstations

You can use Playstation controllers on PC too! Honestly you can use whatever the hell you want - that's the beauty of it! But it's especially easy to use Dualshock 4s since Steam has easy built-in support for them.

Oh the Steam Link page only specified supporting Xbox 360 controllers, it didn't mention Playstation at all.

I just double checked to see if Steam Link has some limitation I'm not aware of, and it looks like you should be fine with a DS4. Maybe someone else who actually owns it can confirm, but AFAIK the Steam Link is basically just a remote interface with your PC so there really shouldn't be any limitations.
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LapisLazuli posted...

ChaosTonyV4 posted...

$8 for shipping??

Fuck. I was gonna buy one for Steiner, but surely theres gonna be a cheaper way to buy it from GameStop or something this Black Friday.

Out. Of. Production.

If the store doesn't already have them I SEVERELY doubt they'll get any more.

Who said they have to get more?

If they have any in stock, theyll probably be cheaper than $12 after tax is all Im saying.
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I played all the Trails in the Sky games with a Steam link

worked pretty well for a slower moving game like an rpg
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Xiahou Shake posted...

I just double checked to see if Steam Link has some limitation I'm not aware of, and it looks like you should be fine with a DS4. Maybe someone else who actually owns it can confirm, but AFAIK the Steam Link is basically just a remote interface with your PC so there really shouldn't be any limitations.

When the steam link first came out Steam didn't have native DS4 support, they prolly never changed it even after adding the DS4 support.
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I've generally been happy with mine, except there were a couple games that for some reason it wouldn't bring up. I couldn't figure out why. But it would have been an opportunity to play in front of my TV for the first time in years instead of sitting at my desk, which is kinda cramped. I'd love a larger monitor but there's just nowhere to put it, and I'm already so freaking close anyway.
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I found out that Valve doesn't ship hardware to Canada because of this! Thanks, jerks!
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