WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:06.720 So, my Steam Link originally shipped to me about 4 months ago. I didn't open it 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:09.760 because I already have a gaming capable media center PC, which can run Steam in 00:00:08.559 --> 00:00:15.200 home streaming in big picture mode without any help from standalone hardware. And frankly, I just haven't 00:00:13.440 --> 00:00:18.220 had much time to play games lately anyway. But better late than never, 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:26.800 right? 00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:32.960 The Fenix Oour is a full-size, minimalistically designed keyboard 00:00:31.279 --> 00:00:37.680 complete with gold-plated Cherry MX brown switches. Check it out at the link 00:00:34.800 --> 00:00:43.040 in the video description to learn more. So, in terms of IO, the Steam Link is 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:46.160 equipped with three USB 2.0 ports, HDMI 00:00:43.040 --> 00:00:48.320 1.4 for video out, 100 megabit per 00:00:46.160 --> 00:00:53.039 second Ethernet, and a connection for the 5V 2 and 1/2 amp power port. That's 00:00:50.719 --> 00:00:58.879 only 12 1/2 watts, by the way. And it's otherwise completely devoid of 00:00:55.879 --> 00:01:00.719 adornments, save for the Steam logo on 00:00:58.879 --> 00:01:04.640 the top cover. But come on, who's interested in the top cover when we can 00:01:02.160 --> 00:01:09.200 get under the hood? And uh okay, well, we should have known that based on the 00:01:06.360 --> 00:01:14.000 2005 class, with the exception of HDMI connectivity, that we weren't going to 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:18.400 find much in here. The details are actually fairly sparse online with Valve 00:01:16.400 --> 00:01:22.640 not even bothering to put actual hardware under the hardware 00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:27.200 specifications on the product page. But with a little more digging, we found a 00:01:24.320 --> 00:01:31.759 Reddit post and the Steam Link SDK post on GitHub that shed a little more light 00:01:29.759 --> 00:01:37.119 on the situation. The Steam Link features a single core ARMV7 processor 00:01:34.560 --> 00:01:42.479 running at about 1 ghahz. So, similar to the Raspberry Pi 2 model B with a 00:01:39.680 --> 00:01:47.920 dedicated hardware H.264 264 decoder, 256 megs of RAM, and 500 megs of flash 00:01:46.079 --> 00:01:51.840 storage. Though, it should be noted that is not for user storage or games or 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:56.399 anything. It is intended to be used for the custom Linux- based operating system 00:01:53.759 --> 00:02:00.799 that it runs and presumably any applicable Steam Link app releases that 00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:06.640 are developed thanks to the availability of the aforementioned SDK. Now, as yet, 00:02:04.240 --> 00:02:12.400 I can't find any information other than the original Valve announcement on 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:14.000 ongoing Steam Link app projects, but let 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:19.280 me know in the comments if you've heard something that I haven't. While this 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:25.920 hardware isn't anywhere near capable of chilling and watching Netflix, as the 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:28.560 kids say, in Ultra HD, 1080, Twitch, 00:02:25.920 --> 00:02:32.400 Netflix, or YouTube should be possible, if not the greatest experiences. And 00:02:30.879 --> 00:02:37.440 surely there could be other interesting uses for it. But enough speculation. 00:02:34.720 --> 00:02:41.120 What does the Steam Link do today? Well, as Valve helpfully points out in their 00:02:39.440 --> 00:02:46.400 short and very adorable animated promotional video, it takes the power of 00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:48.480 your gaming PC, uses that to render 00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:52.239 games, encode the frames as a video stream, and transmit them over your home 00:02:50.400 --> 00:02:56.080 network. By the way, do yourself a favor and use the wired connection. I know 00:02:54.319 --> 00:02:58.800 it's only 100 megabit, but trust me, inh home streaming does not use more than 50 00:02:57.519 --> 00:03:04.000 to 60 megabit per second and better latency and reliability is worth 00:03:00.760 --> 00:03:06.720 it to the Steam Link. So, all the Steam 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:11.760 Link does is take inputs from the user via USB from the couch and transmit 00:03:09.519 --> 00:03:16.239 those back to the PC somewhere else in the house to control the game. And 00:03:13.920 --> 00:03:21.760 controller flexibility is a very strong point. Your options include mouse, 00:03:18.720 --> 00:03:24.720 keyboard, uh gamepad, or multiples of 00:03:21.760 --> 00:03:29.360 those using a USB hub, or even thanks to ongoing hard work from developers, more 00:03:27.200 --> 00:03:34.239 exotic stuff like racing wheels, thanks to a third party tool called Virtual 00:03:31.680 --> 00:03:38.319 Here allows Windows, Mac, and Linux users to share peripherals over the 00:03:36.239 --> 00:03:44.400 network. Sounds a lot like NVIDIA's Gamestream, doesn't it? Well, yeah, 00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:47.440 actually. But unlike game stream devices 00:03:44.400 --> 00:03:49.280 like NVIDIA's Shield lineup, it does not 00:03:47.440 --> 00:03:53.200 work with GeForce. Now, you can check out my full review of NVIDIA's on demand 00:03:51.280 --> 00:03:59.360 internet game streaming service here. And there are no handheld gaming devices 00:03:55.519 --> 00:04:01.760 that run Steam yet, but it is much 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:07.680 cheaper than a Shield console and it works with both NVIDIA and AMD graphics 00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:10.480 cards in the source gaming rig. But 00:04:07.680 --> 00:04:15.439 then, how well does it work? Pretty darn well. Well, I mean, setup was a breeze 00:04:12.439 --> 00:04:17.919 mostly, assuming that the Steam Link and 00:04:15.439 --> 00:04:22.079 your PC are on the same subnet. You basically power on your computer and 00:04:19.840 --> 00:04:26.960 make sure it's running Steam, select the stream PC in the list of connections, 00:04:24.479 --> 00:04:30.880 note down that four-digit PIN, and enter it on the streaming PC. Boom, you're 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:36.160 done. Although, there are some tips that I have to make your life as simple as 00:04:32.479 --> 00:04:39.680 ours was. Number one, use a wire. Number 00:04:36.160 --> 00:04:42.639 two, if you must use wireless, use 5 00:04:39.680 --> 00:04:47.600 gigahertz to avoid common 2.4 GHz interferes like microwaves and baby 00:04:44.960 --> 00:04:53.360 monitors. Your router should have an option to create separate SSIDs for the 00:04:50.880 --> 00:04:58.639 different bands. Just note though that your 5 GHz range is likely inferior to 00:04:56.320 --> 00:05:04.400 your 2.4 GHz range. So, make sure that you're close enough to consistently get 00:05:01.520 --> 00:05:09.120 your full bandwidth in spite of the usual network 00:05:06.280 --> 00:05:13.120 congestion. So, while the Steam Link wasn't perfect at release, that's one of 00:05:11.520 --> 00:05:18.400 the nice things about reviewing a product months down the line. It tells 00:05:15.360 --> 00:05:20.479 you if the manufacturer really cares or 00:05:18.400 --> 00:05:24.560 if they've given up support to start working on the next thing. And I really 00:05:22.560 --> 00:05:29.199 have to hand it to Valve here. Each change log seems to be a direct response 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:33.440 to the issues and requests that are brought up in the community forums, 00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:38.000 bringing since release considerable improvements to stream reliability, 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:41.600 enabling seemingly essential features like being able to forget a wireless 00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:45.600 network and putting your Xbox controller to sleep when powering down the link. 00:05:43.600 --> 00:05:50.720 And thanks to another recent update, 32-bit CRC checking to detect and take 00:05:48.639 --> 00:05:56.000 action to correct corrupt network packets for a more pain-free, reliable 00:05:53.680 --> 00:05:59.600 experience. I mean, honestly, as far as I can tell, the majority of the negative 00:05:58.160 --> 00:06:05.280 comments surrounding the Steam Link these days are due to issues that are 00:06:02.400 --> 00:06:11.840 100% preventable, which is pretty cool. So, what about that lag then? Gaming 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:16.080 over the network. Ah, it sounds great, 00:06:11.840 --> 00:06:17.919 but is it actually usable? Well, yeah. 00:06:16.080 --> 00:06:22.000 After a couple of matchmaker games in Rocket League and blitzing through the 00:06:19.840 --> 00:06:26.080 first couple levels in Metro Last Light, our new writer, did I mention that this 00:06:23.919 --> 00:06:29.600 video is the very first work of a new team member? You can let him know in the 00:06:27.440 --> 00:06:35.360 comments if you hated it, was thoroughly impressed by the lack of any noticeable 00:06:32.080 --> 00:06:38.000 input lag. However, upon switching to 00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:43.280 CS:GO, it did become apparent that there was some amount of lag. So, it was time 00:06:40.960 --> 00:06:49.840 then to break out the Makey Makey and the 240fps iPhone camera to uncover the 00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:51.919 extent of it. Not actually bad, but it 00:06:49.840 --> 00:06:55.919 ties in pretty well to the conclusion that most of you were probably expecting 00:06:53.759 --> 00:07:00.000 here. It's perfectly fine for single player and casual multiplayer games. 00:06:58.080 --> 00:07:05.039 However, I couldn't recommend it for anyone wanting to play competitively in 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:08.240 games like CS:GO, Street Fighter, or the like. That is to say, unless you're 00:07:06.800 --> 00:07:13.919 playing against your little cousin who's in town for a visit. Which leaves us 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:16.400 only some closing thoughts. Game support 00:07:13.919 --> 00:07:20.479 used to be a major issue with Steam and home streaming where you'd frequently 00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:25.440 have to run upstairs, click a stupid pop-up box, run downstairs, see if it's 00:07:22.800 --> 00:07:30.319 working, rinse and repeat until tired. But thanks to the Steam Link's ability 00:07:27.440 --> 00:07:34.800 to tab out and use your Steam Link keyboard and mouse as though you are 00:07:32.160 --> 00:07:38.880 sitting in front of that computer, it is no longer an issue. And this also 00:07:37.120 --> 00:07:44.080 addresses really most of the need for apps like Netflix since you can also use 00:07:41.120 --> 00:07:48.960 it for that. Pretty cool. The Steam Link does not replace a console or a 00:07:46.319 --> 00:07:53.520 dedicated gaming PC connected to the TV. Remember that the remote computer cannot 00:07:51.440 --> 00:07:58.080 be used for little Sally's book report while you defeat dragons downstairs. But 00:07:56.080 --> 00:08:02.720 as it stands, the Steam Link is inexpensive enough and once configured, 00:08:00.639 --> 00:08:07.440 easy enough to use that in a house with multiple screens and at least one 00:08:04.960 --> 00:08:13.120 serious gamer, I can't think of a good reason not to pick one up. Crunchyroll 00:08:10.639 --> 00:08:18.479 is the site created by anime fans for anime fans. They offer the most current 00:08:15.680 --> 00:08:22.800 episodes of new shows, plus a large collection of the most popular anime 00:08:20.400 --> 00:08:28.560 series. In their spring lineup, they've got Ace Attorney, Twin Star Exorcists, 00:08:25.840 --> 00:08:33.599 and Rezero: Startling Life in Another World. And coming in summer 2016, 00:08:30.960 --> 00:08:37.279 Berserk is coming to Crunchyroll. And all the content on the site is 00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:40.080 professionally subtitled. Just head over to 00:08:38.599 --> 00:08:45.279 crunchyroll.com/lininus which is linked in the video description and you can 00:08:41.680 --> 00:08:48.800 sign up for a 30-day free trial. None of 00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:51.120 this 10day free trial or 15-day free 00:08:48.800 --> 00:08:56.000 trial. No, no, 30-day free trial of Crunchyroll Premium, which gives you a 00:08:53.120 --> 00:09:00.000 whole month of free anime completely without ads. And if you enjoy the many 00:08:57.920 --> 00:09:04.000 benefits of premium, like 1080p streaming, getting new episodes of shows 00:09:02.000 --> 00:09:08.080 straight from Japan within an hour of their premiere, and being able to stream 00:09:06.160 --> 00:09:11.680 anywhere, anytime from a variety of devices like your phone, tablet, or game 00:09:09.839 --> 00:09:15.800 console, you can continue your premium membership to Crunchyroll for only $6.95 00:09:13.839 --> 00:09:19.519 a month. So, head to crunchyroll.com/Linus and check it out. 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:22.800 Thanks for watching, guys. If this video sucked, you know what to do. But if it 00:09:21.279 --> 00:09:27.360 was awesome, get subscribed, hit the like button, or even consider supporting us directly by using our affiliate code 00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:30.320 to shop at Amazon, by buying a cool shirt like this one, or with a direct 00:09:29.120 --> 00:09:34.800 monthly contribution through our community forum, which is linked in the video description. Now that you're done 00:09:33.839 --> 00:09:39.440 doing all that stuff, you're probably wondering, hm, gee, what should I watch next? And that's a great question, too. 00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:44.959 Click that little button in the top right corner to check out our latest channel, Super Fun video, where we all 00:09:42.959 --> 00:09:47.920 had lots of fun and we filmed it and we made a video and we put it on a channel. 00:09:46.399 --> 00:09:53.880 The channel's called Channel Super Fun. That's where the name came from, cuz it's fun. Super fun even.