Valve’s been slowly but surely trying to bring PC gaming to the living room these past couple of years, but there’s been a bunch of roadblocks, not the least of which is the fact that the company’s computer/console Steam Machines have been delayed numerous times. Even when they do launch, however, what about people who already have nice gaming rigs but still want to play PC games in their living room? Well, that’s where the new $49.99 Steam Link comes in, as it allows you to wirelessly stream games at 1080p and 60FPS from your PC to your TV.
Valve is now accepting preorders for the upcoming Steam Link hardware accessory, a $50 set-top box that will stream 1080p gameplay from a nearby computer, including a Mac running Yosemite or later. Steam Link will cost $49.99 for the base hardware, compatible with a Steam Controller, Xbox One or 360 wired controller, Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for Windows, Logitech WirelessGamepad F710, or keyboard and mouse. A $99.98 bundle with the Steam Controller is also available. In addition to Microsoft Windows and Valve’s own SteamOS, Steam Link is also compatible with OS X 10.10 or newer. The platform-agnostic streaming device should work with any Mac compatible with OS X 10.10 Yosemite or OS X 10.11 El Capitan, both of which run Valve’s Steam. Valve strongly recommends that users rely on a wired network to stream from a computer to a Steam Link. The Mac has historically been something of a second-class citizen in the traditional PC gaming world, but the situation has improved in recent years as Apple’s hardware has gained market share. It was especially bolstered in 2010, when Steam arrived on Mac and allowed for cross-platform gameplay against Windows PC users.
