Steam Link and Steam Controller now available to Pre Order

So sorry for the thread hijack but it's a big thread so I'm sure some people don't mind.

Just been reading about these and for me, someone currently without a console or a gaming PC but plays the odd game on my laptop these seem like a really cost effective easy way to get back into gaming!

I have a few questions if people don't mind please.

- I intend on connecting the steam link to my router. Does the host machine it streams from (ie my laptop) also require a network connection. Or does a decent wifi connection do the job? if not I'll need an adapter which isn't a major concern :)

- I've read mixed reports about using a KB&M. Do any just work or only certain models? is there a list online somewhere? I'm thinking KBM for FPS & Strategy games but the controller for racing and everything else.

- Does anyone connect the HDMI on their steam link to their amp then to the TV? This is my intention to get sound through my speakers :)

- One last question. I've seen people speak about adding KODI as a non steam app to run from their machines to double the steam link as a media streamer. Has anyone figured a way for the steam link to directly access a NAS and run the kodi app on itself? If the laptop needs to be on to do this it's not really an issue as it's always switched on anyway but would be handy :)

Thanks very much!
 
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CaptainRAVE said:
Yes I have it connected through my amp.

Don't even bother with wifi tbh.
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Cheers. So I'll need an adaptor for the MacBook to hardwire it in. No problems.

Great to hear it works through an amp just fine. Not sure if you saw the last question I added in about KODI etc. Sounds like you may know the answer :)
 
My link is having serious issues at the moment. Connected through power lines. Strength shows as green, but getting 100% loss in the tests :(

What is annoying is how variable the connection is. I wonder why?
 
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CaptainRAVE said:
My link is having serious issues at the moment. Connected through power lines. Strength shows as green, but getting 100% loss in the tests :(

What is annoying is how variable the connection is. I wonder why?
Click to expand...

I had same problem think I need faster ones I have it connected though my wi fi now and it's a lot better than the current plugs I have
 
CaptainRAVE said:
My link is having serious issues at the moment. Connected through power lines. Strength shows as green, but getting 100% loss in the tests :(

What is annoying is how variable the connection is. I wonder why?
Click to expand...

Do you have TP Link home plugs? I did and have the same problem. After searching online I came across an obscure forum post that mentioned some sort of update to these plugs had happened. He said to power off all home plugs for a few seconds and plug them back in.
About 10 people in the same thread reported it fixed the problem, also fixed it for me as well so well worth a try.
 
The-Plethora said:
Do you have TP Link home plugs? I did and have the same problem. After searching online I came across an obscure forum post that mentioned some sort of update to these plugs had happened. He said to power off all home plugs for a few seconds and plug them back in.
About 10 people in the same thread reported it fixed the problem, also fixed it for me as well so well worth a try.
Click to expand...

I played about with them (including moving them and turning them off). Working again now and better than it was before. I guess that must have been the issue.
 
Been considering plugging my steam-link back in and giving it another bash - got it a year ago but found the performance and software wasn't quite there yet (plus my AV software at the time kept firing pop-ups which interfered with the experience, but it doesn't do that anymore!)...

Worth it? Have there been any significant steps forward in how the link performs lately? I still like the idea of it and have several games which would be perfect to play on the TV+sofa...
 
For those with TP-Link home plug products - there is a utility for them and firmware avalible online (http://www.tp-link.com/us/support) its worth updating all of the plugs you have to the latest firmware as it has fixed all my issues (including with BT TV breaking until I rebooted the plugs).

Note - model number is often on the back of the plug
 
Got the Link today and was super excited to get it up.and running but I'm quite disappointed as it doesn't seem to be working properly at all for me. For some reason I'm getting AWFUL frame rates from Batman AA , while my laptop isn't super end, it does run Batman pretty comfortably on its own smoothly on high. I've just been trying to fiddle with it on the Link and even at 640 x 480 resolution, lowest settings, it struggled to go above 25 FPS?? Thus making the game unplayable, and if I can't solve it I think I have no choice but to return it :( Running my laptop over wi-fi but connected the Link to my lappy via ethernet, any ideas to sort this? I've done a network test and results come out good, tried updating Steam to beta, hardware encoding, Fast setting etc. All to no avail :(
 
Vonhelmet said:
What's the graphics kit in the laptop like? It could be that rendering the graphics and then encoding it is too much.
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The-Plethora said:
Maybe it's a basic integrated graphics card that does not support hardware video encoding.
Click to expand...

I will check the exact spec when I get home from work, but it is a dedicated AMD GPU, I think the 7000 series? Laptop is roughly 3-4 years old. I've also been reading peoples experiences online and generally if you can run a game very smoothly without the Link, it should be OK to run on the Link, or at least lowering one or two settings/resolution would speed things up. Doesn't it strike you a bit weird that going from high resolution and settings to the lowest with not much difference??

Not sure if it helps matters, but I did notice on the high settings with 720p resolution I was getting ~15 fps, while dropping it to lowest with 640 res gave me ~25 fps. I'd have originally thought that dropping so many settings would give more than a 10 fps boost?!
 
gamerTM21 said:
Got the Link today and was super excited to get it up.and running but I'm quite disappointed as it doesn't seem to be working properly at all for me. For some reason I'm getting AWFUL frame rates from Batman AA , while my laptop isn't super end, it does run Batman pretty comfortably on its own smoothly on high. I've just been trying to fiddle with it on the Link and even at 640 x 480 resolution, lowest settings, it struggled to go above 25 FPS?? Thus making the game unplayable, and if I can't solve it I think I have no choice but to return it :( Running my laptop over wi-fi but connected the Link to my lappy via ethernet, any ideas to sort this? I've done a network test and results come out good, tried updating Steam to beta, hardware encoding, Fast setting etc. All to no avail :(
Click to expand...

Have you tried any other game before putting it down to the Link? You don't mention any other games in your post, so maybe try something else first? Also, disable the Steam Overlay, and disable things like FRAPS and SweetFX. They can interfere with the Link.

You should probably also disable your wifi if you're also using a wired connection. Windows doesn't handle multiple network connections very well if they're on the same IP range.
 
CHokKA said:
Have you tried any other game before putting it down to the Link? You don't mention any other games in your post, so maybe try something else first? Also, disable the Steam Overlay, and disable things like FRAPS and SweetFX. They can interfere with the Link.

You should probably also disable your wifi if you're also using a wired connection. Windows doesn't handle multiple network connections very well if they're on the same IP range.
Click to expand...

I do admit that I haven't tried another game yet, which I will probably test later on tonight, although Batman AA seems to be a game which a lot of people have ran fine on the Link, and it was one that ran quite well on my laptop originally, so thought it would be a good test. Also about the wifi, I meant that the link is connected to the laptop, but my laptop is getting internet via Wifi.

Sleepery said:
I don't understand - if it's a laptop why don't you just have it plugged into the telly?
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My desk for my laptop and my TV are on opposite sides of the room, so before using the Link the original plan was to run it wirelessly, plus I have my TV surrounded with my Xbox, speakers etc. But then running the Link wirelessly was too laggy, and now with these issues it might be better to just run the laptop directly into the tv to be honest...
 
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