If you already have a machine powerful enough to play modern games you can stream the action to TV sets or portables. The Raspberry Pi makes a good game streaming box, reports Ars Technica's Kevin Purdy, and now can function as a Steam Link, compatible with the most popular platform's software. All in all, another good reason to spend $75 or so on a tiny single-board computer that can be trusted to dangle from a HDMI port.
As detailed in the Raspberry Pi blog, there were previously means of getting Steam Link working on Raspberry Pi devices, but the platform's move away from proprietary Broadcom libraries—and from X to Wayland display systems—required "a different approach." Sam Lantinga from Valve worked with the Raspberry Pi team on optimizing for the Raspberry Pi 5 hardware. As of Steam Link 1.3.13 for the little board, Raspberry Pi 5 units could support up to 1080p at 144 frames per second (FPS) on the H.264 protocol and 4k at 60 FPS or 1080p at 240 FPS, presuming your primary gaming computer and network can support tha
Purdy recommends, however, the alternative Moonlight app.
Previously: Google to shut down Stadia, its streaming game service
