You have two options: wired and wireless.
Of course, you can't use your Switch Pro Controller with your PC until you first connect it to your PC.
If you’re on Wi-Fi, you may spend some time adjusting these options. If you’re on an ethernet connection, the maximum settings will probably work. In In-Home Streaming on your Steam Link, you can pick from three quality presets-Fast, Balanced, and Beautiful-or you can more finely tweak the settings that affect quality and consistency of the image. There are a few settings you should know about, too. This is helpful for identifying which games support the gamepad and thus are easily playable on your TV. If you’re using a gamepad, you can press a designated button to apply a filter (“Y” on the Xbox controllers, triangle on the PlayStation 4 controller, and so on-it’s listed at the bottom of the screen).
You can remotely install games to your PC from your purchased games library here. Just load up your “Library” and look at the list of games.
Samuel Axon/IDG How to stream games from your PC to Steam Linkįrom this point, you’re home free. From here, you’ll be taken to the main menu. Just take a look at your host PC, and you should see that a prompt has appeared asking for the code. Once you’ve selected your host, the Steam Link will show a four-digit PIN number that you need to enter on the host PC to confirm the connection.
If you search, you’ll be prompted for information that will help the Steam Link find your PC, like its hostname or IP address. If it’s not listed, you’ll have to search for it (“Y” on most controllers). If everything’s set up on your PC, it should appear on the menu and you just have to hit a button (“A” on most controllers) to proceed. Your Steam Link will now try to automatically detect available computers that are currently running Steam. But if you have thought through how to set up a whole CEC scenario, keep it enabled. Samuel Axon/IDGĬEC is a feature on some TVs that lets you to control multiple devices connected to your TV with the same controller. Chances are it’s the highest setting listed in the menu. But other times, you just have to know what your TV can support. Sometimes you’ll even see this automatically recognized at the top of the screen, as seen in the below screenshot. Leave scaling at 0% in most cases, and pick the resolution and Hz refresh that best matches your TV. In another screen, you’ll be presented with some basic settings: scaling, resolution, and CEC. Just note that your internet connection speed is irrelevant since Steam Link only streams games from PCs on your local network. But if it’s not possible, troubleshoot your network and you might be able to improve your circumstances well enough to play.
If you have an ideal scenario, Wi-Fi will be fine for the Steam Link-but most of us don’t. Wireless connections are better than they’ve ever been, but they’re still subject to interference from other wireless signals, as well as signal degradation over long distances or going through walls and furniture. The Steam Link’s physical connections include an ethernet port. And since the games are interactive, you could very easily encounter game death-ensuing stutters or other issues with the slightest hiccup. Why? Well, streaming high-resolution games at 60 frames per second is one of the most taxing things you can do on a network connection. Valve strongly recommends connecting both your Steam Link and your host machine with a wired ethernet connection.