Game: Steam Link, Valve, 2015, PCBeer: SURPRISE!, WOOHOO fl. oz., 100% a.b.v. (awesome by volume)
# of beers consumed during play: How many beers ya got?
Level Reached: There are no levels, only games...
Level of Intoxication: Stone Sober
Yup, I'm reviewing a piece of hardware this time. As an avid and longtime PC gamer, I've had my eye on the emerging technologies that have managed to cut new inroads connecting PCs and the living room. The demand for these new devices has been even greater given the relatively recent resurge in PC gaming popularity, which seems to fluctuate according to how many developers have been bought out by the major console makers of the time. With modern consoles leveraging computer-like features against simplicity and a massive presence in the living room, PC hardware companies such as nVidia and now Valve are fighting to get a piece of the marketshare. With the Steam Link, Valve seems to have found the expressway to a gamer's heart.
The Steam Link's greatest strength by far is the selection of games. Essentially, if you buy this thing, you already have access to Steam, and likely have quite a few titles in your library. Even if you only have one or two games, Valve's Steam Sales are so legendary--and their catalog so broad--even strictly casual gamers will find themselves up to their eyeballs in unplayed titles in no time. The magic is how seamlessly Steam Link brings those games to the comfort of your living room, and the new life it breathes into all those franchise bundles you feverishly bought in a flash sale three years ago. The ease of use is a snap, you plug it in, it finds whatever computer you have in the house running Steam, and off you go, halving lives and countering strikes.
The Hardware
Valve has obviously attracted some talented designers as the Steam Link is both sleek and compact. Unfortunately, since the words "sleek" and "compact" have been over-appropriated by marketing firms long ago and have long since vanished into buzzword-hell, I'm forced to elaborate. We'll start with compact. Photos really don't do this thing justice. In fact, even the size of the comically tiny box doesn't quite hit home how small this thing really is. The Steam Link's footprint--both in size and weight--are less than that of a New 3DS XL. That's quite small, particularly when contrasted with the overall current trend of home consoles getting progressively larger and larger each generation. Size notwithstanding, the tiny black shell houses a surprising number of connections. Three USB ports accompany the power, Ethernet, and HDMI connectors, providing enough USB to connect a multitude of control methods (more on that later). There is a bit of heft to the unit, owing to the heatsink attached to the mainboard inside, but again, this thing will hide in your entertainment stack like it owes someone money.
 |
| Connections, left-to-right: USB, Power, USBx2, Ethernet, HDMI |
The guts of the Steam Link are pretty simple and, without getting too technical, the unit sports a CPU that would feel right at home in modern smartphones, along with a spaghetti jumble of dedicated HD video decoding circuitry. What this means is that the Steam Link isn't much more than an extended remote session running on your main PC and being encoded and beamed to your living room. In fact, if you power up the Steam Link and then go look at your PC's monitor, you'll see the exact same thing playing out, only without sound. Of course, with such a simple purpose, there doesn't really have to be much under the hood, and so, when you realize the Steam Link has none of the classic "PC" components, the reasoning behind the small, elegant shell becomes clear. Given what it has to work with, the Steam Link does one thing, and does it well.
The Controller
Right out of the box, the Steam Link is ready to play. After hooking up power, HDMI, and a control method; you find your network, connect to the host PC and start playing games. While the Steam Link supports certain varieties of Xbox 360, Xbone, and PC controllers, Valve recommends their own Steam Controller for use with the Steam Link. Having used both the X360 wireless controller (you'll need the Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter for Windows) as well as the Steam Controller, I can say that each offer certain advantages and disadvantages. Since most people in the civilized world have at least seen an Xbox 360 controller and understand how it works and feels, I'll focus on the Steam Controller and just touch on major differences.Major difference #1: "STOP STARING AT ME!!!!" I can't help it, one day I looked down at my Steam Controller and the two track pads looked like they were staring back at me. Now that I've said something, the next time you see a Steam Controller, you'll see it too...you won't be able to unsee it...your controller is watching you. These creepy watchful eyes are the controller's unique key to bridging the gap between a classic controller and the difficult-to-adapt keyboard/mouse setup. The track pads can be used like scrollwheels, mouse pointers, and even analog sticks to facilitate control in everything from FPS games, to real-time strategy, to surfing the web. As you move your thumbs over the surface, you're given feedback through an interesting click sensation coming from under the track pad. This sensation is actually coming from a set of tiny speakers that are able to provide tactile feedback as well as auditory cues. Moving a mouse pointer becomes second nature as you can "flick" your finger across the pad's surface, throwing the pointer in a given direction, much like a physical trackball. While this innovative approach to control does solve some issues, it creates others. For one, the track pads take up a huge amount of real estate on the controller's face, meaning the other front controls have to be smaller to fit. In a similar vein, where the Xbox controllers all have two analog sticks, the Steam controller only has one, which can be very uninviting to gamers who have grown accustomed to games which capitalize on dual thumbstick control.
 |
| The Steam Link, Steam Controller, and an Xbox One controller for scale. |
The feel of the controller is a bit surprising, it feels lighter than expected given how...girthy it is. While I heartily believe #AllControllersAreBeautiful, there may be a bit of a warm-up for players who are used to Microsoft's more densely carved offerings. The best way I can put it is the controller is marshmallowy, and while I realize that's something of a nebulous descriptor, once you actually get a chance to handle one of these, I think you'll understand what I mean. The lines of the controller face and grips are clean and smooth, and they fit really well in hands as big as mine. I've spent quite some time using this little gadget at a stretch, and so far, I haven't felt any symptoms of "controller claw" setting in, which--especially when looking at the time-sink some PC titles can be--suddenly becomes a real concern. The controller is lightly textured to enhance grip, except in a few key areas, where the plastic is a striking high-gloss finish that attracts looks as easily as fingerprints. The track pads themselves sit exactly where the thumbs naturally come to rest, and have a pleasant, velvety texture to them. As mentioned above; depending on the application, the pads will give tactile clicks as you run your thumbs over them, enhancing the feel of control in-game. If you depress them (with your finger, not by ragging on their mom), they will also act as buttons, clicking on objects, or acting as a context menu.
The rear paddles are large and within easy reach of any fingers holding the back of the controller to the point where picking up and setting the controller down may require some care. I've already inadvertently placed myself in mortal danger by trying to set the controller down to grab a bite. After a short time using the Steam Controller though, and becoming used to how it handles, I doubt many of these concerns are likely to linger...unless you're OCD, in which case you should just go ahead and clean the kitchen, take the little pills for Tuesday, and just smile when that asshole takes your red stapler again. All the buttons, including the paddles, are nice and clicky, with a sharp tactile feedback letting you know when a press has registered. The analog triggers are smooth throughout their entire throw, as is the one, lonely analog stick. One thing I do sorely miss on the Steam Controller is a directional pad, as I've gotten quite comfortable using it either to move more easily through menus, or as hot keys for in-game options. I'm certain I'm not alone in this sentiment.
The top of the controller features a mini USB port for charging as well as sending firmware updates to the thing from your PC. If you just bought one of these controllers, you'll probably have to do this before the Steam Link will play nice. Yes, we now live in an age where we have to update our controllers like a damn cell phone. On the bottom there's a latch for opening the paddle buttons/battery compartment and the realization that they paid someone a ridiculous sum of money to figure out how to design that battery mounting system.
Below, I cover three different games, highlighting the advantages and shortcomings of each as related to the Steam hardware. The first is Age of Empires III: Complete Collection. This game is the most recent in a well-known and beloved series on the PC which is highly specialized to the KB/M control method. It is also a game that has not been successfully translated to the console experience, making it a prime candidate for the Steam Link. The second game is Lego Star Wars Saga, so chosen since it's a well known controller-centric platformer. I've played this on consoles, and so am interested to see how the controls translate over. Lastly, I'll be looking at Crysis 3, which, if you know your games, isn't natively offered on Steam, but is an excellent way to gauge how capable the Steam Controller is with the very popular and precision-reliant FPS genre.
Game(s)
Age of Empires III: Complete Collection
I can't begin to describe how many hours I have sunk into this series over the years. Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and weren't yet owned by Disney, I started out playing AoE2, and it didn't take long for me to get pulled into the elegant and addicting balance of resource management and unit-based strategery these games have become known for. As the third full entry in the franchise, Age of Empires III has further refined the popular formula and made it even more accessible to casual players. The game was given the moniker "Complete Collection" when it was ported to the Steam platform, which included all the expansions and the added gift of Steam Workshop support, breathing new life into the games and justifying the renewed price tag.
Gameplay
This is a game genre I had the highest hopes for, since this really isn't a genre that can be easily translated to consoles. The first hurdle I encountered was that as the Steam Link and Controller are so new, there aren't enough pre-made configurations out there to be able to just start a game and play. Good news is, there's a number of useful templates that can be tweaked without too much trouble to get into a game quickly and start feeling things out. In the case of AoE3, using the right track pad as a mouse, and the left as the scroll wheel for zooming in and out, I was able to get my sea-legs in pretty short order. Selecting and commanding units was a simple affair, although getting the pointer exactly where I wanted it was a bit more challenging for a few reasons. The biggest, and one which will be a common thread through all of the examples given, was the input lag. Unfortunately, a number of factors come together to create a very noticeable difference between when I make an input and when it's actually carried out onscreen. To be clear, this isn't Valve's fault. Without falling down a rabbit-hole of nerd-dom, the key reasons are the TV being used and the type of network that has to ferry all this data back and forth.
Given all that goes into this equation however, with a little practice, a little patience, and a bit of tweaking to the interface, the Steam Controller adapts the heavy KB/M interface into something that can be comfortably used for extended periods of time. Unfortunately, native keyboard and mouse controls are supported thorough Steam Link, which are both faster and more intuitive for god-games, making the ability to control this game with the Steam Controller little more than a party trick. Don't get me wrong, it's a great party trick, and one that I'm sure comes in handy when you're wrist-deep in a bag of powdered doughnuts and abhor the thought of soiling your $200 rainbow backlit keyboard, but a party trick nonetheless.
I will say the rear paddle buttons are particularly useful, allowing you to quickly cycle between unallocated units, jump back to the Home City, or other such little tricks that make empire building so much easier. Other seldom-used face buttons can be similarly mapped to shortcuts, so a properly motivated individual could become quite fearsome wielding a Steam Pad once overcoming the initial learning curve.
Graphics/Sound
The video compression algorithm used depends largely on the network and host computer requirements available. If you're a car guy, you can say the quality of your Saturday morning drive depends largely on the size of your engine and the speed limit of the road you're on. In my case, I'm driving a Maserati along a busy desert highway. What this means to my eyeballs is that most of the time things are going smoothly, and I'm so focused on the gameplay, I don't have time to look at the details. If I pay attention however, I notice I'm not moving quite as fast as my reflexes tell me I am, and the more intricate textures are getting muddied during moments of fast motion. Again, and this cannot be stated strongly enough, this all varies wildly on your computer and the network configurations. Low-speed or wireless networks and middling computer systems will produce according results. Badass computers and wired Ethernet are preferred, but luckily the experience scales pretty well, particularly since it is aimed at those users that already have an infrastructure to support this type of tomfoolery.
While playing, the colors were bright, animation was still nice and detailed, and action onscreen was smooth and rarely dropped frames. Certain effects such as bloom and smooth light sources were noticeably distorted and artifacted from the decompression process, but still managed to remain convincing. Once well into a game, the graphical flaws became less and less of a concern, only becoming evident during lulls in the action. Of course, this will positively incense any above-mentioned fictional OCD-sufferers, who will probably have to wrap a towel around their heads and lie down in a dark room for an hour while imagining popping bubble wrap in zero-gravity. For the rest of the population however, it's not the worst trade off for the ability to lounge on the couch and crush budding settlements under your slipper.
Summary
Overall, not a bad application of what the Steam Controller is capable of doing. I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking exactly this when the Steam Controller prototypes were first revealed so long ago. The ability to couchify something that was originally the sole domain of the PC was a lofty goal then that has just begun to ripen with this first generation of commercial hardware. While still rough around the edges, this holds the tantalizing promise of further refinement and usability. Making it through an entire game with the controller is still more work than play it seems, but if nothing else, the native keyboard and mouse setup on the Steam Link makes this the fastest, easiest way to play Age from the comfort of your living room. As you'll find out, the Steam Link is always about having a plan B.
Lego Star Wars Saga
Honoring the release of Episode VII, I'm playing the Lego interpretation of a universe that has spawned literal mountains of cash from merchandising. Also, if you have to ask "episode of what?", kindly go put your driver's license in a shredder. No driver's license? Such cases dictate that you go ask your parents why they did such a terrible job in raising you. Once you've done that, come back and sit down so the rest of us can continue. Lego Star Wars Saga (LSWS dammit...) was also a natural choice for this because of the fact it is at its very heart a console game. Obviously, this parallel made me want to see how console controls translated to...markedly different console controls. Does the gameplay make the jump? I can't lie. Everything taken into account, it's still fun. Seriously.
Gameplay
If nothing else put to this page sticks, let it be known that the Steam Link and Steam Controller are quite magical when it comes to a platformer the likes of LSWS. Once the ever-present lag is gotten used to, running, jumping, and deflecting blaster fire becomes a particular treat. The unique control of the track pads actually make camera control easier, and again, the added paddle buttons make excellent shortcuts. Navigating through the levels and obstacles felt fairly seamless, although everything had something of a floaty feeling. This was not only because of the input lag, but also came in great part from the very style of the game. The Lego StarBatPotterRings Saga games have always prioritized animation over control, making the gameplay feel...glassy right off the factory floor. Thankfully, this actually helps to hide the input lag a fair bit and preserves the slightly "unbolted" feel the games have always had.
Character response is still snappy, and it still feels good to force-push a bunch of enemies into each other and watch as they all break apart into Lego pieces and money. The easy pace of the game lubricates interactions with set pieces and NPCs, and the forgiving, kid-friendly gameplay mechanics absorb the blame for any mistakes caused by imprecise controls. I will say that LSBPRS games have always had slightly clumsy controls owing to the fact you could manipulate and build objects in the levels. It's interesting then that the Steam Controller actually provides something of a more refined handle on such a cluttered battlefield. Of course, given the target audience, letting youngsters loose on this thing is the ultimate litmus test, and unsurprisingly, those subjected to its wiles were able to adapt in remarkably short order.
Graphics/Sound
Thanks to the little plastic bricks used to build this world, the graphics are very clean and smooth. Absent are complex, high-res, photorealistic textures; textures that would very quickly become a soupy mess within the environment of the Steam Link. Some shadows do get a little blocky, and certain effects such as laser blasts and quickly moving starfields blurring into nonsense remind you that you are getting something of a second-hand experience. Such illusion-breaking effects are few and far-between however, and for the most part, the game is nearly picture perfect when compared to its straight console cousin. Of course, with the disadvantage of both the computer and TV getting tied up on a game that runs much more smoothly on the console iteration, this--again--is something of a party trick.
Not to knock the graphics, because, again...everything looks pretty damn good for being piped through the air and into a box the size of an old SNES cart. But, and I can't state this enough, in this particular case, I would just eschew the trouble and play it on the 360. The main problem being that thanks to the simple art style, LSWS has is an intrinsic peak as far as graphics go. As a consequence, the added horsepower of the PC isn't being taken advantage of, and--in pure logical concerns--running a given game on my PC costs more per hour than on my console. Also, at certain times, during scenes with a great deal of movement, frames would drop, hitching the gameplay and sound for a fraction of a second. Again, this is largely dependent on your PC/network combination, but just as is nature of the beast, even on the best networks, this is something you may have to keep an eye out for.
Summary
LSWS is a great bit of fun, and the Steam controller actually works beautifully with the game. The nature and style of the game means that any randomness introduced by the Steam Link interface really don't disrupt gameplay. Finding unique platformers would be a special treat with the Steam Link, bringing the literally tens of thousands of Steam Greenlight and other PC-exclusive Indie titles right to your couch. While a particular platform-agnostic series such as LSBPRS highlights the hidden problems with trying to reinvent the wheel, showing that sometimes it was fine the first time; it also reinforces the plan B mindset Valve seems to embrace...at times unwittingly.
Crysis 3
Anyone who knows their Steam library knows that Crysis 3 can't be played natively through Steam, as EA (the publishers of Crysis and awarded worst company in America two years in a row) prevented this and a handful of their other premier games from being sold through Steam's digital storefront. This is significant primarily for the reason that EA was setting up their own Steam-like client called Origin. I don't want to get into the dirty bits, but even though you can't buy Crysis 3 on Steam, there's still a way to play it through the Steam Link, and thus, give it a few licks with the Steam Controller as well...so, why the hell not, right?
Gameplay
In addition to gently pushing the boundaries of what could be done with a Steam Link and a little experimentation, Crysis 3 presented a perfect opportunity to test the Steam Controller with a FPS, and also to run a "better-than-console" graphics experience in my living room, without having to lug my gaming PC downstairs. Since my computer has more wires coming out of the back than a particle accelerator, my need to unhook it is strictly limited to escaping impending catastrophe. Anyway...gameplay. As in all examples, input lag snaked its way through all the gameplay scenarios, as did the warm-up to losing an analog stick or a mouse to a set of track pads. On the one hand, having the track pad as look and the single analog stick for movement, my ability to snap to a target was increased instantaneously thanks to the response time of the pad versus an analog stick. As a result, my attacks became much more tactical and focused over using dual analogs.
The drawback came in the form of the overly jittery track pad, meaning until I dialed down the sensitivity, my gun would shake like a naked chihuahua with Parkinson's disease. After that, I had to deal with the "track pad reruns" where I'd have to lift my finger and reset position to reach a particular target at the edge of the screen. In later arenas, anyone who had been looking at my screen would have gone grand mal in seconds owing to the insane stop/start motion caused by the track pad. While the game was eminently playable, and--dare I say--nearly as effective as a KB/M setup, the fine line required between "sensitive enough" and "omg make the shaking stop" was difficult to find.
Graphics
Well, this should be easy, since the Crysis series is known as one of the true spearheads of PC graphics capabilities. Being a very popular benchmark in recent PC hardware generations, PC owners have often held Crysis over the console gamers' heads as the justification for their interest in PC gaming. To be perfectly honest, the allure to run Crysis 3 on my living room TV was too much to ignore, and the inner geek in me relished in the chance to play a little Dr. Frankenstein with my new gadget. So, after getting my ducks in a row, I watched as I had HD textures, hardware tessellation and transformation, custom layered shaders, and video compression artifacts that declare jihad on your eyeballs. Again, again, again...I cannot stress this enough: this all depends on your own network. I have a wireless network, so I am going to sacrifice a huge amount of fidelity over someone who has a wired network. That said, I'm still incredibly satisfied with what I'm seeing my network handle. Even though complex textures would disintegrate without delay, the action rarely dropped frames. And as discussed above, in the thick of it all, I was more concerned with outwitting my opponents than I was with the flowers swaying in the breeze.
Summary
What the Steam Link makes possible is a bunch of...yes, it's true...party tricks that combine to make a surprisingly versatile machine. The ability to switch effortlessly between your favorite PC games from the comfort of your living room is an extremely attractive option, particularly given the pricepoint this device is being offered at. Add in the fact that you can add a multitude of control options to suit the situation, the ability to get set up within minutes, and the freedom to be a little clever, and really, the Steam Link and the Steam Controller are a couple of the best ways to spend $100. As can be seen here, a wide variety of games can be played on this interesting little device, and while not all are slam dunks, the raw potential offered here is wildly encouraging. Considering the built-in PC-exclusive library that comes with adding such an expansive digital portal such as Steam to the living room, the tiny initial investment more than pays for itself.
Of course, I'm not pointing my bayonet made of thousand dollar bills toward Valve and screaming "CHARGE!!!"...of course not, that would be silly. Honestly, anyone reading my review should be able to look at the device features and decide for themselves whether this particular little toy is right for their toybox. The point I'm trying to make is that if anything I've mentioned on this page has caught some attention, then the Steam Link might be worth a second look. Goodness knows I've had a blast with this thing. Going forward, it's up to Valve to keep improving the process and making the important steps to supporting the product they've made. Also, you may have noticed I didn't review a beer this time around. I'm saving that for the next review which should be coming up soon, involving a little surprise of it's own! Stay tuned!
Cheers/Game on.