Steam's Latest Update Changes In-Home Streaming To Remote Play

Published: June 15, 2019 8:30 AM /

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Steam's Latest Update Changes In-Home Streaming To Remote Play

Valve issued an update to the Steam client today which, among several fixes and other updates, changed the feature formerly known as In-Home Streaming to Steam Remote Play. In-Home Streaming, as the name suggests, only allowed users to stream games from within the same network. The change will allow users to stream games from their game libraries of the home network as well, from any other location, "as long as there is a good network connection on both sides and they are close to a Steam datacenter."

Last month we also saw Valve releasing the Steam Link app for iOS and Apple TV, previously unavailable on those platforms, and the app seems compatible with the new Steam Remote Play for streaming to separate networks. The service brings Steam closer to other platforms such as Xbox, for which Microsoft recently revealed a feature at E3 2019, allowing free streaming for Xbox One owners to smartphone and tablet devices.

We said last month that streaming is probably not high up in Valve’s priorities right now, focused as they are on overhauling Steam for both gamers and developers, likely gearing up for the competition that has emerged last year when Epic Games Store was announced and started securing exclusives. They have also announced their new VR headset, Valve Index, which replaces the HTC Vive as their own exclusive device that appears to be cutting-edge. Additionally, they have announced their first full-on VR game for 2019 as a flagship title among several games they are working.

However, it now seems that streaming is also part of Valve's plans for Steam's supremacy over PC gaming, as Google Stadia will probably become its biggest competitor in the next few years. It remains to be seen how much Valve will invest in streaming, but it's safe to say they're not ignoring that potential market.

What are your thoughts on this update Steam? Do you stream games on a regular basis? Let us know in the comments below!

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Richard Costa
| Staff Writer

Hack for hire, indentured egghead, maverick thoughtcriminal. Mainly interested in Western RPGs, first-person immersion, turn-based tactics, point-and-… More about Richard