Steam Link debuts on iOS and tvOS a year after Apple rejected title for violating App Stor...

Posted:
in iOS edited May 2019
A year after Apple rejected it from entering the App Store, Valve's Steam Link app is now available to stream games from user Steam libraries on Mac and PC to compatible iPhones, iPads or Apple TV devices.




Announced more than a year ago, Steam Link promised to deliver iOS and tvOS access to desktop class games through a clever software solution that streams game video to a client device while simultaneously relaying controller commands back to the host computer.

The app works with both a wired ethernet connection or a 5GHz Wi-Fi network, which is responsible for ferrying the video and game data between linked devices.

Apple initially approved Steam Link for distribution but recanted the endorsement three days later. Valve in a statement at the time said Apple cited a breach of App Store Guidelines, specifically "business conflicts with app guidelines," in revoking its approval.

Apple SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller confirmed the move in an email to customers, saying the app "violates a number of guidelines around user generated content, in-app purchases, content codes, etc." The ability to purchase games -- through roundabout methods -- from the Steam store was thought to be among the issues at play in Apple's decision.

Schiller went on to say that Apple was working with Valve to update the app for reinstatement. Why it took the gaming company a year to facilitate the changes needed to return to the App Store is unknown.





The recent App Store addition was noted in a tweet from former Valve VR engineer Nat Brown.

Steam Link is a free 28.8MB download from the App Store.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    Finally
    esummersracerhomie3watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 15
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,564member
    If I have Steam Link installed on my iOS device, can I still use AirPlay to send my screen to my Apple TV? I'm guessing no, but I'd like to know.
  • Reply 3 of 15
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,408member
    If I have Steam Link installed on my iOS device, can I still use AirPlay to send my screen to my Apple TV? I'm guessing no, but I'd like to know.
    Why would you do that instead of just using the tvOS app?
    racerhomie3watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 15
    esummersesummers Posts: 953member
    If I have Steam Link installed on my iOS device, can I still use AirPlay to send my screen to my Apple TV? I'm guessing no, but I'd like to know.
    Even if you could, that would be too much streaming bandwidth.  However... why don't you just use Steam Link on the Apple TV
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 15
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,408member
    You can also use a controller overlay similar to how the PS4 Remote Play app works:


    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 15
    firelockfirelock Posts: 238member
    Just tried it out on my Apple TV 4K. Had to install three drivers on my Mac but when I fired up "Into the Breach It kept freezing. However, after restarting Steam on my Mac it worked. But after the game loaded I realized that my Nimbus controller was not going to work. The game said to press a button with three horizontal lines (like the menu button on an Xbox controller) to start the game, but the Nimbus doesn’t have that button. So I decided to order a Steam controller as it looks promising.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 15
    knowitallknowitall Posts: 1,648member
    Server dependent solution, epic fail.
    Also an insult to device local processing power.
  • Reply 8 of 15
    elijahgelijahg Posts: 2,753member
    knowitall said:
    Server dependent solution, epic fail.
    Also an insult to device local processing power.
    Where did anyone insinuate any processing happened on a remote server? Epic comprehension fail.
    osmartormenajrwatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 15
    knowitall said:
    Server dependent solution, epic fail.
    Also an insult to device local processing power.
    That's funny. 

    On a more serious note, I would love if Apple took gaming more seriously. But an emphasis on mobile performance will always lead to a divergence in priorities. The mobile constraints of power consumption and efficiency will always allow PC's and consoles to play games that cannot be played on mobile. I hope there is a shift in actually allowing for apple products to be powerful enough to games that are commonplace in the AAA space. Until there is a drastic upgrade in local compute power available in Apple products (and at prices that make sense), game streaming will be the only way for high-quality games to be played on Apple's platforms. 

    Steam Link works great. My PC and apple tv 4k are both connected to my network via ethernet so the performance is really good. You have three streaming options, fast (low latency, high fps), balanced, and beautiful (visual fidelity over responsiveness). The steam link vastly outperforms moonlight and kinoconsole if you have tried these solutions in the past. I was stunned at how playable these games are. I have a steel series Nimbus and it works fantastically. The only problem is that the R3 and L3 (push in the analog sticks) is not supported on that controller which is annoying but that is an issue with the controller and not steam link.

    I tried playing Sekiro, and it plays very well. The performance is a solid 1080p 60fps. This is better than current console performance for the same game being played locally.


    fastasleepwatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 15
    zimmiezimmie Posts: 651member
    knowitall said:
    Server dependent solution, epic fail.
    Also an insult to device local processing power.
    That's funny. 

    On a more serious note, I would love if Apple took gaming more seriously. But an emphasis on mobile performance will always lead to a divergence in priorities. The mobile constraints of power consumption and efficiency will always allow PC's and consoles to play games that cannot be played on mobile. I hope there is a shift in actually allowing for apple products to be powerful enough to games that are commonplace in the AAA space. Until there is a drastic upgrade in local compute power available in Apple products (and at prices that make sense), game streaming will be the only way for high-quality games to be played on Apple's platforms. 

    Steam Link works great. My PC and apple tv 4k are both connected to my network via ethernet so the performance is really good. You have three streaming options, fast (low latency, high fps), balanced, and beautiful (visual fidelity over responsiveness). The steam link vastly outperforms moonlight and kinoconsole if you have tried these solutions in the past. I was stunned at how playable these games are. I have a steel series Nimbus and it works fantastically. The only problem is that the R3 and L3 (push in the analog sticks) is not supported on that controller which is annoying but that is an issue with the controller and not steam link.

    I tried playing Sekiro, and it plays very well. The performance is a solid 1080p 60fps. This is better than current console performance for the same game being played locally.
    Most modern chips perform thermal scaling. If you can keep them cool (and powered), they'll run at top speed forever.

    The first tvOS Apple TV runs on an A8 with 2 GB of RAM (iPhone 6 also used this chip, but with 1 GB of RAM). The GPU delivers 115.2 GFLOPS of 32-bit floating-point performance. The original Xbox's GPU delivered 7.3 GFLOPS. The Xbox 360's GPU can do 240 GFLOPS. So the original tvOS Apple TV has a GPU about half as powerful as the Xbox 360 and about 15 times as powerful as the original Xbox. CPU performance is a bit worse, relatively; the Xbox 360's CPU is about 3x as powerful as the A8's.

    The Apple TV 4K is based on the A10X with 3 GB of RAM. The A8X had an additional CPU core (1.5x CPU performance for multithreaded tasks) and twice as many GPU cores. The A9X has 1.8x the CPU performance and 2x the GPU performance compared to the A8X. The A10X has 1.3x the CPU performance and 1.4x the GPU performance compared to the A9X. Taken together, that means the A10X CPU is 3.5 times as powerful as the A8 and the A10X GPU is 5.6 times as powerful. The A10X in the Apple TV 4K handily outperforms the Xbox 360.

    While yes, desktop computers can always outperform consoles, a huge amount of gaming is done on consoles. If Apple Arcade is a sign they're getting serious about gaming on the Apple TV, it is an incredibly capable console already. They just need to improve the human interface hardware.
    fastasleepwatto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 15
    zimmie said:
    knowitall said:
    Server dependent solution, epic fail.
    Also an insult to device local processing power.
    That's funny. 

    On a more serious note, I would love if Apple took gaming more seriously. But an emphasis on mobile performance will always lead to a divergence in priorities. The mobile constraints of power consumption and efficiency will always allow PC's and consoles to play games that cannot be played on mobile. I hope there is a shift in actually allowing for apple products to be powerful enough to games that are commonplace in the AAA space. Until there is a drastic upgrade in local compute power available in Apple products (and at prices that make sense), game streaming will be the only way for high-quality games to be played on Apple's platforms. 

    Steam Link works great. My PC and apple tv 4k are both connected to my network via ethernet so the performance is really good. You have three streaming options, fast (low latency, high fps), balanced, and beautiful (visual fidelity over responsiveness). The steam link vastly outperforms moonlight and kinoconsole if you have tried these solutions in the past. I was stunned at how playable these games are. I have a steel series Nimbus and it works fantastically. The only problem is that the R3 and L3 (push in the analog sticks) is not supported on that controller which is annoying but that is an issue with the controller and not steam link.

    I tried playing Sekiro, and it plays very well. The performance is a solid 1080p 60fps. This is better than current console performance for the same game being played locally.
    Most modern chips perform thermal scaling. If you can keep them cool (and powered), they'll run at top speed forever.

    The first tvOS Apple TV runs on an A8 with 2 GB of RAM (iPhone 6 also used this chip, but with 1 GB of RAM). The GPU delivers 115.2 GFLOPS of 32-bit floating-point performance. The original Xbox's GPU delivered 7.3 GFLOPS. The Xbox 360's GPU can do 240 GFLOPS. So the original tvOS Apple TV has a GPU about half as powerful as the Xbox 360 and about 15 times as powerful as the original Xbox. CPU performance is a bit worse, relatively; the Xbox 360's CPU is about 3x as powerful as the A8's.

    The Apple TV 4K is based on the A10X with 3 GB of RAM. The A8X had an additional CPU core (1.5x CPU performance for multithreaded tasks) and twice as many GPU cores. The A9X has 1.8x the CPU performance and 2x the GPU performance compared to the A8X. The A10X has 1.3x the CPU performance and 1.4x the GPU performance compared to the A9X. Taken together, that means the A10X CPU is 3.5 times as powerful as the A8 and the A10X GPU is 5.6 times as powerful. The A10X in the Apple TV 4K handily outperforms the Xbox 360.

    While yes, desktop computers can always outperform consoles, a huge amount of gaming is done on consoles. If Apple Arcade is a sign they're getting serious about gaming on the Apple TV, it is an incredibly capable console already. They just need to improve the human interface hardware.
    Overall on the hardware side of things, I am quite confident that any constraint in computing will not be a concern for long. I want to see a serious commitment to gaming from the company. They are in an excellent position to compete with traditional gaming companies. Gaming revenue consistently outperforms that of film, tv, and music. I just want the space to occupy a little more space in Apple's mind. If they really want to cement their position in the living room, this is a great way to do it. 

    Mobile games are great (not really) and all but by offering console and pc quality games on their platform as well they can make people love their devices even more.

    Once Apple is a regular fixture at E3, I will consider their commitment in this space cemented. 
    fastasleepwatto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 15
    firelock said:
    Just tried it out on my Apple TV 4K. Had to install three drivers on my Mac but when I fired up "Into the Breach It kept freezing. However, after restarting Steam on my Mac it worked. But after the game loaded I realized that my Nimbus controller was not going to work. The game said to press a button with three horizontal lines (like the menu button on an Xbox controller) to start the game, but the Nimbus doesn’t have that button. So I decided to order a Steam controller as it looks promising.
    It likely wants you to press the start button on the controller if it has one.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 15
    mknelsonmknelson Posts: 1,118member
    I'm glad I set this up on my iPhone before I did on my ground floor AppleTV.

    Need to enter Pin, Walk up 2 flights to Mac Pro, down 2 flights
    Hit Play
    1st Driver install, walk up 2 flights, down 2 flights
    Hit Play
    2nd Driver install, walk up 2 flights, down 2 flights
    Hit Play
    Identify Keyboard, walk up 2 flights, down 2 flights

    That wouldn't have ended well for anyone!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 15
    firelockfirelock Posts: 238member
    firelock said:
    Just tried it out on my Apple TV 4K. Had to install three drivers on my Mac but when I fired up "Into the Breach It kept freezing. However, after restarting Steam on my Mac it worked. But after the game loaded I realized that my Nimbus controller was not going to work. The game said to press a button with three horizontal lines (like the menu button on an Xbox controller) to start the game, but the Nimbus doesn’t have that button. So I decided to order a Steam controller as it looks promising.
    It likely wants you to press the start button on the controller if it has one.
    I tried every button including triggers, bumpers, and the start button (which took me to the home screen). As another poster said it worked for him I suspect it depends on the game you are trying to play.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 15
    AppleExposedAppleExposed Posts: 1,805unconfirmed, member
    zimmie said:
    knowitall said:
    Server dependent solution, epic fail.
    Also an insult to device local processing power.
    That's funny. 

    On a more serious note, I would love if Apple took gaming more seriously. But an emphasis on mobile performance will always lead to a divergence in priorities. The mobile constraints of power consumption and efficiency will always allow PC's and consoles to play games that cannot be played on mobile. I hope there is a shift in actually allowing for apple products to be powerful enough to games that are commonplace in the AAA space. Until there is a drastic upgrade in local compute power available in Apple products (and at prices that make sense), game streaming will be the only way for high-quality games to be played on Apple's platforms. 

    Steam Link works great. My PC and apple tv 4k are both connected to my network via ethernet so the performance is really good. You have three streaming options, fast (low latency, high fps), balanced, and beautiful (visual fidelity over responsiveness). The steam link vastly outperforms moonlight and kinoconsole if you have tried these solutions in the past. I was stunned at how playable these games are. I have a steel series Nimbus and it works fantastically. The only problem is that the R3 and L3 (push in the analog sticks) is not supported on that controller which is annoying but that is an issue with the controller and not steam link.

    I tried playing Sekiro, and it plays very well. The performance is a solid 1080p 60fps. This is better than current console performance for the same game being played locally.
    Most modern chips perform thermal scaling. If you can keep them cool (and powered), they'll run at top speed forever.

    The first tvOS Apple TV runs on an A8 with 2 GB of RAM (iPhone 6 also used this chip, but with 1 GB of RAM). The GPU delivers 115.2 GFLOPS of 32-bit floating-point performance. The original Xbox's GPU delivered 7.3 GFLOPS. The Xbox 360's GPU can do 240 GFLOPS. So the original tvOS Apple TV has a GPU about half as powerful as the Xbox 360 and about 15 times as powerful as the original Xbox. CPU performance is a bit worse, relatively; the Xbox 360's CPU is about 3x as powerful as the A8's.

    The Apple TV 4K is based on the A10X with 3 GB of RAM. The A8X had an additional CPU core (1.5x CPU performance for multithreaded tasks) and twice as many GPU cores. The A9X has 1.8x the CPU performance and 2x the GPU performance compared to the A8X. The A10X has 1.3x the CPU performance and 1.4x the GPU performance compared to the A9X. Taken together, that means the A10X CPU is 3.5 times as powerful as the A8 and the A10X GPU is 5.6 times as powerful. The A10X in the Apple TV 4K handily outperforms the Xbox 360.

    While yes, desktop computers can always outperform consoles, a huge amount of gaming is done on consoles. If Apple Arcade is a sign they're getting serious about gaming on the Apple TV, it is an incredibly capable console already. They just need to improve the human interface hardware.
    Overall on the hardware side of things, I am quite confident that any constraint in computing will not be a concern for long. I want to see a serious commitment to gaming from the company. They are in an excellent position to compete with traditional gaming companies. Gaming revenue consistently outperforms that of film, tv, and music. I just want the space to occupy a little more space in Apple's mind. If they really want to cement their position in the living room, this is a great way to do it. 

    Mobile games are great (not really) and all but by offering console and pc quality games on their platform as well they can make people love their devices even more.

    Once Apple is a regular fixture at E3, I will consider their commitment in this space cemented. 

    APPLE at E3?!! LMAO!

    Even Nintendo left that cringey, nerdy mess.

    Yeah let's hope Apple attends CES too! /s
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