Steam should offer a streaming service like LiquidSky or GeForce Now

[McDonkel]

I know I am in the Master Race heartland here, and this suggestion is against much of the ethos of PC gaming.

But I think valve should offer a streaming service like LiquidSky, but integrated into steam.

Current options like GeForce Now for Mac and LiquidSky work, but have an incredibly bizzare user experience that will prevent them from ever reaching a mass audience. The whole idea of launching the service, seeing a Windows desktop for some computer that isn't yours, and having to go through the same old rigamaroll of browser/storefront installs is odd. And the idea of downloading and installing something, but onto some remote computer is odd. Why shuffle the game from one server to another and then run it remotely? Why not just run it remotely from the original source?

So it got me thinking. I prefer couch gaming anyway. What if the gen 2 steam link is more than an in-home streaming box? What if it's a full cloud gaming solution, based on big picture? You would purchase the game as usual, but rather than installing the game to a local machine in your house, you'd just pay a monthly service fee and stream it from Valve directly? No installs - just add it to your library and launch, all through big picture.

I use my PC less and less these days. For general computing, I honestly prefer sitting on my couch with my iPad. But I love strategy games, which aren't a thing on consoles, so I can't let go of steam.

Overall, streaming is the future for most gaming, except for the twitchiest, most competitive games. The world's internet is getting better and better - I pay $50 a month for unlimited gigabit fibre internet, right to my condo. I have the bandwidth for low latency, high quality, high resolution game streaming to my TV.

I'd pay for a service like this.

[Radene]

McDonkel a écrit :

You would purchase the game as usual, but rather than installing the game to a local machine in your house, you'd just pay a monthly service fee and stream it from Valve directly? No installs - just add it to your library and launch, all through big picture.

"Always online" is a horrible concept and the moment it's a requirement for my gaming rather than an option is the moment I drop my hobby and take up knitting.

[McDonkel]

No need for this to be a requirement, just an option for those who don't want to invest in pc hardware.

I don't think local gaming is going away, and it will always be popular with enthusiasts. But just as it has with music and movies, streaming will be adequate for many people, and I think Valve is in a good position to offer a much better service than Nvidia or LiquidSky.

[76561198001062896]

Until high speed broadband is avalaible for everyone, cant see this happening.

Even then you have the issue of ping and delay.

[HLCinSC]

OP, you may be interested in PS Now for PC, though it is more like netflix where you pay a fee to access them rather than buying the game outright

[Washell]

Zetikla a écrit :

Until high speed broadband is avalaible for everyone, cant see this happening.

That's not the way these things work. They launch in densely populated cities and countries, and leave the countryside to catch up. No successful broadband service has waited until it could reach everyone.

@OP: The steam link is stage 1. Streaming games from a datacenter already is the end goal of the industry.