Quote:While the concept was interesting, the device was frequently discounted having at one point gone as low as $2.50. Now, Valve has confirmed that it is giving up on selling it. Through a post in the Steam Community, the company announced that there are no more supplies for the Steam Link hardware in Europe and that the United States will be running out of stock soon as well, after which you should no longer expect to be able to buy it. Valve does plan to continue to support existing hardware for the time being, so you won't be completely left in the cold.

The focus for Steam Link has moved from dedicated hardware to software that's present on popular platforms. Last year, Valve launched the Steam Link app for Samsung Smart TVs, and it's also available in beta form for Android devices. These apps use the same technology for streaming games as the Steam Link hardware, and they feature added capabilities such as support for 4K resolution, so it's unlikely that many will be particularly upset about the hardware going away. Nonetheless, if you wanna grab one before it's gone, you can try to do so here.

Quote:This is a long time coming. Valve's hardware never really caught on with most consumers--the convenience of playing on a TV doesn't exactly outweigh the cost of buying a Steam Link, plus the hassle of hooking up the device, which is not hard but is also not as easy as simply plugging in a console. Combine that with the relative dearth of quality living room peripherals, and you have a niche product.

Valve also regularly slashed the Steam Link's cost far below its standard $50 (£39) price tag, practically giving it away during various sales and promotions. This could have been a last-ditch effort to prove the hardware could grow more popular if it was cheaper, but it seems just as likely that Valve simply wanted to sell through its stock. Then it would only have to worry about the units it's already sold.

There was another, more obvious indicator that Valve had given up on Steam Link hardware. Earlier this year the company introduced a Steam Link app for Android (and, after some back-and-forth with Apple iOS) devices. The app did everything the Steam Link hardware was supposed to do--make PC games available elsewhere--while offering even more freedom by living on smartphones and tablets instead of TVs.

It's not clear what Valve plans to do in the hardware market going forward. It's possible the company will continue to make the Steam Controller simply because it's more popular than the Steam Link was and because Steam Link app users could use a Valve-designed gamepad instead of having to rely on third-party solutions. That way Valve would manage the important aspects of the experience, from game sales to gameplay.

Quote:Valve may have discontinued production for the Steam Link hardware, but the firm is still keen on supporting it with new updates, and today it added a major new feature that most will likely be happy to hear about. With build 688 of the Steam Link software, which is now available in beta form, you'll now be able to use Steam Link Anywhere, a service which lets you stream games from your PC to the Steam Link box no matter where you are.

The only restriction for this to work, according to Valve, is that the network where your computer is has a "good" upload speed and you have a good network connection for the Steam Link itself. Then, you can just add a new computer using the "Other computer" option in the setup screen and follow the instructions.

The announcement only mentions the Steam Link hardware as being compatible, but some users have responded to the thread saying that the feature is also available for the Steam Link app for Android. Valve has been focusing more of its efforts on the Steam Link apps for various platforms, so it seems logical that the capability will make its way to more devices as time goes on.