Steam Link

I recently bought a tablet so I can play games while lying lazily on my bed. I’m using Steam Link to stream games from my PC to the tablet. I’ll jot down some notes about my experiences so far.

Steam Link allows games to be streamed from a PC to another device on the same network. It’s simple to set up and works really well. Steam Link supports a variety of inputs:

1. Touch
2. On-screen controller buttons
3. An external controller connected to the guest device
4. An external controller connected to the host device

Depending on the game I either use touch controls or the on-screen controller buttons. I’m waiting for a tablet mount to be delivered, at which point I’ll likely switch to using my controller connected to the PC (host device).

Input lag may be noticeable depending on the game. I estimate it to be about 30ms. Fast-paced games like first-person shooters are not ideal, though doable. Frame accurate games like Tetris or fighting games are out of the question. However there are lots of games that are perfectly playable.

Moonlight is another app for streaming games. It’s an open-source implementation of Nvidia’s GameStream technology, the same one behind the Nvidia Shield. In my experience, Moonlight has less input lag than Steam Link. I have both Steam Link and Moonlight installed on my tablet, and I use either depending on the situation.

• Moonlight has lower input lag.
• Steam Link has better on-screen controls.
• Steam Link has a better user interface.
• Steam Link has different mouse emulation; I prefer Steam Link’s, but this is up to user preference.

By default I choose Steam Link, because the games I intend to play on my tablet are inherently not frame sensitive anyway. For the occasional game where I want a little less input lag, I’ll use Moonlight instead.

So far I’m extremely satisfied with this setup. I have quite a backlog of games in my library that I want to play, but am not so keen on playing it while sitting on my PC. Typically these are narrative-heavy or casual games.

Games I’ve played

Coromon

Works well with on-screen controller buttons. Feels slightly better on Moonlight with the lower input lag, but Moonlight has worse on-screen controller buttons, so you have to pick your tradeoffs.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy

Works well with touch controls. Input lag is not noticeable at all. The game makes use of right-click as a back button, and I prefer Steam Link’s back button interaction. On the Steam Link a right-click is a tap with two fingers, on Moonlight it’s a tap and hold with one finger. The two finger tap is faster, but maybe a little less ergonomic for some.

Card Shark

Optimized for touch screens, works very well when streamed over Steam Link. The game has some quick time events that work better with low latency, but it’s not really a big problem.