Steam Link app for Raspberry Pi lets you make your own streaming box

Raspberry Pi 3 owners rejoice but note that the app is still in beta

Just a short while ago, Valve discontinued its Steam Link – the little box that lets you stream games from a PC to the TV in your living room – and for those who lament the demise of the device, the good news is you can now make your own with a Raspberry Pi.

That’s because Valve has released the Steam Link app for the Raspberry Pi 3 and Raspberry Pi 3 B+ models running the Raspbian Stretch operating system, albeit only in beta at this point.

You can find instructions on how to install and fire up the app on your Pi in Valve’s announcement post right here.

Work in progress

Initial feedback seems fairly positive, with one gamer observing that the Pi works pretty well as a replacement device, although (anecdotally) there is possibly a little extra lag (in the order of 5ms or so) compared to using the Steam Link. And that would make sense, plus you have to bear in mind that this is still beta software so it will continue to be polished and honed.

It’s great to see Valve make such a move, and give Raspberry Pi owning folks options on this front. Although if you’re unsure about the aforementioned instructions – or you’re running into problems during installation of the app, as seems to have happened to the odd user in Valve’s forum post – then fret not, because we’ve got a full tutorial in the works on making your Raspberry Pi a Steam Link.

This will explain everything in easy to follow steps, so keep your eyes peeled for that one, because it’ll be with you soon enough.