Steam In-Home Streaming Monopolizes Host Computer

Cognimancer

Imperial Intelligence
Jun 13, 2012
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Steam In-Home Streaming Monopolizes Host Computer



Steam's upcoming In-Home Streaming feature lets you stream to any computer in the network - so long as you don't need to use the streaming computer for anything else.

As part of Valve's initiative to spread the tendrils of Steam to the living room, the company is preparing a feature called In-Home Streaming. The service lets one computer do the heavy lifting while another computer (not necessarily a Steam Machine, but probably a Steam Machine) outputs the video/audio and handles the controls. A Q&A post on the Steam Community revealed a few points of interest about the service: specifically, how it handles a user trying to do things on the host computer while streaming is happening. The short answer is that it doesn't.

"Your computer is dedicated to running the game," the post explains, "and input is coming from both the remote client and the local system. It would be very confusing if someone were trying to use the computer at the same time." Technically speaking, it's reasonable for more processor-intensive games, since there's a lot of work being done on the host computer. However, even more lightweight games will tie up the computer while streaming is active. If your household setup consists of one computer and one Steam Machine hooked up to the living room TV, you'd better hope nobody needs to use the computer while you're gaming on the couch.

One other clarification from the Q&A is that streaming will be limited to the local network. Streaming a game across the internet introduces a whole new set of latency issues and other things that Valve can't control, so don't expect that ability to be included when In-Home Streaming launches.

Source: Steam Community [http://steamcommunity.com/groups/homestream#announcements/detail/1496614934744208201]

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Something Amyss

Aswyng and Amyss
Dec 3, 2008
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I was never big on this idea to begin with, but if you're requiring me to lose the functionality of my host computer, I'm even less sold.
 

Agayek

Ravenous Gormandizer
Oct 23, 2008
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I'm kinda surprised anyone thought this wasn't going to be the case.
 

lacktheknack

Je suis joined jewels.
Jan 19, 2009
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Agayek said:
I'm kinda surprised anyone thought this wasn't going to be the case.
Same. Computers aren't magic, they have to process things according to the programming of the firmware/software.

But hey, maybe someone will figure out a way to use multiple control inputs seamlessly, especially if the streaming becomes a standard.

At any rate, it's not really a loss, because if you wanted to play WITHOUT the Steam Machine, you still had to use your computer anyways.
 

darkszero

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Apr 1, 2010
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I'm looking forward to this, because I have pretty much one of the best use cases: a desktop gaming rig in my bedroom, and my laptop in the living room connected to the TV. I can even connect my laptop with an ethernet cable for minimum latency!
 

O maestre

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Nov 19, 2008
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Why wouldn't you just connect the host PC directly to the TV.... This seems dumb and complicated for something that could be solved with a lengthier HDMI cable. Internet streaming Would have been a true step forward.
 

Petromir

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Apr 10, 2010
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O maestre said:
Why wouldn't you just connect the host PC directly to the TV.... This seems dumb and complicated for something that could be solved with a lengthier HDMI cable. Internet streaming Would have been a true step forward.
So you can access you steam games round the house on less powerful devices than your gaming rig? Not useful to everyone but thats fine its almost as if evey feature doesnt need to be useful to everyone....

This isnt designed to just be a longer HDMI cable. Hell the guy above you has proposed one of the likely intended uses.
 

O maestre

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Nov 19, 2008
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Petromir said:
O maestre said:
Why wouldn't you just connect the host PC directly to the TV.... This seems dumb and complicated for something that could be solved with a lengthier HDMI cable. Internet streaming Would have been a true step forward.
So you can access you steam games round the house on less powerful devices than your gaming rig? Not useful to everyone but thats fine its almost as if evey feature doesnt need to be useful to everyone....

This isnt designed to just be a longer HDMI cable. Hell the guy above you has proposed one of the likely intended uses.
The guy above me could bypass his laptop completely by getting a cable from his bedroom to his living room TV. If he needs to access files there are plenty of remote desktop apps like team viewer. I still don't see the practical or revolutionary aspect of this, maybe it is just me that has a ridiculously small apartment compared to Darkzero
 

Jeroenr

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Nov 20, 2013
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Petromir said:
So you can access you steam games round the house on less powerful devices than your gaming rig? Not useful to everyone but thats fine its almost as if evey feature doesnt need to be useful to everyone....

This isnt designed to just be a longer HDMI cable. Hell the guy above you has proposed one of the likely intended uses.
The way i read this, That is exactly what this is.
But that is not necessary a bad thing.
If your PC is at the other side of the house and you have a fast network (don't know the requirements, but doubt WiFi will cut it)its a good option.
if its in the same room, i wouldn't bother.
 

FogHornG36

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Jan 29, 2011
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O maestre said:
Petromir said:
O maestre said:
Why wouldn't you just connect the host PC directly to the TV.... This seems dumb and complicated for something that could be solved with a lengthier HDMI cable. Internet streaming Would have been a true step forward.
So you can access you steam games round the house on less powerful devices than your gaming rig? Not useful to everyone but thats fine its almost as if evey feature doesnt need to be useful to everyone....

This isnt designed to just be a longer HDMI cable. Hell the guy above you has proposed one of the likely intended uses.
The guy above me could bypass his laptop completely by getting a cable from his bedroom to his living room TV. If he needs to access files there are plenty of remote desktop apps like team viewer. I still don't see the practical or revolutionary aspect of this, maybe it is just me that has a ridiculously small apartment compared to Darkzero
so you have an HDMI cable strung across the house maybe from the first floor to the second floor and are using this tv as another monitor, do you also string usb cables across the house so you can have your mouse, keyboard, controller, head set?
 

Furism

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Sep 10, 2009
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Be creative, people. You could use this to stream FROM a Steam Machine, which look like they'll be as small and well designed as possible for a computer that holds a high-end GPU, TO a lighter device such as an Ultrabook or an older PC.

I'm personally looking into moving away from a bulky PC and towards an Ultrabook connected to my 27" screen and keyboard. If that means I can ALSO play games with graphics only a desktop-based GPU can handle, this is amazing.
 

Chaos Marine

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Feb 6, 2008
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O maestre said:
Why wouldn't you just connect the host PC directly to the TV.... This seems dumb and complicated for something that could be solved with a lengthier HDMI cable. Internet streaming Would have been a true step forward.
I would assume it would be for people like me who would have a giant gaming computer that wouldn't really gel well with a sitting room. When I built my current PC, I selected a Coolermaster RC1000 Cosmos case. That thing is bloody huge. It's like the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey. It's something that would be an eye sore in the room and I have a modified cooling system that isn't exactly quiet meaning the best way I have to play with it is headphones and if you have other people in the room, that's just not kosher.

[Edit]

And to people who might complain about running long ethernet cables, you can get these devices at electronic shops now, they're called Broadband-Over-Mains plugs. And they work like they're labelled. You get two plugs, one goes into a power socket next to your modem/router, the other goes into a socket next to your PC or whatever and it sends the network signal through the power lines. As far as I know you can have four plugs (one transmitter and three receivers) in the one house and they're dumb terminals so it doesn't matter which plug is delegated to which role. Using these, you could easily bring network points to any part in your house. They're also plummeting in price, when we got them in at work, they were usually 80+ euros, now you can get a very decent pair for twenty six euros which, for what they are, is a steal.
 

josemlopes

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Jun 9, 2008
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O maestre said:
Why wouldn't you just connect the host PC directly to the TV.... This seems dumb and complicated for something that could be solved with a lengthier HDMI cable. Internet streaming Would have been a true step forward.
Because now I can take my crappy laptop and play games on the toilet without an HDMI cable connecting my laptop to my PC.

It isnt an amazing new feature but its an option that can be convinient in some cases.
 

wizzy555

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Oct 14, 2010
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This is probably to maintain compatibility with games. Most games probably aren't coded to respond to interactions while they are minimised/hidden.
 

Lono Shrugged

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May 7, 2009
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I tend not to be doing things on my computer when I am playing it. And I will be glad not to feel obliged to alt tab out to answer IMs. Plus I have a phone for that crap if I really need it. I am all for less distractions when I play games.
 

Jeroenr

Senior Member
Nov 20, 2013
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Lono Shrugged said:
I tend not to be doing things on my computer when I am playing it. And I will be glad not to feel obliged to alt tab out to answer IMs. Plus I have a phone for that crap if I really need it. I am all for less distractions when I play games.
The point is, you are not if front of your computer, instead you are in front of the TV.
Other people in your house might not understand that you are using it siting in front of the TV.

More usefull is, you put the big ugly powerfull gameserver somewere out of sight.
And use a small formfactor pc as a sort of thinclient workstation.
 

Itchi_da_killa

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Jun 5, 2012
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I just want that controller and the ability to dual boot into the steam os...even though I don't "really" need to. My computer is connected to my tv where I already play steam games, so yeah I just want the controller.
 

AzrealMaximillion

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Jan 20, 2010
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This is really a lot of trouble that Valve is going through to get a bunch of people who play PC games to move to the living room. It seems more troublesome considering that there are major reasons people play PCs in the first place.

Not having to share the TV.
KB+M works better with the majority of PC games.
A lot of PC gamers are perfectly comfortable playing at a desk.

We'll see how this goes but I don't think it'll be the instant success that Valve fans want it to be.
 

TiberiusEsuriens

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Jun 24, 2010
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I just don't understand the appeal of a SteamBox AT ALL. I love steam, I have a ton of steam games, but why the hell would I buy a second PC that can't do anything but hook up to a TV and play my first PC's games when I could just hook up my first PC to start with and save $500? It's not even enabling us to play better/bigger games than we could otherwise, because the game can't run on an amazing SteamBox if the host machine is still crappy.

SteamBoxes will be near useless until they can find a way to get DirectX support, allowing us to just play our games on them without doing this BS middleman approach.