Some details have popped up regarding Steam Link

Jun 7, 2015 17:56 GMT  ·  By

The Steam Link is an upcoming piece of technology that will allow users to stream their games from the PC to the TV, transforming a desktop gaming session into a couch gaming session.

The advantage of Steam Link is that users get to keep the quality that they would achieve on a PC rig and "transport" that experience to TV, in glorious 1080p format. How it's going to be done is akin to magic, with the exception of the fact that you can already do it. A streaming feature is available in the Steam client, but this won't be the same thing.

Steam Link will be available for purchase in November, along with the Steam Machines. Users have started questioning the hardware setup of this little gadget, not to mention the software components. As it turns out, both details are actually a secret, but we do know one thing. The platform will be locked pretty tight, and Valve won't allow any modding.

Steam Linux is running a modified Linux kernel

Given the fact that the Steam Machines will land by the end of the year and that they will run SteamOS, a Debian-based operating system, it's only natural that Steam Link would also run something Linux-related. A developer from Valve has kindly shared some info on Reddit, although he tried not to spill any sensitive details.

"For legal purposes and to help with approvals from regulatory agencies, we have to lock it down pretty tight; we do not support any kind of modding or custom software/firmware. It's best to think of it as a purpose-built streaming client, as opposed to a device with specific hardware specs. But if you're just curious, it's a smartphone-like ARMv7 processor with dedicated h.264 video decoding circuitry, running a custom Linux kernel and a Valve-developed software stack," said the Valve guy (represented under the name of HenryG_Valve).

Some users have speculated that the closed nature of the platform is because "h264" is not free. Also, some security concerns have been raised. In any case, it's doubtful that the platform will remain closed for long, especially since it's running Linux.