Steam Link lets you stream games from your PC to any other device in your home, including your smartphone or smart TV. Now, thanks to the Steam Link 1.3.12 update, Android gamers can enjoy HDR and other high-quality streaming options that Steam Link was once lacking.

This updatewhich is only available for Android client devices, adds support for HDR-enhanced 1080p or 4K streaming, AV1 video encoding, and surround sound. The AV1 option might be the best part of this update: it should significantly reduce bandwidth usage and make streaming more stable. Players can use the improved stability as is or use it as an excuse to increase their video quality settings.

You’ll of course need a good PC to offer these high-quality streaming options, and some client devices don’t support HDR, AV1, or surround sound.

Version 1.3.12 will also recommend optimized streaming settings based on your local network speed and give you a Wi-Fi lock setting to reduce streaming interruptions. There is now an option to turn off low latency audio as well, and a bug that hindered support for the Nintendo Switch Pro game controller has been fixed.

Valve says Steam Link 1.3.12 adds support “for over 500 Android devices.” I assume most of these devices are smart TVs. Value doesn’t specify this, so for all I know my assumption may be completely wrong. I should note that Steam Link is one of many local game streaming solutions. Open source alternatives like Moonlight and sun are excellent and offer some features that Steam Link lacks, such as GameStream support.

You can install or update the Steam Link client application at Google Play store or Amazon Appstore. It works on smartphones, tablets, smart TVs and any other product running Android. A direct APK download is available for those who need it.

Source: Valve via AFTVnews