Add a gaming service like Steam
Would love to have an app for something like Steam link to stream gaming through the Roku
Forum Discussion
The Roku is not a gaming device. It doesn't have a remote that would work well for gaming, and you can't link a better remote. It has virtually no storage space for any game information, and frankly doesn't have a good enough processor or video card to support anything beyond a very basic app.
If you want to game, there's the Sony PS whatever they are up to (PS 5?), the XBox, Nintendo has a good gaming platform, and there are some games that can be played on an Nvidia Shield.
atc98092 You seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding of what’s being suggested here bud. They are not talking about gaming on a Roku TV. They are talking about streaming a game to a Roku TV. The TV does not need a special remote, does not need extra storage, and minimal extra processing power. It just needs to be able to stream video & audio output from the source computer, and send data for controls to the PC.
Birkin Streaming to a Roku is possible right now. I can't say if a Playstation or XBox is capable, but a PC with the right hardware can. Of course, I would ask this question: why stream when literally any gaming console has an HDMI out and can plug directly into a Roku TV? That way there's zero lag from streaming, and the highest possible resolution would be available.
Seriously? My PC is in my bedroom, my TV is in my living room. I’m not going to lug my pc out to my living room every time I want to play on the couch bud, and I’m not running an HDMI cable across my entire house. Streaming is a far more seamless process. Using a steam link, I literally just press the Xbox button and it automatically connects to my PC and pulls up big picture. It’s a million times better than running an HDMI cable across my entire house, managing the extra TV as a monitor, running multiple usb extenders for my controller…just why? Unless your TV is in the same room as your PC, it literally makes no sense to use an HDMI.
Well, I'm not a gamer so that scenario wasn't something I considered. For one, it seems odd if your gaming PC is in a bedroom, not some other location. But if that's your layout, no problem. I am also expecting a home to have more than one computer. Maybe not multiple high power gaming PCs, but still.
Personally, I doubt any model of Roku has the processing power needed to perform well with something like Steam. Most gaming requires significant video processing power, and although I expect the computer would do most of the heavy lifting I'm not confident the Roku could handle the bitrate required for seamless playback. Remember, these are not in any way considered high powered. Even the latest Ultra doesn't come close to the power of a five year old Nvidia Shield. The Shield does support Steam (I believe) but again it has much more power and is far more capable.
