Valve launches Steam Link app for streaming games to your smartphone

Valve Software is introducing a way to access your Steam library through your iOS or Android device. The company, which owns and operates the Steam PC game-distribution platform and community, is launching the Steam Link app on the App Store and Google Play market the week of May 21. Like the Steam Link box, this app will beam games from your PC to a separate device, but the app does not need dedicated hardware connected to phone or tablet to work.

The Steam Link app is free and works on 5Ghz Wi-Fi networks, which can maintain the speed necessary for smooth video. You can also connect a gamepad to your device — like a Steam Controller — to have a console-like input experience. This is something that should enable people to keep playing games even when they can’t sit down at a desktop alone in their office (hey, that sounds familiar).