Okay, folks, gather ’round. I spent some time messing about with game streaming from my main PC, specifically pitting AMD Link against Steam Link. Wanted to see which one felt better for kicking back on the couch or maybe even in another room without lugging the big rig around. Here’s how it went down for me.
Getting Started: The Setup Dance
First up was AMD Link. Since I’m running an AMD graphics card, this seemed like the natural starting point. The first step was making sure the AMD Adrenalin software was installed and up-to-date on my gaming PC. That part was easy enough, already had it for driver updates.
Then, I had to actually enable the AMD Link server feature within the Adrenalin software settings. It’s just a toggle switch, basically. After flipping that on, I grabbed my tablet and downloaded the AMD Link app from its app store. Opening the app, it started scanning my local network. Took a moment, but it found my PC. Then came the pairing part – the PC software showed a QR code and a PIN. I just pointed my tablet’s camera at the QR code through the app, and bam, they were connected. Honestly, pretty smooth, though I did have to make sure my firewall wasn’t blocking anything initially. Had a small hiccup there, just had to allow the Adrenalin software through.
Next, Steam Link. This felt a bit more straightforward, maybe because I’ve used Steam for ages. Made sure Steam was running on my PC, obviously. Then, I installed the Steam Link app on the same tablet. Launched the app, and just like AMD Link, it scanned the network. Found my PC running Steam almost instantly. Tapped on it, and Steam on my PC popped up a four-digit PIN. I just typed that PIN into the Steam Link app on my tablet, and that was it. Paired. Seemed slightly quicker than the AMD Link process, but both were manageable.
Hitting Play: The Actual Streaming Experience
Alright, time for the real test: playing games.
With AMD Link, I first fired up a slower-paced game, something like a turn-based strategy. Looked pretty good! The image quality was sharp, colours seemed accurate. Didn’t notice much lag, which was great for that kind of game. Then I tried something faster, a racing game. Here’s where I noticed a bit of a difference. While mostly smooth, there were occasional stutters, just little hiccups. And I could feel a tiny bit of input lag. Not unplayable, but definitely noticeable compared to sitting right at the PC. Controller connection (a standard Xbox controller paired to the tablet) worked fine after initial pairing.
- Image quality: Generally good, quite crisp.
- Latency: Noticeable in fast games, okay for slower ones.
- Stability: Mostly stable, but occasional micro-stutters.
Switching over to Steam Link, I tried the same games. The setup through Steam’s Big Picture Mode felt quite polished. For the slower strategy game, performance felt very similar to AMD Link. Quality was good, lag was minimal. Then came the racing game again. Now, this is just my experience on my network, mind you, but Steam Link felt a touch smoother. The input lag seemed slightly less pronounced. It wasn’t perfect, still not like native play, but those micro-stutters seemed less frequent than with AMD Link. Controller integration also felt seamless, probably because it’s all baked into the Steam ecosystem.
- Image quality: Also good, maybe slightly softer than AMD Link at times? Hard to say for sure.
- Latency: Felt slightly better, especially in faster games.
- Stability: Seemed a bit more consistent, fewer noticeable hiccups.
Extra Bits and Pieces
AMD Link has some neat extra features, like showing performance metrics overlay (FPS, temps, etc.) right on the streamed screen, which is handy for tweaking. You can also adjust streaming quality settings quite granularly within the Adrenalin software.
Steam Link is deeply tied into the Steam library and Big Picture Mode. This makes launching games super easy if they’re already in Steam. It also seems to have broader compatibility, working well even if you don’t have an AMD card (though you still need Steam, obviously). It felt a bit more ‘plug and play’ for just launching Steam games.
So, Which One Did I Stick With?
After going back and forth for a bit, testing on different days, I found myself leaning towards Steam Link more often. For me, on my home Wi-Fi setup, it just felt slightly more responsive and stable, especially for games requiring quicker reflexes. The difference wasn’t massive, but it was enough to notice.
AMD Link is definitely not bad, and it’s great having a solution integrated right into the graphics driver software. If you primarily play slower games or if Steam Link gives you trouble for some reason, AMD Link is a perfectly solid option. But for my own couch gaming sessions, Steam Link edged it out. Your mileage may vary, of course, depending on your network, your devices, and even the specific games you play. Best bet is always to try both if you can!