Summary
A gamer found a relic ofSteamand Valve’s past while thrifting, discovering a Steam Link for sale at a Goodwill store. The surprising find has amusedSteamfans, and brought back some fond memories of some of the earlier days of game streaming.
Valve has tinkered with hardware multiple times, with some of thebiggest successes being the Steam Deck, its gaming handheld, and the Valve Index, its VR headset. However, it’s also had some distinct failures, like the Steam Machine, which was introduced as a method of playing PC games on one’s TV, but ultimately failed to take off. Another such creation that was discontinued is the Steam Link.
Over on Reddit, user AnewFoundLife shared a photo of a Steam Link that they had found, and asked if it was still worth anything. According to AnewFoundLife, they purchased theSteam deviceseemingly brand-new in box from a Goodwill store, and spent $25 on the item. Gamers responding in the comments have been amused to see the device, and noted that it can still be useful. While it’s not capable of streaming 4K or extremely high frame rates to a TV, the Steam Link can still be used to broadcast games from one’s gaming PC to a secondary screen at up to 1080p and 60FPS.
With that said, the community is also getting a chuckle out of the price of the device. The Steam Link originally retailed for $49.99, which would make this purchase a steal. However, the price of the Steam Link was sometimes discounted duringSteam sales, and when Valve announced it was no longer going to be sold, it slashed the cost of the device to a ridiculously low price of $2.50. Considering how gaming has advanced and the multiple options available to stream titles now available, what AnewFoundLife found isn’t necessarily a bargain. However, there was a time when the Steam Link was selling on reseller sites like eBay for over $200 following its discontinuation.
Why Was the Steam Link Discontinued?
Steam has a history of experimenting with hardware, and the Steam Link was one such case. The device worked pretty well, by most accounts, but it didn’t take off as a mainstream item. PC gamers were still pretty happy to game on their PCs, and many lacked powerful enough wi-fi connections to use the device wirelessly, and may not have had a setup that would work with a wired connection. Prior to its discontinuation, Steam introduced aSteam Link applicationthat worked similarly, without the need for a separate piece of hardware beyond one’s phone or compatible streaming device. That app is still available to this day.
