Valve and Samsung have announced a new partnership to bundle Steam Link PC streaming functionality right into new smart TVs, making it possible to play your games on your TV without having the additional Steam Link box plugged in. Better yet, you can update your existing 2016/2017 TV to use it too, since it's an app rather than a hardware addition, but you will need a Steam Controller to play with it.
Valve's Steam Link is a decent piece of kit -- that was heavily discounted during the recent Steam Summer Sale -- that lets owners stream their PCs to their TVs, making it possible to play Steam games just about anywhere. It works on the same functionality as Steam streaming to different devices, but makes it a cinch to play on your TV, as well as use gamepad controllers for those games.
This writer uses his for streaming games that are better played with a controller in a more relaxed environment than the PC gaming chair he usually plays in. Games like Shadow of Mordor play well on a TV, but likewise so does Kingdom: New Lands. It doesn't have to be a simplistic game, though single player is usually a must, as there is a 100ms or so of additional latency to consider with streaming.
Still, that may improve with additional networking capabilities of Samsung TVs. If you live in the U.S. and own a recent Samsung television you can try out the new app now. Make sure both it and your PC are turned on and connected to your home network, go into the smart hub and download the latest beta build of the Steam Link App. Your Steam library should then be available for play.
Although currently limited to 1080p at 60FPs, VG247 claims that over the next few months we can expect 4K streaming to be added and you won't need a Steam Controller either. Any gamepad will do.
