Valve Launches Steam Link App on Apple Mac App Store

Valve launched a standalone app for Steam Link on Apple’s macOS App Store, adding a new option for Mac users who want to play games on machines that are often referred to as bad choices for gaming.

Steam Link allows users to stream games from a gaming PC to a supported device on the same local network and play those games with an MFI or Steam controller.

Valve already offered a full Steam app for macOS, but it takes up 1GB of space and has a reputation for being clunky. In contrast, the Steam Link app has a minimalist interface that seems to be designed with game controller peripherals in mind.

Valve has also previously offered a Steam Link app for iOS and iPadOS, but this is the first time the company has released software through Apple’s macOS App Store. (The full version of Steam is offered as a web download, not an App Store app.)

Game streaming has had a somewhat tumultuous history on Apple’s mobile platforms, but it has been a bit rosier on the macOS side. The same streaming features that Steam Link offers were already possible through the full Steam app for macOS, GeForce Now has a Mac client, and Mac users have long appreciated the ability to stream PlayStation games with a barebones app. .

In general, Mac gaming has had its ups and downs over the years, and lately the trend has been on the downside. Apple’s switch from OpenGL to Metal has resulted in much better performance for games whose developers have been pushing to support it, but we’ve also seen fewer Mac ports of triple-A games in recent times.

However, many independent companies still support the Mac, and with the introduction of Macs running processors and GPUs that share an architecture with chips in iPhones and iPads, Apple has opened the door to iOS and iPadOS games for them to do. they work natively on newer Macs.

However, our own testing of iOS and iPadOS games on Macs with M1 released last year showed things to be pretty hit and miss, with interface issues and other limitations making the experience mediocre. As a result, macOS currently feels stuck between the two vast worlds of PC gaming and iPhone gaming, yet not fully leaning into becoming an optimal platform for either.

Steam Link allows users to play modern and high-end games on a MacBook Air or similar, as long as they have a beefy Windows gaming PC on the same local network.