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ToucanPlay

Recommend a solution for my gaming setup

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Hey all, new around these forums. I have a gaming-related issue that I could use some help with, and since on the last Idle Thumbs podcast they were encouraging us to use the website more, I thought heck, why not.

 

So here's my problem: I'm moving to a new appartment soon, and I want to find a way to permanently connect my pc to my tv, in order to easily game, watch movies, or surf the web, as if I were working off my monitor. The pc and the tv will only be about 5 metres away, but having a wire going from one to the other would be very inconvenient. Pathing the wire inside the wall or under the floor is not an option unfortunately. Even if I try to hug a wall with a wire, I'd have to go past a door, which is very inconvenient.

 

Therefore, I've been looking at possible solutions. The first one that came to mind was using a wireless HDMI connection. However, I've never tried these. I live in Argentina, and have family travelling to the US soon, so I can have them get it for me there. Unfortunately, once it's purchased, there's no going back, so I want to make sure it fits my needs. So, has anyone tried wireless HDMI for gaming? How bad is the lag over short distances like mine (no walls in between btw)?

 

Also, any other suggestions you guys might have? I've been told about the Steam Link, but how does that work with non-steam games? Or what if I want to watch a movie I have downloaded on my pc, or browse the internet with a mouse and keyboard, like I would be able to do with an HDMI connection?

 

Anyway, all ideas are welcome.  :)

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Nvidia shield if you have an nvidia GPU? Wireless HDMI?

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Hey all, new around these forums. I have a gaming-related issue that I could use some help with, and since on the last Idle Thumbs podcast they were encouraging us to use the website more, I thought heck, why not.

 

So here's my problem: I'm moving to a new appartment soon, and I want to find a way to permanently connect my pc to my tv, in order to easily game, watch movies, or surf the web, as if I were working off my monitor. The pc and the tv will only be about 5 metres away, but having a wire going from one to the other would be very inconvenient. Pathing the wire inside the wall or under the floor is not an option unfortunately. Even if I try to hug a wall with a wire, I'd have to go past a door, which is very inconvenient.

 

Therefore, I've been looking at possible solutions. The first one that came to mind was using a wireless HDMI connection. However, I've never tried these. I live in Argentina, and have family travelling to the US soon, so I can have them get it for me there. Unfortunately, once it's purchased, there's no going back, so I want to make sure it fits my needs. So, has anyone tried wireless HDMI for gaming? How bad is the lag over short distances like mine (no walls in between btw)?

 

Also, any other suggestions you guys might have? I've been told about the Steam Link, but how does that work with non-steam games? Or what if I want to watch a movie I have downloaded on my pc, or browse the internet with a mouse and keyboard, like I would be able to do with an HDMI connection?

 

Anyway, all ideas are welcome.  :)

 

could you run the cable over the door? It adds to the length needed but I had to do something similar with an ethernet cable at one point.

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I believe the Steam Link works for non-steam games as long as you create Steam shortcuts for them, and I've heard good things as long as you're able to connect both devices to a physical network. If you're going to be doing it over wireless,it sounds like it's still acceptable for a lot of games, but might have some problems for particularly twitch-based ones.

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You don't need to create steam shortcuts, you can just minimize steam and use your computer like normal. Even supports multiple monitors, just mouse to the edge of the screen in the direction of another monitor and the display will change.

 

I have problems with games that have initial config windows (lots of Unity games...) as there's no cursor... Or ones that are fullscreen but let you move the mouse outside of the screen, etc. But otherwise the Steam Link is great.

 

Like Dewar, I've heard wireless is acceptable for most games. I just run a wire to my router, though.

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You don't need to create steam shortcuts, you can just minimize steam and use your computer like normal. Even supports multiple monitors, just mouse to the edge of the screen in the direction of another monitor and the display will change.

 

I have problems with games that have initial config windows (lots of Unity games...) as there's no cursor... Or ones that are fullscreen but let you move the mouse outside of the screen, etc. But otherwise the Steam Link is great.

 

Like Dewar, I've heard wireless is acceptable for most games. I just run a wire to my router, though.

 

Ok, so functionally, the Steam Link would work pretty much the same as a wireless HDMI with some added functionality? (assuming the signal strength is equally strong in both)

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Okay this is going to maybe be a dumb suggestion, but have you considered just getting a rug of some sort using that to hide the cable?

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I've been dealing with a similar setup for a few years. Hard wires for everything is far and away the best solution, if at all possible. 30ft USB, HDMI, and audio cabling is quite inexpensive from Monoprice and gives you latency-free connections.

In lieu of wires, Steam streaming has worked well for most things as long as a) the PCs are on a hardwired network and B) you're not playing a game that demands fine reflexes. Wireless streaming may vary depending on your setup, but for me it wasn't enough (connection would hang and then pick up a second later here and there). I try to play all of my twitchy games on my host PC.

Powerline ethernet might get you wired Internet depending on your proximity to large appliances which can cause interference. I'm currently setup with ethernet over coax which works very well if you are fortunate enough to have an apartment wired with coax all over the place.

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Ok, so functionally, the Steam Link would work pretty much the same as a wireless HDMI with some added functionality? (assuming the signal strength is equally strong in both)

Yeah, pretty much!

Also ethernet over coax is pretty good, but it depends on how old the wires in your house are. EDIT: Actually I was thinking of ethernet through power outlets. I have no idea about coax!

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