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[LilJoka]

the USB port on the FireTV Stick isn't a USB-OTG (you can't plug in peripherals to it) I read so you may be limited to Bluetooth only... which may be wonky at best :/

I sure hope we get an update to the Android app or at least a Chromecast app or something

EDIT:

The Razer Turret seems like a good KB/M option for Comfy Couch


Can the Raspberry Pi do 1080p60 with no issue on Limelight?
may look into getting one - hope the DS4 works well with it

Yes RPi has no issue 1080p60 over LAN atleast.

You will need to check forums for controller support.
My 360 pad stays connected to my host PC when I used limelight pi in another room. I know the USB ports on the Rpi don't have enough power to run the 360 wireless receiver.

 

[ashecitism]

No one else having problems with the font size of many games when playing them on a TV? E.g. Diablo 3. It was unplayable, because there was no option to adjust the UI.

What's the sense of steam big picture mode, when it doesn't have an influence on ingame options (obviously not regarding D3, but in general devs should offer a TV mode for the UI).

Yes, people have expressed concerns about this before and some devs like CA or Paradox have commented on it. If they want people to play their games in the living room comfortably they should provide an optional TV UI for their games.

 

[Soodanim]

Pinnacle does take command line arguments. You can in fact make a shortcut with a command then the game exe and it boots straight to the game with pinnacle loaded. Unfortunately for some reason this disables Steam overlay though. I haven't yet figured out why. Rob has always been helpful when I've emailed him, I like developers with a passion for their product.

Has anyone thought about installing VoiceAttack and leaving a mic on the TV? I'm considering giving this a go, could be an elegant solution to some things if it works smoothly.

Have you tried using a Steam URL as the path instead of the game exe?

 

[twdnewh_k]

Anyone tried a CouchMaster before ?

 

[PuppetSlave]

Anyone tried a CouchMaster before ?

"Stylish ashtray" included, I knew there was something missing in my life

 

[Donos]

Anyone tried a CouchMaster before ?

you can probably make this yourself for 1/4 of the price (two box pillows and a board with some gelpads)

 

[OTIX]

Does anyone have issues using their DS4 with a bluetooth connection to their PC? my PC is only about 10 feet away from my couch but communication cuts out and it lags to the point where its unusable. My mobo has bluetooth built in so im not using an external adapter. I read someone wrote that having bluetooth and wifi on affects the connection. Anyone have experience with this?

I have the same problem. I bought the Asus BT400 adapter to use my DS4 but the range is terrible. I'm getting dropped inputs at around 3m distance so I had to go back to the old wireless 360 dongle which has way better range.

This is one of the best tools anyone can get if they plan to do PC gaming from the living room/couch. Not for playing games but for the occasional times that you might need text input or a mouse cursor for a launcher or something. You can easily just slide it under the couch or into a couch pocket 99% of the time but it's right there for when you need it.

I feel like something like this is a bit overkill. If it's just for navigating windows and inputting some text then any tablet or smartphone can handle it with a mobile mouse type app.

 

[hepburn3d]

How do Windows 8.1 user handle their loading screen to Steam BP?

Sounds so over the top but I don't like seeing the task bar but even if you auto hide it, it stays on screen when you boot up. I've set the theme to deep black and a black background to hide it but it still erks me to see the windows button on boot before steam boots I might post a few screenshots later of what I've got set up just in case it interests anyone

Edit:

Have you tried using a Steam URL as the path instead of the game exe?

No I haven't! Will try that!!!! Good thinking.

Edit x 2:

Actually I remember why I haven't now. I boot non-steam games from steam but still use the overlay for them i.e. screenshots etc. So not sure if using Steam to run Pinnacle to run steam to run the game would work ... hmmmm inception?

 

[twdnewh_k]

you can probably make this yourself for 1/4 of the price (two box pillows and a board with some gelpads)

Yeah, It is actually very cool, but the price is nonsense.

 

[hepburn3d]

Does anyone use this? I boot it from Steam as a Non-Steam game under a TV category to watch videos from the PC. It works amazingly well. As it works with an xbox controller as well it makes for a great media center, although I hope steam one day do their own thing.

Link

 

[smuf]

Does anyone use this? I boot it from Steam as a Non-Steam game under a TV category to watch videos from the PC. It works amazingly well. As it works with an xbox controller as well it makes for a great media center, although I hope steam one day do their own thing.

Link

I do this with Plex.

 

[RealityCheque]

Does anyone use this? I boot it from Steam as a Non-Steam game under a TV category to watch videos from the PC. It works amazingly well. As it works with an xbox controller as well it makes for a great media center, although I hope steam one day do their own thing.

Link

Kodi is absolutely brilliant, wait until the next iteration (Retroplayer, insane possibilities)

 

[elfinke]

That Razer Turret looks like a good bit of gear. It may force the retirement of my Logi DiNuvo at long last.

 

[PeterVenkman]

Anyone tried a CouchMaster before ?

hoo boy. Yes, I have. Short answer is it is overpriced, made from noticeably cheap components and is overall not worth it. I still use it because a plank of wood doesn't have cable management, but I cannot recommend it for anyone with wireless components

 

[Donos]

Does anyone use this? I boot it from Steam as a Non-Steam game under a TV category to watch videos from the PC. It works amazingly well. As it works with an xbox controller as well it makes for a great media center, although I hope steam one day do their own thing.

Link

Have this (Kodi, previous version was Gotham 13.2) on two Raspberry Pi's (Raspbmc) and now on my Amazon Fire Tv and stream from my NAS. It's pretty good. So far i'm not really fond of Plex but i have to try it again.

 

[TheSlySoul]

Have this (Kodi, previous version was Gotham 13.2) on two Raspberry Pi's (Raspbmc) and now on my Amazon Fire Tv and stream from my NAS. It's pretty good. So far i'm not really fond of Plex but i have to try it again.

Plex is more amazing for getting your content in other parts of the house. My set-up is Kodi with pleXBMC installed. Plus Chromecast support means I can push stuff from my tablet to a TV. So I can have my library in the living room or bed room.

But you are right in that Plex Home Theater is not that great of an application. Mostly because it is harder to customize.

Update on the Gamestick running limelight no dice. It's way too laggy. I wasn't expecting much though. Great cheap media streamer though.

Yeah, Splashtop was no dice for me either. It ran a bit better on a tablet, but still not smooth enough to be playable. Would probably just be easier to install Steam on my HTPC than try to remote it and run my indie games on a low setting.

 

[Xeroblade]

Does anyone use this? I boot it from Steam as a Non-Steam game under a TV category to watch videos from the PC. It works amazingly well. As it works with an xbox controller as well it makes for a great media center, although I hope steam one day do their own thing.

Link

Yes I will live and die by xbmc/kodi. I have a Acer Aspire Revo AR1600 running XBMC, streams everything i throw at it to my main tv. I then have plex so I can stream movies to my kid's tv upstairs.

Concerns regarding the Gamestick, It will not stream a 720p mkv file without it buffering every 30 seconds. So thats a real bummer on my end.

One more thing guys has any tried Emulation Station? Its basically an xbmc but for emulators. It's fantastic though its a little bit of a pain to setup.

 

[TheSlySoul]

One more thing guys has any tried Emulation Station? Its basically an xbmc but for emulators. It's fantastic though its a little bit of a pain to setup.

Looks interesting. My experience is Rom Collection Browser which is a nice way to get emulators via XBMC/Kodi. It works quite well once you set-up Project 64.

 

[zephervack]

Is there a website where I can check if a CPU can decode 1080p easily? Im trying to figure out whats the cheapest machine I can get to do so.

Its a mistery really, I have a ITX machine with a Intel Atom D2700, and while it easily handles 1080p mkv files, it struggles with Steam Streaming.

 

[Donos]

Is there a website where I can check if a CPU can decode 1080p easily? Im trying to figure out whats the cheapest machine I can get to do so.

Its a mistery really, I have a ITX machine with a Intel Atom D2700, and while it easily handles 1080p mkv files, it struggles with Steam Streaming.

Over wireless lan? did you check your wireless channels? They get cluttered easily nowadays on the 2,4 Ghz frequenzy (although signal strenght still shows "very good" or "strong" on the devices). You can check this with turning off all other devices which use wireless (or turn off the just turn off the wireless of them). Had this problem with my amazon Fire Tv.

Dualband router with 5 Ghz helped me with that problem. Smartphones, TV and AFT are on 5 Ghz now and 2,4 Ghz frequenzy has less devices in it.

 

[zephervack]

Over wireless lan? did you check your wireless channels? They get cluttered easily nowadays on the 2,4 Ghz frequenzy (although signal strenght still shows "very good" or "strong" on the devices). You can check this with turning off all other devices which use wireless (or turn off the just turn off the wireless of them). Had this problem with my amazon Fire Tv.

Dualband router with 5 Ghz helped me with that problem. Smartphones, TV and AFT are on 5 Ghz now and 2,4 Ghz frequenzy has less devices in it.

Thanks for the suggestion, I do own a router with wireless N and Wireless AC but that ITX machine doesnt support either of those.

Im thinking of changing it regardless as it cant even handle HD streams from Netflix, real shame, the computer its not even 2 years old.

 

[Hasney]

Thanks for the suggestion, I do own a router with wireless N and Wireless AC but that ITX machine doesnt support either of those.

Im thinking of changing it regardless as it cant even handle HD streams from Netflix, real shame, the computer its not even 2 years old.

Is it running on G then? Yeah, that'll be the big issue. That CPU should be fine really.

 

[zephervack]

Is it running on G then? Yeah, that'll be the big issue. That CPU should be fine really.

I was thinking that it was the CPU as I did some tests with my work's laptop, which has an i7 3632QM and also only Wireless G and Streaming ran buttery smooth even at 60fps, it was a revelation.

With the Intel Atom D2700 I constantly get "Slow decoding" errors during streaming.

 

[Hasney]

I was thinking that it was the CPU as I did some tests with my work's laptop, which has an i7 3632QM and also only Wireless G and Streaming ran buttery smooth even at 60fps, it was a revelation.

With the Intel Atom D2700 I constantly get "Slow decoding" errors during streaming.

That is odd. I get "slow decode" on my laptop which is an AMD A6, but only over wireless. Plug in the ethernet and I get it buttery smooth.

I'd probably stick in a wired network just to test as if that falls over, I'd stuggle to see the viability of things like the Intel HDMI stick that I was looking forward to.

 

[metalhead79]

I have a small Acer box I use for my streaming client. It's got a Celeron J1800 in it with 4gb of RAM.

I have to run 720p60 to get my latency to average 20-30ms. When I try to run 1080p60 latency jumps to 45-60ms.

I'm running a wired 1gbps connection through my home. My host has an R9 290 in it, I'm using VCE for the encoder.

The red line, which is the client decoding I believe, is all over the place when running 1080p60. I've read some stuff on the Steam in home streaming forums that the quicksync decoder in the J1800 isn't enough for a low latency 1080p60 stream.

Any suggestions, streamingGAF?

 

[zephervack]

I have a small Acer box I use for my streaming client. It's got a Celeron J1800 in it with 4gb of RAM.

I have to run 720p60 to get my latency to average 20-30ms. When I try to run 1080p60 latency jumps to 45-60ms.

I'm running a wired 1gbps connection through my home. My host has an R9 290 in it, I'm using VCE for the encoder.

The red line, which is the client decoding I believe, is all over the place when running 1080p60. I've read some stuff on the Steam in home streaming forums that the quicksync decoder in the J1800 isn't enough for a low latency 1080p60 stream.

Any suggestions, streamingGAF?

Sorry to answer your question with a question but, how do you select VCE encoder for R9?

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

I kinda want that lian-li PC-O7 just for the gimmick of having an ATX mobo with a thin case using a PCI-E extension.

 

[metalhead79]

Sorry to answer your question with a question but, how do you select VCE encoder for R9?

It's automatic. Steam detects your GPU and uses the appropriate encoder.

 

[TheChewyWaffles]

Wireless mice have never worked really well for me, even about 12 feet away. Lack of precision and also the mousing going "dead" and hitching when my lap board warms up. Any suggestions? I have that "black laser" Logitech mouse.

 

[TheSlySoul]

Wireless mice have never worked really well for me, even about 12 feet away. Lack of precision and also the mousing going "dead" and hitching when my lap board warms up. Any suggestions?

Logitech wireless tech comes with really good dongles.
I have used many from 6-12 feet with no issue.
Here is a link.

 

[wilflare]

all these Plex and Kodi talk is making me curious
I've been using Plex for now (but since getting Netflix, Hulu Plus, I haven't been using it much)

what's the difference between Plex and Kodi?
(and isn't it better to run Retroarch for emulator rather than through Kodi or something?)

 

[wilflare]

warrants a double post
NZXT introduces their streaming box - the DOKO

http://www.pcgamer.com/nzxt-announces-doko-a-100-living-room-streaming-box/

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2867983/nzxts-100-doko-box-aims-to-kill-steam-machines-and-htpcs.html

supposedly streams everything and not just steam games

 

[Kinthalis]

all these Plex and Kodi talk is making me curious
I've been using Plex for now (but since getting Netflix, Hulu Plus, I haven't been using it much)

what's the difference between Plex and Kodi?
(and isn't it better to run Retroarch for emulator rather than through Kodi or something?)

I only use Plex, but I think the main draw with plex is the official apps on pretty much any device out there. It's just convenient that way.

 

[TheSlySoul]

what's the difference between Plex and Kodi?
(and isn't it better to run Retroarch for emulator rather than through Kodi or something?)

From what I used...
Plex has little to no customization. However, it can work on almost anything. Android/iOS/Fire/Roku have apps and any computer with a browser can watch videos. In the case of guests, you can share content with their account. So you can avoid having your nephew watch your Game of Thrones stuff.
XBMC/Kodi is customizable, but hard to share content with. You have to rely on DLNA access to get content from XBMC/Kodi. So downloading Kodi on Android does not mean you can get your PC's Kodi content right away. As a front end though, it is very customizable. You can add so many add-ons and also use it to access emulators or programs so you never have to even see your PC screen.
So a TL;DR version is Plex is a media manager that is very easy to share content from different places and XBMC/Kodi is meant more for only one machine.

Edit: I also think it is pretty futile to try to compare the two when you can install Kodi and put pleXBMC to get your Plex content on it. They are only similar in that they can host your videos/music.

 

[zephervack]

warrants a double post
NZXT introduces their streaming box - the DOKO

http://www.pcgamer.com/nzxt-announces-doko-a-100-living-room-streaming-box/



http://www.pcworld.com/article/2867983/nzxts-100-doko-box-aims-to-kill-steam-machines-and-htpcs.html

supposedly streams everything and not just steam games

apparently mandatory Gigabit Ethernet connection.

Too bad, a lot of people including me dont have any means of getting Gigabit cables around the house. Looked interesting up to that point

 

[dtcm83]

Too bad, a lot of people including me dont have any means of getting Gigabit cables around the house. Looked interesting up to that point

Even if you had gig ethernet wiring, according to the article the streaming is "limited to 30 fps." That kills my interest immediately.

 

[Reallink]

warrants a double post
NZXT introduces their streaming box - the DOKO

http://www.pcgamer.com/nzxt-announces-doko-a-100-living-room-streaming-box/



http://www.pcworld.com/article/2867983/nzxts-100-doko-box-aims-to-kill-steam-machines-and-htpcs.html

supposedly streams everything and not just steam games

30fps limit and adds 50-80ms, it doesn't even warrant a single post bruh.

 

[Totobeni]

Anyone tried a CouchMaster before ?

no but that thing is ridiculous looking and I think will be a nightmare in the living room.

Just wait for Roccat Sova and Razer Turret later this year (Q2 for Razer)

or get a Phantom (and pray that the crappy dongle is working)

 

[metalhead79]

Even if you had gig ethernet wiring, according to the article the streaming is "limited to 30 fps." That kills my interest immediately.

50-80ms latency, too. That's enough to make a game feel off. For me personally, I need under 40ms to be able to play a shooter without it feeling just a touch laggy. I'm fine with 30fps, but that latency makes doko a nogo for me. Maybe Razer Forge TV will be able to do 1080p60 at a decent latency.

 

[Xeroblade]

From what I used...
Plex has little to no customization. However, it can work on almost anything. Android/iOS/Fire/Roku have apps and any computer with a browser can watch videos. In the case of guests, you can share content with their account. So you can avoid having your nephew watch your Game of Thrones stuff.
XBMC/Kodi is customizable, but hard to share content with. You have to rely on DLNA access to get content from XBMC/Kodi. So downloading Kodi on Android does not mean you can get your PC's Kodi content right away. As a front end though, it is very customizable. You can add so many add-ons and also use it to access emulators or programs so you never have to even see your PC screen.
So a TL;DR version is Plex is a media manager that is very easy to share content from different places and XBMC/Kodi is meant more for only one machine.

Edit: I also think it is pretty futile to try to compare the two when you can install Kodi and put pleXBMC to get your Plex content on it. They are only similar in that they can host your videos/music.

I guess I don't understand pleXBMC when Kodi is the same thing? Unless you and a friend are sharing content and you want to access his media through kodi? Also Plex isnt free if you want to stream to certain machines which is bullshit if you ask me. I had to subscribe just to stream a tv show to my son's smart tv. It would be better for me to buy an android stick with the kodi app.

 

[The Cowboy]

Another suggestion for mouse/keyboard style on the sofa is a trackball/keyboard setup. Its not as good as strait up M/KB but it offers better control than a game pad in fast paced shooters and is frankly brilliant for sofa RTS/Stat games. When shopping around you can get the 2 of them quite cheap to boot, I got the KB and Trackball via Amazon for £35 total.

I went with a K360 KB and a M570 Trackball as they are both wireless and use the same unifying receiver, the great thing about it is the trackball can go basically anywhere (on your arm rest, beside your leg etc). It takes a bit of getting used to (for a while i was moving it like a mouse ), but once it clicks it offers more control and speed over a game pad in 1st person shooters and is just dandy for games like Planetary Annihilation and even DOTA2 .

M570 trackball.

 

[metalhead79]

I use a Logitech N315 laptop board with a little Microsoft USB mouse and an Arc keyboard. It works pretty well for me. I only use it for games that require kb/m (Shadowrun, WoW, etc..) - if there's controller support I use my X360 controller.

 

[Xeroblade]

50-80ms latency, too. That's enough to make a game feel off. For me personally, I need under 40ms to be able to play a shooter without it feeling just a touch laggy. I'm fine with 30fps, but that latency makes doko a nogo for me. Maybe Razer Forge TV will be able to do 1080p60 at a decent latency.

In regards to the Razor Forge TV, it sounds promising for $99 but you also have to use separate software, Razor:Cortex. Which is basically their version of Steam but in order to stream your pc games you have to pay 39.99. Cons and Pros for sure.

 

[TheSlySoul]

I guess I don't understand pleXBMC when Kodi is the same thing? Unless you and a friend are sharing content and you want to access his media through kodi? Also Plex isnt free if you want to stream to certain machines which is bullshit if you ask me. I had to subscribe just to stream a tv show to my son's smart tv. It would be better for me to buy an android stick with the kodi app.

Yeah, I agree the subscription service is really dumb. Luckily Plex supports DLNA access, so you can still get your content that way.
XBMC/Kodi does not support remote streaming out of the box and getting it to work is a bit of a hassle. Chromecast support would push XBMC to the top for me, but Plex is what I use to host for now.
Here is a nice breakdown of both programs: http://lifehacker.com/5991757/should-i-use-plex-or-xbmc-for-my-home-theater-pc

Edit: Also PleXBMC works with any XBMC/Kodi app so you get free Plex access. It is a win-win situation.

 

[metalhead79]

In regards to the Razor Forge TV, it sounds promising for $99 but you also have to use separate software, Razor:Cortex. Which is basically their version of Steam but in order to stream your pc games you have to pay 39.99. Cons and Pros for sure.

That I did not know, but still if it can do 1080p30/60 with image settings comparable to Steams 'beautiful' at 20-30ms latency, I'll get one. I really dislike having to stream at 720p60 just to get latency low enough for my games to feel smooth. If Steam had a 30fps limit option I would use that if it could me 1080p@30ms.

 

[Xeroblade]

Yeah, I agree the subscription service is really dumb. Luckily Plex supports DLNA access, so you can still get your content that way.
XBMC does not support remote streaming out of the box and getting it to work is a bit of a hassle.
Here is a nice breakdown of both programs: http://lifehacker.com/5991757/should-i-use-plex-or-xbmc-for-my-home-theater-pc

Edit: Also PleXBMC works with any XBMC/Kodi app so you get free Plex access. It is a win-win situation.

Yeah you are right. It would work differently for people in different situations. XBMC was the first thing i used so its super easy for me to setup but i also think that xbmc/kodi plays my media better. Plex app through the xbox or smart tv get really blocky but it is through wifi. My xbmc player is wired. Makes a big difference. I guess where XBMC/kodi wins me over is the sweet customization, I like my stuff pretty. Also do you know a way to queue up more than 1 tv episode of a season for continuous via Plex Smart TV app? thats another plex con for me no playlist maker, unless i am missing something.

That I did not know, but still if it can do 1080p30/60 with image settings comparable to Steams 'beautiful' at 20-30ms latency, I'll get one. I really dislike having to stream at 720p60 just to get latency low enough for my games to feel smooth. If Steam had a 30fps limit option I would use that if it could me 1080p@30ms.

I will agree with you. It sounds like it would stream better than having Steam stream to your htpc. So I am very interested in that if it sells for $99. It definitely beats the Shield.

 

[Matty8787]

Does anyone use this? I boot it from Steam as a Non-Steam game under a TV category to watch videos from the PC. It works amazingly well. As it works with an xbox controller as well it makes for a great media center, although I hope steam one day do their own thing.

Link

Yeah, I have used it for around a week now and absolutely love it! Found an installer on the net that installed all the most popular addons for me like Genesis etc.

What is this about Retroplayer? Where can I find more information?

 

[TheSlySoul]

I guess where XBMC/kodi wins me over is the sweet customization, I like my stuff pretty. Also do you know a way to queue up more than 1 tv episode of a season for continuous via Plex Smart TV app? thats another plex con for me no playlist maker, unless i am missing something.

Yeah, that is why I use Kodi with the PleXMB add-on. The add-on is free and pretty much acts like a browser so you get all content free. I think for playlists you have to edit them via browser. I never really tried it out myself since I do not marathon, but I will test it out when I get home.

Set-up is pretty easy since you just install the program, launch it via browser, and point it to your library. The hardest thing is naming since it reads better if you do TVShow - S01E01 format.

As such, you really have nothing to lose using them both. That is mostly what I have been saying. It is a bit silly to debate which one is better since both have different strengths.
Edit: I also agree the Plex Home Theater program is pretty weak overall. Kodi kills it in terms of looks. Plex itself is more browser-based and XBMC is app-based

 

[pettson3816]

Kodi is absolutely brilliant, wait until the next iteration (Retroplayer, insane possibilities)

I asked the devs yesterday whether the RetroPlay thing will be in the next iteration, but it probably wont be.

 

[Donos]

no but that thing is ridiculous looking and I think will be a nightmare in the living room.

Just wait for Roccat Sova and Razer Turret later this year (Q2 for Razer)
http://i.imgur.com/oMPxoxS.jpg[IMG]

or get a Phantom (and pray that the crappy dongle is working)[/QUOTE]

Ohhh that Roccat Sova looks way more fitting for my spacy fps needs. Enough space for 180 turns.

[QUOTE][img]http://i.imgur.com/AO6DptX.jpg

People saying that a lot PC games have way to small text on TVs is a bit worrying since i'm plan to play a lot of games with the ITX build. Does someone has comparison shots? My 42" TV is like 2 meters away from the couch. Not planing to play with more than 1080p.