While 4K is the current buzzword in the console gaming world, Steam has already moved beyond that, offering users the chance to stream games in the now glorious 8K.
This increase in graphics resolution is currently being rolled out with the service's remote play feature, but you'll need a pretty beefy PC to take advantage of it; Valve's release notes note that "results may vary depending on hardware," so you'll need an Nvidia RTX Unless you have a super powerful GPU like the 3090, you may want to keep it at 1440p for now.
Of course, you also need a display that can output at 8K. There are a variety of consumer-level 8K TVs on the market, but they start at about $1,999, not a cheap investment. Still, it wasn't that long ago that top-of-the-line 4K TVs were expensive, so expect the price of 8K sets to come down in the not-too-distant future.
If you have all the necessary equipment, you will want to remove the bandwidth limiter in Steam's settings to take advantage of 8K streaming. select "Advanced Client Options" in Steam's settings tab. The default limiter is set to 50 Mbps, which may not allow 8K streaming.
For the majority of gamers, 8K resolution is likely overkill. However, it is good to know that Valve is thinking ahead and future-proofing Steam for what will surely be the next big gaming evolution. In the meantime, check out our list of the best gaming TVs and upgrade for a little less.
Comments