Play PC Games on TV: A Simple Guide
Bringing PC Gaming to Your TV: A Simple Guide
The desire to experience PC gaming on a larger screen is common. You don't have to anticipate the arrival of systems like Valve’s Steam Machines to achieve this.
Connecting your existing Windows gaming PC to your television allows you to leverage your PC’s graphical capabilities in the comfort of your living room.
Effortless Setup: No Special Requirements
The process is surprisingly straightforward. Utilizing your TV for PC gaming doesn't necessitate the acquisition of unique hardware or specialized software.
A standard HDMI cable is typically all that’s required to establish a connection between your PC and your television.
Benefits of TV-Based PC Gaming
This setup is particularly advantageous for gamers already invested in the PC platform. It provides an opportunity to enjoy familiar titles on a significantly larger display.
Furthermore, it enhances the experience of multiplayer PC games. Playing with controllers in a living room environment offers a more relaxed and social gaming session.
Ideal Scenarios
- Enjoying your existing PC game library on a bigger screen.
- Facilitating comfortable multiplayer gaming with friends and family.
- Utilizing your powerful PC graphics without needing dedicated console hardware.
In essence, transforming your TV into a PC gaming display is a simple and effective way to expand your gaming horizons.
HDMI Cables and Controllers
Related: Is Spending More on Cables Truly Necessary?
Connecting your computer to your television necessitates an HDMI cable. This setup requires a TV equipped with an HDMI input, a computer featuring an HDMI output, and the HDMI cable itself. The inclusion of HDMI ports on both modern televisions and computers is now commonplace, meaning you likely already possess the necessary components. Should a spare cable not be readily available, a purchase or repurposing of an existing one may be required.
However, avoid investing in costly HDMI cables; even an inexpensive option will deliver performance equivalent to its pricier counterparts.
Connect one end of the HDMI cable to the HDMI output port on your computer. Subsequently, connect the other end to an HDMI input port on your television. Selecting the corresponding HDMI input on your TV will display your computer’s desktop on the screen. Essentially, your TV functions as an additional external display.
This direct connection method is unsuitable if your TV and computer are situated in separate rooms. If you have a laptop with sufficient processing power, connecting it directly to the TV is a viable solution. Alternatively, consider temporarily relocating your desktop computer closer to the television for connection.
An input device will also be needed. Using a traditional wired keyboard and mouse directly in front of the television is often impractical. A wireless keyboard and mouse combination offers convenience and can be well-suited for certain games. However, a game controller, similar to those used with gaming consoles, is generally preferred.
For an enhanced experience, consider acquiring multiple game controllers to facilitate local multiplayer gaming with friends and family.
Related: The Advantages of Using an Xbox Controller for PC Gaming
The Xbox 360 controller represents an optimal choice for PC gaming. Windows provides native support for these controllers, and numerous PC games are specifically designed with them in mind. It’s important to note that Xbox One controllers currently lack native Windows support due to the absence of official drivers.
While utilizing third-party controllers or employing unofficial tools to pair a PlayStation controller with your PC is possible, obtaining an Xbox 360 controller is the more straightforward approach. Simply connect one or more Xbox controllers to your computer’s USB ports, and they will function without requiring any additional configuration.
Although many PC games offer controller support, remember that some titles still necessitate the use of a keyboard and mouse for optimal gameplay.
Optimizing Your Experience for TV Play
Related: Understanding the Steam Machine and Its Benefits
For a more streamlined experience when playing on a television, leverage Steam’s Big Picture interface. This mode is specifically tailored for use with controllers and large screens, offering simplified browsing and game launching. It also incorporates a fully functional web browser controllable with your gamepad.
The Big Picture interface will serve as the standard TV experience on Valve’s Steam Machine consoles. While optimized for controllers, mouse and keyboard input remains fully supported.
Using your standard Windows desktop with a mouse and keyboard is possible, but may prove less practical for TV-based gaming.
Accessing Big Picture Mode is simple. Open the Steam client and select the Big Picture button located in the top-right corner of the window.
Alternatively, if Steam is already running, pressing the illuminated Xbox button on an Xbox 360 controller will instantly activate the Big Picture interface.
An Alternative: Local Network Streaming
For those wishing to utilize a gaming PC in one room while enjoying gameplay on a television in another, in-home streaming presents a viable option. This method transmits games across your home network from the PC to the TV. It's important to acknowledge that responsiveness and smoothness may be reduced compared to direct PC connection.
A modern router capable of high-speed wireless transmission is crucial for a satisfactory streaming experience. Lag can significantly impact gameplay.
Steam's In-Home Streaming
Steam’s integrated In-Home Streaming functionality is universally accessible. Consider connecting a less powerful laptop to your TV and leveraging it to stream games from a more robust desktop gaming system. Alternatively, an older, unused desktop PC can serve the same purpose.
Initiating a stream requires logging into Steam on both your gaming PC and a secondary computer connected to the same network, using the identical account. Your game library will then be visible on the second PC, enabling you to begin streaming.
NVIDIA GameStream
NVIDIA provides its own GameStream technology, facilitating game streaming from PCs equipped with high-performance NVIDIA graphics cards. However, this solution currently necessitates an NVIDIA Shield handheld gaming console.
At present, NVIDIA’s streaming is limited to the NVIDIA Shield device. Connecting the NVIDIA Shield to your TV allows for gameplay on a larger screen.
Steam Machines and DIY Solutions
Valve’s Steam Machines were designed to integrate PC gaming into the living room environment. They utilize HDMI connections, a specialized Steam controller, the Big Picture interface, and in-home streaming to ensure compatibility with Windows games.
This setup can be replicated today without a Steam Machine; an Xbox 360 controller can be used in place of the still-unreleased Steam controller. This provides a similar experience.
Image Credit: Marco Arment on Flickr, William Hook on Flickr, Lewis Dowling on Flickr