THE CRUNCH
Valve has added a new video codec called Pyrowave to the Steam beta client, aiming to make in-home game streaming feel more responsive. The codec uses a different technical approach than standard video codecs, which helps reduce input lag and preserve image quality, including text clarity. However, the method is data-hungry, using roughly five to ten times the bandwidth of typical streaming codecs. The feature is currently available on macOS, Windows, and Linux for standard games, with a mobile release expected soon.
Pyrowave was created by Hans-Kristian Arntzen, the developer behind the RetroArch emulator, to address the inherent latency of using video streaming tech for interactive games. Standard codecs often rely on tricks like chroma subsampling that can blur text and fine details, but Pyrowave avoids this by using intra-frame encoding and Discrete Wavelet Transforms. This results in very consistent quality and excellent error resilience, though it requires significant processing power on the GPU. The codec is strictly for local networks, so it does not impact your internet data cap.
The Tom's Hardware review notes that the quality is exceptional, especially with 4:4:4 chroma enabled, and the experience feels noticeably more responsive than standard Remote Play. However, the trade-off is bandwidth. In a test of Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis, Pyrowave streamed at about 210 megabits per second, which is over 26 megabytes per second. This makes it unsuitable for high-traffic networks or public Wi-Fi, but it is well within the capabilities of a modern Gigabit Ethernet or Wi-Fi 6E/7 setup.
To try Pyrowave, users must switch to the Steam beta client and enable it in Remote Play settings. It is currently limited to standard games on desktop platforms, with a mobile version coming later. Valve recommends at least a Gigabit Ethernet connection, though user reports indicate it works on Wi-Fi 6E and 7 as well.