Valve switches on Steam remote downloading
Steam now supports remote downloading, allowing you to queue up games to install from any web browser or mobile device.
Previously available in beta form, the service is now considered stable enough for public use. Those who choose to try it out will find themselves able to use the Steam mobile app or the Steam website to carry out tasks previously limited to the desktop client, including queueing up downloads and pre-loads.
If the target PC is switched on and has the client loaded, the chosen games will immediately begin downloading; if not, the games will be queued up for download when the system is next turned on and the Steam client loaded.
For those who leave their PCs on at all times - and we're looking in particular at the wonderful bit-tech/CPC folding team here - the new feature is manna from heaven: as soon as a game is launched, the download can begin even if you're at work or school. By the time you get home - the parlous state of the UK's broadband infrastructure notwithstanding - the game will be installed and ready for you to play.
To get started with the new feature, just log in to the Steam Community site - accessible from your profile when logged in to the Steam website in a web browser or using the Android or iOS mobile clients - and head to the Games list. If you've updated your client, you'll see a full list of your currently installed games along with buttons for installing others in your Steam library. New games purchased on the Steam store will also see a new prompt asking if you'd like to begin automatic download immediately.
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Discuss in the forums ReplyThey might, but if the option was there to control it via this system, I'd rather use that.
Whilst I could RDP etc its waayy too much effort for steam downloads and this will hopefully be easier to work on a smart phones tiny screen.
I'm tech savvy but I've got way better things to do with my precious free time than set up something like that just to download games. This remote feature is far more straightforward to set up and use, avoids the manifold security holes that an inexperienced user might inadvertantly open in trying to set up more general remote access of the type you describe, and can only be a good thing, but you seem to be bashing it just because there exists a highly technical and not particularly user friendly workaround to achieve a similar result.
Would be particularly handy as I often see a deal on here and buy it through my phone, would be nice if my PC fired up downloaded it and powered off when done so when I get home I can just fire it up, due to work /family I get limited gaming time, waiting for download is a pain.
would i use the feature? unlikely, don;t have a compatible phone and if i'm on a pc it's usually my pc so i'll just buy it through steam but it's a nice option to have.
In fact, doesn't the Xbox default to turning itself off after so many hours idle? I know it's an option, but can't remember if it's enabled or disabled by default...
i don't think it's on by deafult, there's also an option for it to not turn off until any downloads have finished
I was actually referring to having the download for your new purchase[s] start as soon as you signed in to steam, or straight away if your pc is already on/signed in to steam.
Also, if you rebuild your PC approx every 6 months like I do, having a DVD to hand (BF3, Batman, etc) means you dont have to download them all again - at most just updates and patches.
It is possible to backup pretty easily through Steam.
Good functionality IMO, but not really a big feature. The appeal is obvious, however!
How can it cause security issues when your are accessing though an encrypted tunnel? It takes only a few minutes to setup and it has other uses besides just downloading your games remotely. I'm not bashing it, merely pointing out you can do a lot more with VPN/WoL/RDP, after all.... it's not too different to actually being sat infront of your PC.
I can understand the quicker initial install (for bigger games anyway) as I have a slow net connection. As for having to reinstall games every 6 months?! Steam is better for this in a major way. Just install Steam to a different drive (not your system drive, usually C:), then when you nuke your Windows install, just run the relatively tiny Steam installer, point it to your Steam folder, and you're done. Everything completely sorted - MUCH easier than reinstalling all your games again from DVD. I say this as someone who did that back in the day (probably about 10 years ago now).
Brilliant idea. Never thought of that!
I managed to 1/2 set it up a month ago. I found an app which sends a magic packet waking the pc from sleep. Then you could log in with your RDP app of your choice and download your steam games from there. You could also put the pc back into sleep with it. THe problem was i never got it working outwith my local network. Damn router permissions!
This +1. A lot of people don't understand port forwarding enough to make it work and a lot of routers don't make it easy or do it reliable enough to keep it working.
I think this is a brilliant move from Valve. I've got the mobile steam app on my tablet so being able to buy a game via the mobile app, queue up the download then text the wife telling her to turn my pc on is great! Oh hang on! Everytime I text her to turn the pc on she'll know I've bought another game!!!!
MADE OF FAIL!!!!!!
Gamer-Girls, the only way to go (yes thats plural, because no one woman has it all!)
Met and married my better half when I was more into DJ'ing than gaming. Now that I'm old with 2 young kids I can't really be bothered with the club scene.
Oh that's really sweet, so very quaint. Like MW radio, only having three TV channels, thatched country cottages, farthings, bus conductors, ration books, music-hall and believing that George Lucas knew the f**k what he was doing.
Time keeps a movin' on. Do try and keep up.
;)
As for security, I agree that accessing remotely over an encrypted tunnel is theoretically secure, but you're assuming the user doesn't inadvertently expose other services in opening up the port for a remote connection. You're also giving the average user too much credit to assume (s)he uses a sufficiently robust password to secure the link, and you're also assuming that nobody is keylogging the client machine and that the user remembers to log out and doesn't give anyone else access by mistake. It is a fundamental security measure not to expose any more resources to the outside world than is strictly necessary, and for the vast majority of users, a full remote access setup is going to be massive overkill. Far better to use something like Steam's setup, which offers very much more limited access to anyone who gains unauthorised access.
Point 1 - You don't need to open ports for a VPN connection.
Point 2 - My initial post which you kindly fixed for me made reference to "a tech savvy person".... I didn't say anything about the "average user"
Point 3 - No one has ever had their steam login details phished by using a web based service masquerading as a legit Steam site..... /sarcasm
There are plenty of ifs and buts you could apply using your own logic, but it doesn't mean its any safer.
To address your points in order:
1: Kindly explain how you run a VPN server (or any internet addressable server, for that matter) with no open ports.
2: You did indeed. There are many degrees of "tech savviness", and the level of expertise needed to implement a VPN/WoL/RDP setup as you suggest goes way beyond the abilities of many people who would consider themselves tech savvy. The point I was making is that, based on the old adage that there is nothing more dangerous than a little bit of knowledge, a user with a bit of knowledge and a lot of misplaced confidence might muddle along and set up a Heath Robinson remote access system that works but is full of holes. And to be honest I'm not really sure what your original point was, since you seem to be slamming Valve for implementing a feature that you consider is already provided for by generic remote access tools, but you admit they are only really appropriate for highly tech savvy users.
3: I'm not saying that Steam's system is inherently more secure, only that if the connection were compromised, it wouldn't give complete potentially administrator level access to the host system.
My methods are not exotic and neither is the hardware, I use a Draytek router that has VPN (32 dial in accounts + LAN2LAN) making use of a free dynamic dns service (although my WAN IP rarely changes). I can wake up any machine on my LAN via magic packet. Give it a few minutes to boot up and I can RDP to it via LAN IP. The remote machine has remote access enabled so no need to mess around with firewall rules or forward ports. If you wanted to wear a tinfoil hat then you could always login to the remote machine using a basic user account.
Depending on where you use Steam's service, whether you're on your dear Aunts malware riddle old PC or at some internet cafe where man in the middle attacks could occur (still got the tinfoil hat on) there is still some risk. Of course there are security implications, but they weren't the reason why I made my original comments.
Peace out ;)