Valve has introduced Pyrowave, an experimental video codec in the Steam client beta, designed for high-bandwidth, low-latency streaming over LAN. Developed by Hans-Kristian Arntzen, Pyrowave uses the Vulkan API, supports HDR and YUV 4:4:4, and consumes 5–10x the bandwidth of existing codecs, targeting Gigabit Ethernet connections.
Background
Valve has been investing heavily in Steam Remote Play and cross-platform gaming infrastructure, with previous innovations like Proton and Steam Frame. This codec targets local high-quality streaming rather than cloud-based solutions.
- Source
- Lobsters
- Published
- Sep 27, 2026 at 11:41 AM
- Score
- 6.0 / 10