Software Alternatives & Startups

DevTest VS Steam Link

Compare DevTest VS Steam Link and see what are their differences

DevTest

Test management solution for efficient quality assurance

Rating
0 reviews
Steam Link

Play your Steam games on any TV in the house

Rating
0 reviews
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Steam Link might be a bit more popular than DevTest. We know about 1 link to it since March 2021 and only 1 link to DevTest.

social mentions
1 vs 1
Development popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
62 vs 58

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

DevTest
Steam Link
Website azure.microsoft.com store.steampowered.com
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

DevTest 5 features
Steam Link 5 features
  • Cost Management
    Azure DevTest Labs helps you control costs by allowing you to set policies such as auto-shutdown and budget limits. This ensures that resources are not unnecessarily consumed, reducing wastage and managing expenditure efficiently.
  • Quick Provisioning
    The service offers rapid creation of testing environments, enabling developers to quickly set up and tear down environments as needed. This speeds up the development cycle and reduces the time to market.
  • Preconfigured Templates
    Azure DevTest Labs provides a variety of preconfigured templates that help in setting up environments more easily and consistently. This standardization reduces errors and simplifies the management of testing conditions.
  • Integration with CI/CD
    The service supports integration with continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines. This allows for better automation and efficiency, reducing manual intervention and improving reliability.
  • Resource Management
    It offers detailed resource management features, allowing you to allocate CPU, memory, and storage based on the needs of the specific environment. This granular control helps in optimizing the use of resources.

Possible disadvantages

  • Complexity
    Managing and configuring DevTest Labs can be complex, requiring a good understanding of Azure services and architecture. This can be a challenge for smaller teams with limited expertise.
  • Limited Support for Non-Azure Environments
    The service is primarily designed for Azure-based resources, which makes it less effective for multi-cloud or hybrid cloud strategies. This limitation could be a constraint for organizations looking for a more versatile solution.
  • Cost Overruns
    While cost management features are available, improper configuration or lack of monitoring can still lead to cost overruns. This requires active management to ensure budgets are adhered to.
  • Dependency on Azure Ecosystem
    The service is deeply integrated with the Azure ecosystem, making it less flexible for those who are using other cloud providers or on-premises solutions. This dependency can limit the ability to diversify cloud strategy.
  • Learning Curve
    There can be a steep learning curve for new users who are not familiar with the Azure platform. This could potentially slow down the adoption and effective utilization of the service.
  • Convenience
    Steam Link allows you to stream games from your PC to other devices, enabling gaming anywhere in your house as long as you have a good network connection.
  • Compatibility
    Works with many different devices, including TVs, tablets, and smartphones, expanding your options for where and how you play.
  • Cost-Effective
    Since it's a free app, you can gain an additional way to play your games without needing to purchase more hardware.
  • Quality Gaming Experience
    Supports high-quality streaming, including high frame rates and low latency, provided you have an adequate network setup.
  • Ease of Use
    The setup is straightforward, mostly involving the app and some basic networking setup, making it accessible to most users.

Possible disadvantages

  • Network Dependency
    The quality of the experience depends heavily on your home network’s speed and stability, potentially requiring upgrades to achieve optimal performance.
  • Limited to Home Network
    Works best over your local home network, meaning you're not truly mobile and are limited to your home unless you configure remote play over the internet.
  • Hardware Requirements
    You still need a host PC that can run the games, so while the app itself is free, it's not a substitute for owning capable gaming hardware.
  • Input Lag
    Although minimized, some users might still experience noticeable input lag depending on their network configuration and hardware.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Some games or setups may have compatibility issues with Steam Link's streaming capabilities, requiring adjustments or troubleshooting.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

DevTest
Steam Link

Overall verdict

  • Yes, DevTest Labs is generally considered a good tool for development and testing environments on Azure.

Why this product is good

  • DevTest Labs provides a scalable and cost-effective solution for organizations to quickly set up testing environments on Microsoft Azure. It offers features such as automated VM provisioning, reusable templates, cost tracking, and integration with CI/CD pipelines, which enhances productivity and resource management. Additionally, it simplifies the management of development environments, reduces waste, and controls costs effectively.

Recommended for

    DevTest Labs is recommended for development teams and organizations that need to manage multiple testing or development environments. It's ideal for teams that want to automate their environment provisioning, manage costs, and streamline their DevOps workflows in the cloud. Organizations using Azure as their primary cloud infrastructure will particularly benefit from its seamless integration with other Azure services.

No analysis of Steam Link yet.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

DevTest 1 video + Add
Steam Link 3 videos + Add

AZ-900 Episode 18 | Azure DevOps Solutions | Azure DevOps, DevTest Labs

Steam Link Review - A surprisingly interesting device?

More videos

  • - Should You Buy The Steam Link?
  • - Steam Link Review

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
DevTest
Steam Link
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using DevTest and Steam Link. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

DevTest no reviews yet
Steam Link no reviews yet

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

DevTest 1 mention
Steam Link 1 mention
  • Replacing Laptop with Azrue VM
    Another way to reduce cost is VM Reservations https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/reservations/save-compute-costs-reservations (1 and 3 years with discounts as high as 70%) or Savings plan... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Why I Don't Need a Steam Machine
    There's a Steam app on my Samsung smart TV that I think can do this, with a USB-controller connected to a USB-port on the TV. Haven't tried it though. But I think the best way to do it is to have a cheap PC (or maybe an Android TV device... - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago

Alternatives to DevTest and Steam Link

When comparing DevTest and Steam Link, you can also consider the following products.