Steam getting new feature to make local multiplayer playable online
Split-steam.
Steam has a wealth of excellent local multiplayer games, and soon you'll be able to play them online with your friends thanks to a brand new feature: Remote Play Together.
In an email sent to developers this week, it was revealed that Remote Play Together will make its way to Steam Beta around 21st October and automatically enrol any games involving local multiplayer, co-op, and split-screen mechanics.
According to Adam Spragg, developer of stealth-based party game Hidden in Plain Sight, only the host will need to own the game, and they'll be able to invite others over the internet to join in.
"This feature is designed to add value to multiplayer game which do not already have native online capabilities..." he tweeted. "When the friend accepts an invitation to play, it's as though they're playing side by side at the same machine."
Another developer posted more details from the email on the Unity forum, confirming the news and providing a bit more info on how Remote Play Together will work.
Essentially, the host and owner of the local-multiplayer game in question can launch their game, then invite up to four friends via the Steam Overlay - much like you would with other online multiplayer games. When a friend accepts the invitation, it will be just like they're playing on the same machine as the host, and any controllers connected to the other players' computers will act as though they're plugged directly into the host's computer.
Though there isn't a list of exactly what games will be available as part of Remote Play Together, the email states "all games tagged with local co-op, local multiplayer, or split-screen will be included", so hopefully some of these gems will soon be available to play online.
