Steam launches beta for Remote Play Together, taking couch co-op online

Valve has launched its Steam Remote Play Together feature into beta, a program that aims to make local multiplayer games playable through an online connection.

Developers curious about seeing the feature in action, or finding out how well it works with their own local co-op games, can take a look at Steam Remote Play Together by opting into the Steam client beta.

As mentioned before, any local multiplayer, co-op, or split-screen games are automatically supported by the beta which, by Valve's count, includes over 4,000 games.

Valve notes that only the hosting player needs to own the game to start a Remote Play Together session. Those invited will be able to play and interact with the game as if they have a controller plugged directly into the host’s machine.

Specifics on how to launch a session and exactly what is supported can be found on the Steam blog. No word yet on when Steam Remote Play Together will launch outside of beta, but Valve notes it plans to use feedback from the period to improve network stability and compatibility as the program goes along.