Native Steam Cache refers to the built-in file storage system within Steam for saving game files and progress.
Native Steam Cache refers to the built-in file storage system within Steam for saving game files and progress.
I checked the search results and didn’t find it listed in the forum yet, but I saw it mentioned in the Steam Client update changelog. The new feature allows Steam Local Network Game Transfers, which I’ve been trying out between my laptop and desktop for about an hour now. It’s using up the network connection, which is impressive given my slow DSL connection (around 15-17Mbps). I thought it might be useful for others who haven’t seen this in the Steam Client changelog.
It depends on the setup, but generally it downloads from your first PC rather than directly from Steam servers. The process usually handles compression automatically. Let me know if you'd like more details!
It's straightforward once you enable it in the settings on both machines, and it handles game updates too. You just need to download it from the server once, then it spreads across Steam Clients on the same network. I transferred nearly 2TB of games today between my computers without installing them on each one, since I didn't want to deal with slow internet downloads. The steps and limits are detailed in the link posted by I and Eigenvektor.