All good things…
Nvidia has decided to end their GameStream service. GameStream allowed users to stream games from their PC to a connected Nvidia Shield TV device, allowing you to enjoy your PC games on your TV without the hassle of figuring out a way to manage cables and the terrible resulting display of connecting a PC top your TV (things used to be way worse in the latter regard). For point of reference, the Steam Link was a competitor to this set up, though it no longer resembles its original form.
Starting in mid-February, a planned update to the NVIDIA Games app will begin rolling out to SHIELD owners. With this update, the GameStream feature will no longer be available in app. SHIELD users can continue to use GameStream until that time.
As a matter of fact, this very announcement also just happens to suggest users switch to Steam Link.
SHIELD owners can use Steam Link to stream games from their PC to SHIELD. Steam Link supports 4K streaming and allows streaming to many devices, including PCs, phones, and tablets. Gamers can also stream PC games from the cloud to their SHIELD TV using NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW service.
Their over-the-internet game streaming service, GeForce Now, is not affected by this.
The news, however, has users in a tiff. GameStream was, after all, a core draw to the Nvidia Shield. And said users are letting their displeasure be known, both on the Nvidia subreddit and elsewhere.
I just got the same email. WTF NVIDIA? That’s my primary mode of gaming with my Shield and 3080. Saying I’m disappointed is a massive understatement, as this is the primary reason for owning both a Shield and NVIDIA card.
RoamingBison on Reddit
Why would anyone actually buy a Shield TV if not for the function they are removing? This is pretty annoying, it’s the only reason I bought the bloody thing, I have a feeling they can’t remove the functionality, they just stop future support, as it’s one of things they use to advertise it.
Nielips on Reddit
… and so on. It’s important to note than you can’t simply dodge the update, either; the service itself is ending, meaning that after the given date, it simply won’t function anymore. And all of this is not to mention the like of other solutions like Moonlight, which requires GameStream to function. In shot, as of right now, nobody’s happy with this, and there’s no news on how, if at all, Nvidia will respond to the backlash.
Source: PC Gamer
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