Nvidia Reportedly Drops Shield TV Support for GameStream

Nvidia has said that Shield TV will lose its native GameStream support by mid-February next year, 9To5Google report(Opens in a new window).

GameStream is a feature that Nvidia offers to gamers who own a PC that uses an Nvidia GPU. The feature allows the PC to stream games to another device, such as the Shield TV, over a local network.

Shield TV, an Nvidia media streamer, has offered GameStream functionality as part of the preloaded NVIDIA Games Android TV app. Otherwise, the feature is not available on Android TV, reports 9to5 Google.

PCMag reached out to Nvidia for comment on why it was removing ShieldTV’s support for GameStream, but did not immediately hear back.

Nvidia released the Shield’s GameStream feature in 2013. Its release also included the Shield Gamepad Mapper, a programming interface that allows users to map the Shield’s physical gamepad controls to touchscreen controls in certain games.

For continuing GameStream users, Nvidia recommends using Stream Link, which supports streaming in up to 4K, as well as its GeForce Now cloud gaming service.

The email, published in its entirety by 9To5Google, read:

“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. SHIELD users can continue to use GameStream until then. Visit our frequently asked questions(Opens in a new window) for more information.

SHIELD users can stream games from their PC using the free Steam Link app(Opens in a new window). Visit the Steam Link site(Opens in a new window) Learn more.

We also invite you to stream PC games from the cloud using NVIDIA GeForce NOW(Opens in a new window).”

Earlier this month, Chinese GPU vendor Colorful reportedly leaked Nvidia’s upcoming RTX 4000 series graphics card by posting a product listing for the RTX 4070 Ti.

Colorful’s website briefly hosted the product listing, before removing it.