Nvidia is shutting down its GameStream game service after 9 years and users are furious.
According to PC Gamer , Nvidia GameStream is a hardware bundled service that allows users to stream 4K games from PC to TV. Launched in 2013 and works with Nvidia Shield TV devices. This toolkit has good local game streaming and background stability which is preferred by many users over popular alternatives like Steam.
But Nvidia has announced that GameStream has reached the end of its life, and 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 the app.
Nvidia adds that future Shield owners can use Steam Link to stream games to their TVs, and the GeForce Now service also allows cloud streaming to the Shield TV.
This is very frustrating for Shield TV users, mainly because GameStream is one of the core functions of Shield’s hardware and one of its heavily used features.
One Shield user on the NVIDIA subreddit expressed displeasure: “What the hell is this Nvidia? That’s my primary game mode with the Shield and 3080. Really disappointing.”
Another reacted: “Why would anyone buy a Shield TV if there’s no longer the functionality that Nvidia is trying to get rid of? This was very annoying, it was the only reason why I bought that device, then I had a feeling the company couldn’t remove this functionality because Nvidia advertised it.”
Although the Nvidia side has managed to weather these storms of public opinion by suggesting available alternatives. But there’s no denying that GameStream is one of the Shield’s attractions that makes people choose to buy it.
GameStream will be removed and users who do not want to apply the update to maintain use, other functions will have difficulty and stop working until the system is updated to the new version.