5 ways GameStream enhances PC gameplay in the living room

Gaming while seated in front of a majestic monitor powered by a high-end GPU like NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 10-Series is one of the best experiences a gamer can have. But what if you want to enjoy the same PC games while seated on your couch? Normally, you’d have to lug your desktop over to your living room TV, hook up a bunch of long wires, and fiddle with display settings.

But you can get the same experience with none of the hassle thanks to NVIDIA GameStream. With SHIELD TV and GameStream you can cast your games running on a nearby GTX-powered PC to your living room TV over your existing Wi-Fi network. Here, we list five compelling reasons why every gamer should take advantage of this incredible feature.

It’s super easy to setup

We’ll start with the best reason of all: casting games from your PC to your TV is dead simple. All you need is a GeForce GTX PC, a SHIELD TV, and a free GeForce Experience account. GeForce Experience is NVIDIA’s all-in-one software suite that automatically keeps your drivers up to date, optimizes your game settings for maximum performance, and allows access to features like GameStream as well as Ansel, the latter of which lets you take amazing in-game screenshots.

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All you have to do to take advantage of GameStream is connect your SHIELD TV to your GeForce GTX PC and start casting. Most modern (since 2011) GTX cards can gamestream but if you own one of the latest 10 series cards you can also enable 4K for an even better visual experience.

It’s all about the 4K

4K TV’s are becoming all the rage, and chances are good that you already own one or will in the near future. So why not take full advantage of all those glorious pixels by casting your PC games through GameStream to the 4K centerpiece of your entertainment center? The NVIDIA SHIELD is also the only device capable of casting in 4K HDR. So if you’re luck enough to own the latest 1080 or 1080 Ti cards you can play games like Mass Effect: Andromeda in all its glory on your 4K HDR TV.

It’s all about your comfort too

Let’s face it, no matter how great your PC battlestation is, it’s probably not as comfortable as your living room setup. While there are a lot of great gaming chairs, keyboards, and other accessories that make marathon PC sessions much easier on the body, they simply can’t compete with the big comfy couch in your living room. Of course, with GameStream, you can choose whichever situation best suits your mood. Need to focus and get in the zone? Game in front of your trusty keyboard and mouse. Want to sit back and take it easy? Cast your game through GameStream and lounge on the couch.

Gaming can be a great social experience thanks to the connectivity that almost all modern games allow. But sometimes, you just want to invite some friends over and let them share in the fun IRL. Without GameStream, that would mean huddling around your gaming monitor. With GameStream, that means sitting together on your couch and experiencing the action together on your big screen with must-play multiplayer titles like Rocket League, Gauntlet, and Mortal Kombat X to name a few. Let’s just put it this way: you wouldn’t invite your friends over to watch a huge sporting event on your gaming monitor, so why would you ask them to join your epic gaming session that way?

It’s sometimes better with a controller

The keyboard and mouse is a proven way to play games. First-person shooters, real-time strategy games, puzzlers—you name it, the keyboard and mouse can handle it. But playing games with a controller also has its benefits, and thanks to the SHIELD TV and GameStream, you can pick and choose the input method that works best for you. Let’s say you’re enjoying a fighting game or a sports title: cast the action to your TV with GameStream and use the SHIELD Controller to execute every move and shot to perfection.

When the mood for a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) hits, you can pair up a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to your SHIELD TV and still game on your TV through GameStream. We should also mention that many games are being co-developed for both the PC and console markets in mind, so the control scheme is often optimized for both. One recent example is BioWare’s Mass Effect: Andromeda, which plays great on a gamepad.

Those are just five reasons why playing your PC games on the couch through GameStream is a feature every gamer needs to experience for themselves. The SHIELD TV is a powerful streaming device that lets you stream hit movies, top rated shows, and cast quality games, go here to learn how you can add one to your entertainment center.