HTPC vs Shield Android TV

[Bladestorm]

What would be the easiest, least hassle way of playing PC games on my TV. I was considering building an HTPC, but now I like the idea of streaming my games using the upcoming Shield Android TV. Any ideas/thoughts on this?

 

[Vengance_01]

IMO HTPC would be better. You would have nvidia's streaming plus steam. Build a low powered ITX I3, 8GB ram, and a cheap low powered Nvidia GPU(like a 720 type GPU) based on what I see in your signature.

 

[Bladestorm]

I'm confused. If I went the HTPC route, why would I build an extremely low-end system? Wouldn't I be better off getting the Shield Android TV at that point? I guess I'm not sure what your vision is.

 

[Dangman]

I'm confused. If I went the HTPC route, why would I build an extremely low-end system? Wouldn't I be better off getting the Shield Android TV at that point? I guess I'm not sure what your vision is.

A HTPC gives you greater flexibility, which is the point that Vengance_01 was saying when he added "plus steam".

If there's a situation where you want to play PC games on your TV but don't want to use your PC, the independence of the HTPC route will allow you to do just that.

 

[major_foad]

Picked up a Shield (16GB version) and the remote this past week.

It's worth it to us because we no longer need an HDMI cable run over to the couch to plug in my wife's laptop -- she's got a 970M chip so we can stream any application over with no noticeable latency via WiFi (5Ghz AC).

If you've already got a gaming PC that meets the minimum requirements, it's a really effective way to extend that capability to your TV for only $200 and without worrying about fan noise.

Ahem... about those minimums -- I didn't check and I can't stream from my PC as I'm still running a GTX 470 -- no slouch, but the streaming features were not added until the GTX 600 series. Luckily we can still stream from my wife's laptop, which is in all ways faster than my gaming desktop (a fact she is extremely proud of). You can also stream any application by adding it as an "other game" in the Geforce Experience application.

Aside from that, it works well for casting (aka chromecast) and the ability to navigate netflix, plex, etc directly is a nice plus.

NVIDIA's GRID service is neat, but we're in the LA area and it wants to connect to a datacenter on the east coast -- ping is 75ms at best and games are too laggy and skip.

We've had some crashing & network issues with the device... still giving it a couple weeks and hopefully some updates from NVIDIA to see if those get resolved.

Overall we're happy with it, and it's definitely smaller, cheaper, and quieter than having a gaming HTPC in the living room.

 

[major_foad]

Also, to address steam streaming...

It's definitely something I would be happy if it supported (especially since my 470 won't stream via nvidia but will via steam) -- but I think it's very worth noting that I've used both and NVIDIA's tech works significantly better than Steam's.

The latency is noticeably lower -- when I'm using steam streaming I can notice input lag and it makes it hard to play any games that need a tight loop between input and visuals (shooters, etc). Input can also be a bit off with steam, I've had issues with some games just not registering certain mouse input correctly - specifically Kerbal Space Program. I haven't had these issues with NVIDIA.

I'm holding out hope that NVIDIA & Steam can be friends and that Stream streaming will be supported to Android TV later this year once Steam Box is publicly released.

 

[xp3nd4bl3]

Also, to address steam streaming...

It's definitely something I would be happy if it supported (especially since my 470 won't stream via nvidia but will via steam) -- but I think it's very worth noting that I've used both and NVIDIA's tech works significantly better than Steam's.

The latency is noticeably lower -- when I'm using steam streaming I can notice input lag and it makes it hard to play any games that need a tight loop between input and visuals (shooters, etc). Input can also be a bit off with steam, I've had issues with some games just not registering certain mouse input correctly - specifically Kerbal Space Program. I haven't had these issues with NVIDIA.

I'm holding out hope that NVIDIA & Steam can be friends and that Stream streaming will be supported to Android TV later this year once Steam Box is publicly released.

Yes, I've been playing around with my SHIELD and the Gamestream is vastly superior to Steam In-Home Streaming.

 

[Jagger100]

Steam Link + Roku is cheaper and more scalable wrt games. You can focus on advancing your main rig which doesn't have to look living room friendly like a HTPC and play in the Living room with the Link when the mood strikes. Also it prevents all the eggs in one basket effect. You will want to upgrade the gaming side likely sooner than the streaming side and therefore its not a full system replace.