Nvidia Shield's April update includes remote streaming

Nvidia Shield will receive a major update on April 2, updating its OS to Android 4.4.2 KitKat and introducing the ability to stream games from outside a user's home.

Ozzie Mejia

March 25, 2014 4:30 PM

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The Nvidia Shield is slated to receive a major update on April 2. In addition to upgrading its operating system to Android 4.4.2 KitKat, the update will also seek to expand the system's GameStream feature beyond the home and allow users to stream their PC games from anywhere using a Wi-Fi connection.

The out-of-home GameStream feature (which will go into beta with April's update) will allow users to remotely stream games from their PC onto their Shield using a remote Wi-Fi hotspot or, according to Polygon, their smartphone's 4G LTE connection by using the phone as a hotspot. Remote streaming will require a minimum Wi-Fi bandwidtch of 5Mbps.

The April 2 update will also introduce other new beta features, like the ability to stream games from laptops, Gamestream support for non-gaming software, and support for Bluetooth keyboards and mice.

In an effort to attract new buyers, the Shield will also receive a temporary price cut, bringing the cost down to $199 through the end of April.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?