A couple of weeks ago we reported that Fortnite was coming to Android TV via GeForce NOW and the Nvidia Shield but was apparently only for US and European consoles. Now that the Nvidia Shield is available here we can confirm that it is possible to play a vast number of PC, Steam and UPlay games on the Nvidia Shield.
Using an Nvidia Shield TV with default settings it seems that we do have access to the new GeForce NOW. There is no need to use a VPN or proxy server to get around the geoblock, because there doesn’t appear to be one. Over the weekend my son and I were able to play Fortnite and Overwatch and could see many more available simply by streaming from the Nvidia servers (we do not have a Steam or Uplay account to stream games from these).
What was the quality like when streaming the game?
Although I have a 4K TV and the Shield TV supports 4K the stream/game’s resolution was decreased automatically by Nvidia to 720P to optimise for the best experience. Compared to the PS4 it was obviously not as crisp but 720P to 1080P is sometimes difficult to notice — especially with my old eyes).
The latency seems to be decent enough although there did seem to be a very minimal amount of lag between using the controller and the game responding. I couldn’t notice it but my game tester (Adam) told me it was there — not enough to stop him playing though of course.
There was also a bit of skipping when playing the video introduction for the games but once the game started we did not notice that — I am on a 100Mbps NBN connection which averages around 85-90Mbps even at the busiest time of the day). Next time we game on it I could easily get my Google WiFi to prioritise the Shield to decrease latency (check out my upcoming review to see if that helped).
Of course when discussing the frame rate, latency and resolution there should be a disclaimer that GeForce NOW is currently in Beta format and is not the finished product. You would expect it to improve the further along in its development it gets.
At this stage I can see how Nvidia have been successful with the Shield TV overseas and why gamers love it so much. The sheer number of games available, especially with GeForce NOW, should satisfy nearly all gamers. You can check out the full list of GeForce NOW here.
In the end my son loves the fact that he can play Fortnite on the Shield TV (I do not own a PS4), using his usual account. Hopefully Nvidia keep enhancing the experience of GeForce NOW as it is a great idea to bring more users to their device.
The Nvidia Shield can be purchased now from retailers including PC Case Gear, Umart, Mwave, Centrecom, Scorptec, PLE Computers, JW Computers, Austin Computers and Computer Alliance for $329.95 with a game controller and remote control included.
177ms ping to us west server? You call that minimal latency? Most games are unplayable. We have no close GeForce now servers. If anyone is thinking about buying a shield tv 5o do this forget it. You can’t play pubg or fortnite with out major delay.
Bit dramatic mate..
Good job dad.
Which US region is your Nvidia Shield set? I can’t see that as a listed game at all.