Here's why we don't see more PC and console games ported to Shield TV

One of the more notable features about the NVIDIA Shield TV box is the ability to play a host of exclusive games that were ported from PC or console. These titles include Resident Evil 5, Metal Gear Solid 2 HD, Tomb Raider, and Half Life 2. Unfortunately, it’s been ages since we last saw new ports coming to NVIDIA’s Android TV range.

Now, NVIDIA has revealed why this is the case, telling Android Authority that it’s prioritizing “streaming where we can bring Shield users full-feature, high-resolution PC games over porting, right now.”

The graphics giant indeed offers its Geforce Now service, which lets users stream over 1,000 PC games from the cloud to their Shield devices (and other platforms). Still, NVIDIA says it isn’t abandoning previously released ports anytime soon.

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“Shield continues to support games launched on the Google Play Store, for additional gaming options,” NVIDIA noted in an emailed response. “And Shield TV Pro supports NVIDIA Share features, allowing gamers to stream their gameplay directly to twitch.tv.”

This reason isn’t really a surprise, as native ports to Android-based Shield devices generally require more time, resources, and effort than simply adding the same game to Geforce Now. Furthermore, this downturn in ports coincided with the rise of its streaming efforts. But the one downside to this approach is that Shield TV users who live in a region with poor internet connectivity or no Geforce Now presence can’t simply switch to NVIDIA’s game streaming option.

Do you prefer Geforce Now or more native ports of PC or console games to Shield devices? Let us know via the poll below.