NVIDIA Announces Gamestream Streaming Protocol Alongside G-Sync Anti-Lag Module

NVIDIA had a big day today, unveiling not one but two new enhancements that PC gaming enthusiasts everywhere should get really excited about. The first, and arguably most exciting and unique of the announcements, is what NVIDIA is calling Gamestream. As you might have already predicted by the name, Gamestream is an initiative that promises to allow you to stream all of your favorite PC games to “the grid”, where it will then be pushed via the cloud to handheld devices.

Currently, the only handheld device that NVIDIA’s officially announced support for is PC syncing to their NVIDIA Shield handheld, based on Android, which currently goes for $299. However I wouldn’t necessarily rule out the possibility of the service reaching other devices – if it works as well as NVIDIA intends for it to work, there will likely be a huge market for this sort of service.

To complement Gamestream, NVIDIA is also updating the GeForce Experience software that’s built into the NVIDIA Shield that allows it to stream the NVIDIA Shield to your television set. The update will allow Android to stretch to up to a 4K resolution (also known as Ultra HD, 4096 x 2160) set, and allows players to take advantage of Gamestream in the living room. So yes, those of you keeping track, you’ve got that right – with this new initiative, gamers will be able to stream their gaming PC to their Shield, and then use that over to their television set at an insanely high resolution. All with little enough latency to make this playable. Not too shabby.

NVIDIA’s second big announcement caters to those who aren’t interested in taking their PC gaming on the go. This one is called G-Sync, a small module manufactured by NVIDIA that will soon be built into PC gaming monitors across the industry. The purpose here is to eliminate lag and screen tearing – two common issues with many PC gaming setups today. Manufacturers will have to build G-Sync support into the monitor from the get go, though NVIDIA promises that ASUS, BenQ, Philips and ViewSonic are all already onboard and scheduled to release their first crop of G-Sync enabled monitors in Q1 2014.

After having a slightly trying time over the last couple of months, today’s announcements show that NVIDIA looks like it’s fighting their hardest to get back into the swing of things. After being repeatedly beaten by competitor AMD in benchmarks and industry support, NVIDIA seems to hope that by bringing the PC gaming niche into the mainstream, they’ll also find a niche in your heart. Or something to that effect.