Streaming Device Showdown: A Comprehensive Comparison

In today's digital age, streaming devices have become an essential part of our entertainment experience. With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to decide which one is right for you. In this article, we'll delve into a detailed comparison of four popular streaming devices: the Nvidia Shield, Apple TV, Roku 4, and Amazon Fire TV gaming edition.

The Nvidia Shield: A Gaming Powerhouse

Kicking things off is the Nvidia Shield, a device that truly stands out from the crowd. Powered by an Nvidia Tegra X1 processor, it's no joke when it comes to performance. The included game controller is a major selling point, offering a comfortable and rechargeable gaming experience. Even with its larger size, the Shield is well-designed, featuring a 4K HDMI 2.0 port, gigabit Ethernet, two USB 3 ports, MicroUSB, and MicroSD card slots. With sixteen gigabytes of storage out of the box, it's essential to consider expanding your storage options.

The Apple TV: A Streamlined Experience

Moving on, we have the new Apple TV, which boasts a sleek design that's sure to blend into any setup. While it may look similar to its predecessors, there are some notable differences. The main difference is that it's taller than the last generation, but still small enough to fit comfortably in your space. The included remote features a glass touchpad and dedicated buttons like volume and Siri. Although the Apple TV itself is relatively basic when it comes to ports, it includes an Ethernet jack, HDMI, USB-C, and a power cable. Unfortunately, there's no expandable storage, but 32 gigabytes come with a 64 gig option.

The Amazon Fire TV Gaming Edition: A Versatile Option

Next up, we have the Amazon Fire TV gaming edition, which comes with an updated controller and a 32-gigabyte MicroSD card. However, this is just one of its notable features. The new Fire TV also supports 4K, which is impressive considering it's not available on all devices. The controller itself is really nice, offering a big improvement over the last version with great balance and a tapered grip. The device itself is small, featuring a USB port, MicroSD slot, Ethernet, and more.

The Roku 4: A Solid Choice, but Not Without Its Limitations

Last but not least, we have the Roku 4, which technically offers gaming capabilities, although it's not quite on par with the others. If you're looking to play Snake all day, then the Roku might be sufficient, but for anyone serious about gaming, there are better options available. The Fire TV takes gaming more seriously, featuring staples like Minecraft: Pocket Edition and games like Telltale's Minecraft: StoryMode.

Gaming on Streaming Devices

One of the biggest advantages of the Shield is its exceptional gaming capabilities. With a controller included in the box, you can play some serious games like Half-Life 2 as well as The Talos Principle. These titles look seriously impressive for a streaming device, and the Shield even handles more ambitious titles like War Thunder quite well. If you have a decent internet connection, you can also stream PC games using GeForce Now, which is essentially like Netflix for games. You pay $8 a month to access as many titles as you'd like.

The Apple TV takes a different approach to gaming, mostly featuring games that were originally made for the iPhone. While this might not be as exciting for serious gamers, it's clear that tvOS is still in its early stages and will continue to grow over time. The Fire TV, on the other hand, offers a more comprehensive gaming library, including Minecraft: Pocket Edition and titles like GTA: San Andreas.

Conclusion

So, which streaming device is right for you? Ultimately, the choice comes down to your personal preferences and needs. If you're looking for exceptional gaming capabilities and support for 4K, the Nvidia Shield is the clear winner. The Apple TV offers a streamlined experience, but it's not without its limitations if you're not deep in the Apple ecosystem. The Roku 4 is a solid choice, but its gaming capabilities are not on par with the others. And finally, the Amazon Fire TV gaming edition is a versatile option that supports 4K and features an impressive controller.

But don't just take our word for it – which streaming device do you prefer? Let us know in the comments below, and we'll catch you in the next one!

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enHey guys this is Austin. With so many optionsfor streaming which one should you go for?Kicking things off is the Nvidia Shield and I haveto give Nvidia props here, they wanted tosponsor a no holds barred comparison whichis awesome. Up against it is the all new fourthgeneration Apple TV which has seen a majoroverhaul, the Roku 4 which delivers 4K ona budget and the new Amazon Fire TV gamingedition. Unlike the majority of streamingdevices the Shield looks a lot more like agame console. Powered by an Nvidia Tegra X1processor it’s no joke when it comes toperformance and it has everything you needto take advantage of it with the includedgame controller. Even though it’s on thelarger side it’s a comfortable gamepad witha rechargeable battery and traditional layoutof the buttons and sticks. It’s outfittedwith a 4K HDMI 2.0 port, gigabit Ethernet,two USB 3 ports, MicroUSB along with MicroSD.This is important as with sixteen gigabytesof storage out of the box you’ll probablywant to add a MicroSD, use a USB drive oreven opt for the 500 gig Pro model. Movingon we’ve got the new Apple TV. On the surfacethis looks basically identical, the main differenceis that it’s taller than the last generationbut still small enough to blend into yoursetup. Included is a new remote, a Lightningcable to charge it along with the small powercable for the Apple TV. The remote is aboutthe same size as the last one but it has aglass touchpad along with a few dedicatedbuttons like volume and Siri. The Apple TVitself is pretty basic when it comes to ports,there’s an Ethernet jack along with HDMI,USB-C and the power cable. There’s no expandablestorage but it does come with 32 gigabyteswith a 64 gig option which is helpful. Nextup we have the Amazon Fire TV. This is thegaming edition which comes with an updatedcontroller and a 32 gigabyte MicroSD cardbut that’s not the only difference, thenew Fire TV also supports 4K. Unfortunatelyit’s only 4K at 30 hertz but it’s betterthan the Apple TV that doesn’t support 4Kat all. The controller is really nice though,it’s a big improvement over the last versionwith nice balance and a tapered grip. It’sa small set top box with a USB port, MicroSDslot, Ethernet, HDMI and a power connector.You’ll definitely want to use that MicroSDcard too, the Fire TV only has around fivegigs available out of the box. Lastly we havethe new Roku 4. This is quite a bit largerthan the Fire TV, it looks like someone squashedan older Roku. It’s unassuming enough toblend into your setup though and comes witha solid remote, it’s not as premium as theApple TV but has a headphone jack and volumecontrol built in. While the hardware is importantin the end it really comes down to what youcan do with it. The Nvidia Shield is runningAndroid TV which I really like, it’s quickto navigate and gives you a seriously usefulvoice search.Austin Evans.Okay, that’s, that’s cool. There are asolid amount of streaming apps available forthe Shield and it also works with Google Castfrom your phone that gives you access to aton of services. It also supports 4K 60 framesvideo from Netflix and YouTube, especiallyif you use Google apps Android TV really makessense. The Apple TV is also a nice improvementover the last generation. Everything fromthe setup which uses your phone to subtlethings like video screensavers make it a niceexperience to use. It has a very nice interfaceand while some of the apps like YouTube aren’tquite as nice there’s a good selection ofvideo apps available. The Fire TV is a slightlydifferent take on things. The interface isa series of main sections with additionaloptions on the sides which works but it isn’tthe most intuitive way to navigate. It isquick though as you’d expect and you’llfind all the staples like Netflix, Hulu, HBONow along with Amazon Prime Video but there’sone big exception: YouTube. There is a thirdparty app that uses the web UI which is usablebut as a heavy YouTube user it’s a bit ofa disappointment. Things are a bit behindon the Roku side. The interface looks moredated and it’s not as quick to get aroundas the others, it’s easy enough to navigatebut it just feels out of date in comparison.There’s a good selection of apps but manyof them like YouTube and especially GooglePlay just feel dated. The voice search worksfor some things but it’s quite a bit behindthe others.Breaking Bad.One of the biggest advantages of the Shieldis gaming. With a controller included in thebox you can play some serious games like HalfLife 2 as well as the Talos Principle, bothof which look seriously impressive for a streamingdevice. It even handles more ambitious titleslike War Thunder pretty well. If you havea decent internet connection you can alsostream PC games using GeForce Now. It’slike Netflix for games, you pay $8 a monthto stream as many titles as you’d like.In practice it’s cool, there’s a slightamount of latency but it’s usable especiallyif you’re connected via Ethernet. The gameselection isn’t massive but with a freethree month trial it’s worth a shot. TheApple TV handles gaming a little differently,you’ll mostly find games that were originallymade for the iPhone. Many games look nicewhich considering there’s an Apple A8 underthe hood shouldn’t be a huge surprise butwhile the remote is fine for casual gamesit’s not really meant for more serious titles.With tvOS being so new time will tell howthe game library turns out but for now it’sall about potential. The Fire TV takes gamingmore seriously. You’ll find staples likeMinecraft: Pocket Edition which works wellhere, especially with the impressive controllerand games like Telltale’s Minecraft: StoryMode to make sure you’re getting your Minecraftfix. You’ve got some older classics toolike GTA: San Andreas, the library isn’tmassive but there’s some pretty qualitytitles. The Roku technically games but it’snot really in the same league as the others...unlessyou’re down to play Snake all day in whichcase you’re totally set. If you’re reallyinto Roku it gets the job done but there arebetter options out there. The Fire TV is technicallythe cheapest option here if you don’t wantthe gaming edition and while it’s good there’snot a lot to recommend it over the others.There’s a lot to like with the Apple TVbut it’s not a massive leap over the lastgeneration and you really need to be deepin the Apple ecosystem to get the most outof it. When it comes to gaming the clear winneris the Shield, it’s also a solid streamingbox as well with support for 4K and a massivelibrary of apps when you include Google Cast.So which is your favorite streaming device?Let me know in the comments below and I willcatch you in the next one.