Paris, France - February 21st, 2023. When SHADOW was created back in 2015, it was first and foremost to provide a gaming experience, via the cloud, but relying on a small connected box. Once plugged in, this box, coupled with a subscription to Shadow's services, gave access to a complete Windows PC, which could be used and customized just like a new PC that you would buy in a store.
Over the years, Shadow boxes have become more powerful (and more stylish), to the delight of its users. There was the Shadow Box V1 and then the Ghost, as well as some limited editions.
But a reality surfaced rapidly: manufacturing hardware units was not SHADOW’s core activity and expertise. Due to high production, transportation, and support costs with these devices, SHADOW made the decision, in 2020, to stop manufacturing its boxes in order to focus solely on applications. Considering this, we of course wanted to maintain the service on those devices for as long as possible because we have our users' satisfaction at heart. It’s time to let you know what’s coming next.
Today, SHADOW announced that the end of the direct support to its Boxes and Ghosts will happen at the end of this year. What does it mean for our users?
- We will continue to run updates on Shadow Boxes and Ghosts to keep the service live and fully secured until December 31st, 2023. In the meantime, we will not release any new features on these devices, apart from updates on the pure software side.
- Boxes and Ghosts will continue to work and users who rely on them can continue to use their Shadow PC after December 31st, 2023. However, beyond that date, we will not be able to guarantee the service anymore on these devices. This means that in the longer term, as we prioritize necessary platform developments over Boxes & Ghosts, these devices may become unusable.
- We are currently working on providing alternative solutions to our users. Stay tuned!
Please note there are already other hardware options available:
For those who own or plan to acquire a Raspberry Pi, Shadow teams have just finalized the very first version of the Shadow app on this little box (V4) and are already working on the next version to enhance the experience. Check our dedicated article for more details.
For Apple TV users, it is also possible to enjoy a full Windows PC experience on this small device via Shadow. In this article, we explain how to optimize Shadow PC on your TV box. You can also connect to Shadow on Android TV; we are constantly working on improving the UX, but the current experience may vary according to the model of TV you use it on.
If you want to learn more about the technical side of the end of Shadow Boxes and Ghosts’ support, you can check out our dedicated post on our Tech Blog here.
If you have questions about what’s next for Shadow Boxes and Ghosts, you will be able to ask them during our next Shadow News, happening live tomorrow February 22nd @7pm CET / 6pm GMT / 1pm ET / 10am PT, on our International Twitch channel.