I'm trying to decide if I want to pick up a Shield TV to replace my Chromecast and stream my PC games or if I would be better off just sticking with the Chromecast and picking up one of Valve's Steam Link devices. The big plus for the Steam Link is that I'd be saving $150, but it's worthless for anything BUT in-home streaming (granted, I could technically launch any app from my PC on it using Steam).

The big questions I have about the Shield TV are:

1. Can I stream my PC games to it outside of my home network without much set up on my end (i.e. could I just sign in on the device and my PC and be set? Or do I need to fiddle with ports and what have you on my router?)? It would be cool to be able to bring my Shield TV and a few controllers over to my brother's house and have access to my steam games (currently if I want to do this I have to lug the damn computer over to his house - as much fun as split screen Serious Sam and multiplayer Audiosurf is, it just isn't worth it lol).

2. I've read that it's excellent for Emulators - would it support USB "retro" controllers? It'd be pretty sweet to be able to do 4 player Mario Party or Goldeneye on a 64 emulator using USB n64 controllers. Also has anyone tried sideloading the Playstation remote play app on this? I like to keep my PS4 in our family room for group games (like Rock Band) - it would be nice to not have to tote the PS4 around or wait for no one to be using the main TV to play singleplayer games like Bloodborne.

3. My understanding is that there currently isn't a watchESPN app for Android TV - is there any chance they'll develop one? That, Plex, and HBOGo are all I really use my Chromecast for (I don't really watch Netflix, but if I do I just watch it on my Playstation).

4. Is the Shield worth it over other Android TV boxes if I don't plan on using their GeForce Now service or playing android ports of games I already have on my PC? Most of the gaming I'd be doing locally on it would be emulators (specifically SNES, Genesis, N64, Dreamcast, and MAYBE Gamecube/Wii if the android version of Dolphin improves).

TL;DR version: Do I have to be on the same network as my PC to stream from my PC to the Shield? Is it worth it if the only gaming I plan to do on it is streaming from my PC/PS4 and Emulators? Is Android TV App support as disappointing as much of the reviews say?

As I said before, the big advantage to the Steam Link would be pricing, but the device is kinda limited and requires a ton of fiddling on my part to get it stream games remotely over the internet. I'd also imagine since the shield would be connected via Ethernet that I'd get better performance and quality from apps like Plex than I currently do casting from the Plex app on my tablet.

What would you guys say? Is the Shield TV worth the premium price, given what I'd be using it for?