Misleading headline; it looks as if Google is discontinuing the screen casting system by that name, rather than just an obsolete device hardly anyone needs or wants. The Google TV device has Chromecast integrated. You can cast from your Phone to it.
Chromecast devices are great devices, which have their position for making dumb, or un-smart tvs pretty smart. I have used them in many different situations and it's very sad to see it go.
They don't have their own remotes; you have to always use your phone. You always have to use the cast feature via your phone; there's no on screen menu for anything.
Support for casting in phone applications to spotty. Your main entertainment source for the Chromecast will be YouTube.
Casting itself, as such, is not suitable as the main TV experience. It's nice as an additional feature, but if you have to use it for every single thing you want to watch, the irksome phone fiddling gets old pretty fast.
You can't install custom applications on the Chromecast, like the Japanese TV app that I use. (Which, by the way absolutely does not support casting from a phone.)
Even an older Android box is much better than just a Chromecast, like a Xiaomi MiBox S, whose built-in Chromecast feature works just as well as a Chromecast.
