Nvidia Announces "Project SHIELD" Portable Gaming Device

[Timothy Chang]

Nvidia Announces "Project SHIELD" Portable Gaming Device

Project SHIELD has a big screen, a full-sized controller, and can even play some PC games.

Graphics giant Nvidia has announced a new entry in the handheld gaming arena. It's called "Project SHIELD", and it's an Android-based portable gaming unit that can play PC games and stream content to HDTV.

The Nvidia-branded device will feature a 5" 720p multi-touch flip screen, which is attached to a controller with a D-pad, dual analog sticks, four face buttons, shoulder buttons, and triggers. It also has 802.11n wireless connectivity and integrated speakers (or a "bass-reflex, tuned port audio system", if you will). Pixels will be pushed along by a custom 72-core Nvidia Tegra 4 processor, and it'll all be running on Android Jelly Bean.

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The handheld features an HDMI port for video output to an HDTV, as well as micro USB and microSD slots. The Tegra 4 processor also supports streaming from an Nvidia Kepler-based GPU, which means that you can play supported PC games on the handheld in a separate room (provided that your PC meets the minimum specifications [http://SHIELD.nvidia.com/play-pc-games]). Standalone games for the device will be served by Google Play and Nvidia's TegraZone.

The company has yet to disclose an RRP on the device. A tech analyst at Forbes suggests that Project SHIELD will be priced "more like the iPod Touch, with an initial higher price point [http://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickmoorhead/2013/01/07/nvidias-project-shield-is-disruptive-to-game-consoles-and-portable-game-devices/]", but it's speculation until an official figure is released.

Nvidia CEO and co-founder Jen-Hsun Huang said that Project SHIELD's engineers were inspired by the rapid growth of mobile and cloud technologies, allowing gamers to play away from fixed boxes. "We imagined a device that would do for games what the iPod and Kindle have done for music and books, letting us play in a cool new way. We hope other gamers love SHIELD as much as we do."

Project SHIELD is expected to be available in the US in "Q2 2013".


Sources: Project SHIELD Official Site, Nvidia Newsroom [http://nvidianews.nvidia.com/Releases/NVIDIA-Untethers-Gaming-With-Project-SHIELD-8ee.aspx]
Images: Project SHIELD Official Site

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[sibrenfetter]

I wonder how this will turn out. It is definitely good for the gaming market that Android is used more and more, makes it more viable for game developers as a platform.

 

[Living Contradiction]

Hmmm. After the storm on Kickstarter, it'll be interesting to see how a full-grown corporation fares at making a console.

Then again, this isn't really a console, is it? This is a microcomputer tailored to play games and do nothing else and while gaming computers have existed for a long time, this'll probably be the first one that folks wouldn't be tempted to run OpenOffice on.

The times they are a changin'...

 

[mad825]

A Table PC is more justifiable than this piece of shit. Hell, it's even more 'portable' and you don't even need to carry a miniature nuclear reactor with you just to run it.

 

[Azure-Supernova]

I can see this being encouraging for people who develop games for Google Play. Hell if it's cheap enough I'd use it just as an emulation box.

 

[VanQ]

The concept is very nice and I like the idea of having the ability to play PC games on the run. But Nvidia, please consider redesigning it. It's ugly and looks uncomfortable to play with. I certainly hope the screen is super lightweight too because with a flip design like that it looks like it would cause my wrist to ache after a long session.

Also would be cool if they could make a deal with Steam. If I could take my Steam library with me on the run, I'll almost certainly get one.

We imagined a device that would do for games what the iPod and Kindle have done for music and books, letting us play in a cool new way

Just found this statement absolutely hilarious. We've had devices like this for decades. My first was called a GameBoy.

 

[OldNewNewOld]

So it's trying to be the next Vita?
When will they realize that the handheld market doesn't survive on console/pc titles? A handheld needs to be a bit more unique than a "naked PC" in order to succeed.

 

[Doom972]

The biggest problem I have with the current concept, is that while it would be able run some PC games, it seems like it won't support Steam or even retail copies of games, which means I'll have to buy these games again to play them.

Also, I like it better when the left stick and D-Pad are swapped, like in the X-box controller.

I don't expect it to be very good, but I do wonder how it will end up.

 

[Mr.Mattress]

So, in the 8th Generation, Alone, we have the WiiU and 3DS from Nintendo, the Eventual PS4 and the PSVita from Sony, the eventual Xbox 720 from Microsoft, 2 Android Consoles, the Steam Box, and now a Nvidia console? It feels like my fears are coming true: We're entering a new "Everyone can enter the Console race!" era. We all know how well that worked out [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_game_consoles_(second_generation)] the last time... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_video_game_crash_of_1983]

 

[Albino Boo]

So, in the 8th Generation, Alone, we have the WiiU and 3DS from Nintendo, the Eventual PS4 and the PSVita from Sony, the eventual Xbox 720 from Microsoft, 2 Android Consoles, the Steam Box, and now a Nvidia console? It feels like my fears are coming true: We're entering a new "Everyone can enter the Console race!" era. We all know how well that worked out [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_game_consoles_(second_generation)] the last time... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_video_game_crash_of_1983]

The reality is that the what will work on one android console will work on all them. Ok you can say about different specs of androids but that is the same as the PC and PC gaming is viable. I doubt the the android will become a hardcore platform i.e the latests CoD game wont launch on it, but the number of android platforms out there means its a viable market. The only one which think is going to be a dead end is the Valve console, it rather depends on what OS goes on the box. The 70s/80s consoles were not compatible with each other.

 

[Milanezi]

Nice effort, really the idea is more than decent, but the whole design and the "portable-that-works-on-tv" thing just seems lost on me...

 

[shado_temple]

The biggest problem I have with the current concept, is that while it would be able run some PC games, it seems like it won't support Steam or even retail copies of games, which means I'll have to buy these games again to play them.

Also, I like it better when the left stick and D-Pad are swapped, like in the X-box controller.

I don't expect it to be very good, but I do wonder how it will end up.

Except that it will support Steam. During the CES presentation they debuted this in, the little guy ran Steam's Big Picture mode, both on the attached screen and on a connected 4K TV.

OT: I would love to pick this up, if it weren't for the fact that the streaming won't be supported by my non-Kepler NVIDIA card. I just can't justify putting up enough cash to both pick it up for however much they'll charge for it, along with an upgrade to my GTX 580, to play PC games away from home.

 

[saintdane05]

Please, please, PLEASE don' let it end up like the N-Gauge...