Nvidia's Shield Portable Gaming System Coming Next Month

[Andy Chalk]

Nvidia's Shield Portable Gaming System Coming Next Month

Nvidia's heavy-hitting portable gaming platform is now officially known as Shield and will launch this summer for $349.

Nvidia's portable gaming console was originally game streaming [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121364-Nvidia-Announces-Project-SHIELD-Portable-Gaming-Device] through PCs equipped with certain GeForce GTX GPUs, offering access to "a select number of supported games from Steam [and] access to Steam Big Picture" on the device.

Nvidia also announced five new games [http://blogs.nvidia.com/2013/05/5-games-shield/] coming to Shield, including Broken Age and Costume Quest from Double Fine Productions, Steel Wool Games' Flyhunter: Origins, Skiing Fred by Dedalord Games and Chuck's Challenge from Niffler.

It's hot stuff, but the $349 price tag is awfully steep, especially since the whole concept of Android games tends to conjure up images of free throwaways you can play on your phone. Streaming PC games is an interesting idea but limited to those with the not-inconsiderable hardware to run it, and also to the confines of your home; you're not going to play TF2 on this thing while you're sitting in the dentist's waiting room.

It's obviously aimed at the core gamer demographic but between the limitations of PC game streaming and the perception of Android as a free-to-play field of casual mediocrity, I'm not sure it's going to hit that mark. But who else is going to pay 350 bucks for it?

If the answer to that question is "you," then May 20 is the day you'll want to mark on your calendar, as that's when preordering begins; or you can bop over to the Shield website [http://shield.nvidia.com/] and sign up for notifications, which will hook you up with a preorder link immediately. Nvidia's Shield will begin shipping in June.

Source: Nvidia Blog [http://blogs.nvidia.com/2013/05/shield/]


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[Big_Boss_Mantis]

If they don't bring back Agent Coulson I'm gunna be pissed!

OT: I really hope this doesn't handle like ass.

I see what you did here. Could've seen it even with...puts on black monocule ...ONE EYE.

OT: This thing is as PORTABLE as a small country.

 

[Parakeettheprawn]

...Nvidia. WHO ASKED YOU TO MAKE THIS? Ben Heck making something like this as a side project would make sense. Trying to make a financially sound investment in full scale production of a product that, in order just to access all its capabilities, costs more than getting both an Xbox 360 and a PS3? Built for a niche of a niche? With a design that feels like a prototype rather than the final product? That will have less appealing titles than the Vita?

 

[anian]

The product feature page says "28.8 Watt Hours" for battery...which is a great description of battery life, especially when you don't know how much electricity is actually used while playing. Makes me think the battery has a life span of half an hour, what with streaming, GPS, all the cores, screen, motion sensors etc.

 

[Eiv]

I'm getting it, haters gonna hate

 

[mew4ever23]

Why is this a thing? I don't think there are going to be people buying it, especially not for $350.

Honestly, I am quite content with my 3DS and Smartphone for on the go gaming.

 

[Deacon Cole]

Of all the consoles outside of the ones from the big three, Project Shield may be the one to watch. It has multiple uses and functions which may give it an edge over the competition in this arena. It runs Android, so it does the same as the Ouya and other Android consoles. It runs Steam, so it does the same thing as the Steam Box. It can stream from your PC to your massive living room TV. It's also a portable game system with it's own screen. And it can be a ridiculously overpriced gamepad for your PC. Whether this adds up to being more than the sum of its parts,... or less than the sum of it's parts remains to be seen.

After my initial excitement at a possible paradigm shift, I think these consoles are not going to go far because they're a solution in search of a problem. Project Shield especially. It's got so many uses, it appears almost desperate. Ouya is a basic console. It'll be the console your grandparents buy you instead of the Xbox you wanted. Steam Box is just going to be another way Valve delivers their service to their customers. I doubt if they'll need to be behind it too much. But at least these two products are focused. Project Shield doesn't seem as focused comparatively and that may hurt them in the marketplace.

It's too bulky to be a real portable game system. Unless the screen comes off, it's silly as a PC controller. Android is already on your smart phone, which is more portable and you carry it around with you anyway. (side note: I wish the Xperia Play had been more successful) You can already play Steam games on your PC and their big picture mode already works without some kind of product to buy or the problems of wireless streaming. So what need does Project Shield fulfill except to spend $350 that you need to get rid of because the money is haunted.

So, yeah. I wish I could be more positive about this thing. I like some of these ideas. Just putting them all together in one device just doesn't make sense as you can buy separate devices for each function that will work better.

 

[Do4600]

This is a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. If I'm home what's the point of streaming pc games if I can just play them on my pc? It sound's like it's really powerful but what games are going to be adapted to it?

coming to Shield, including Broken Age and Costume Quest from Double Fine Productions, Steel Wool Games' Flyhunter: Origins, Skiing Fred by Dedalord Games and Chuck's Challenge from Niffler.

Oh great!....wait no, what are those games besides Costume Quest? Handheld consoles like all other consoles live and die by their game selection, so far I'm not seeing much here, unless I could play 70% of my steam games, like everything that came out 8 years ago and back and less demanding current games why would I purchase this? You won't be playing the games you wish you were playing on this thing unless you're within 30 feet of your computer; and again, why would I stream the game to a 5 inch 720p screen when I could just walk to my living room and play it on a 40 inch screen in 1080p?

It can stream from your PC to your massive living room TV.

I do that now with a $8 cable. I agree with your assessment, it's a bundle of capabilities that when separated would cost less and work better.

This device is so niche I doubt it will sell over half a million and that's a very liberal estimate.

 

[Covarr]

NVIDIA really seems to be trying their hardest to make the OUYA look like a relatively good investment. Costs more than three times as much, doesn't do three times as much.

I might save my $350 for a Wii U.

P.S. Thanks

 

[Slash2x]

HAHAHAHAHH!!!! yeah no.
$350 for what is basically this [https://www.google.com/search?q=nexus+7&aq=f&oq=nexus+7&aqs=chrome.0.57.11589j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#q=nexus+7&aq=f&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbo=u&tbm=shop&source=og&sa=N&tab=wf&ei=gW2SUev6NojJyAGqpYCQDA&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.46471029,d.aWc&fp=49f6173004e86082&biw=650&bih=635] by a 12 year old.... With a smaller screen and has to be developed for specifically........ Yeah I am good........

 

[Longstreet]

I am a PC player, never could handle controllers.

But that looks really uncomfortable to use.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Honestly I am shocked this thing came out under $500, you may scuff at it but they did pack it full of top end tech.
Sadly there is still no real reason to have it, unless you play triple A titles exclusively on the shitter.

 

[RicoADF]

*snip*
unless you play triple A titles exclusively on the shitter.

You know, that's probably the best use the thing has. Well not just that location, but for when your forced to be away from your computer while in your own home (family visiting anyone?). But yeah a very very niche thing for $350, god know what it'll cost to us foreigners.

 

[Poerts]

See, now, if this ran those Steam games with it's actual hardware instead of streaming them? And you could play even those same games anywhere? Even at mid-range settings? That would be awesome. 350 bucks for a portable gaming PC would be fucking astounding. A high-end android phone without the phone that lets you poop and play Borderlands 2 at the same time? Still kinda cool, but it seems a bit pointless.

 

[rapidoud]

So, yeah. I wish I could be more positive about this thing. I like some of these ideas. Just putting them all together in one device just doesn't make sense as you can buy separate devices for each function that will work better.

Far cheaper, too. $300 tablet + $20 x360 controller + $15 wireless receiver for your computer then Teamviewer/splashtop/whathaveyou and you're done and can stream with minimal lag. I'm wondering what it'll be like here though, as if it's significantly better then some may swap over. Bonus is you can also have 4 people hooked up to the same computer and potentially stream to 4 different tablets as well.

If only I had a tablet...

 

[Strazdas]

The product feature page says "28.8 Watt Hours" for battery...which is a great description of battery life, especially when you don't know how much electricity is actually used while playing. Makes me think the battery has a life span of half an hour, what with streaming, GPS, all the cores, screen, motion sensors etc.

28.8 watt hours? isnt that kinda AWFULLY LITTLE?
Then again most portable things still havent moved past 2 hour lifespans. why cant they make a laptop that lasts whole day? im ok with carrying 2KG extra batteries, im nto okay with having to generate electricity in middle of forest out of magic.

 

[MrBenSampson]

If this thing could stream games from a cloud service over the 4G network, then I'd consider buying it. Being able to play Skyrim from anywhere would be incredible.

 

[Colt47]

After reading into this product it really sounds more like a tech demo to show what is possible with current mobile technology. There's no way Nvidia is expecting record sales with what is their first console ever produced. Likewise, the device is built not just around Nvidia GPUs, but a subset of their GPUs, so the audience is somewhat limited. It is basically Nvidias equivalent to Microsofts original Xbox: A big and clunky first version of what might eventually be something akin to the Xbox 360 slim assuming the company is willing to stand behind it in the long run.

If anything, I got more hope for something with the Shields capabilities than devices like the Ouya.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I want to know what this...thing...is and what it's going to play and indeed, how it's going to play those games but...well I'm a console player primarily and I don't understand how this thing is going to function or even appeal to people who don't know a thing about PC gaming (people like me). I assume it'll play Steam games on it...which is going to be better than my PC...but my only Steam game is TF2 which was free anyway. If this was a console-friendly gaming PC that I hooked up to my TV I would probably be able to comprehend what this thing is meant to be and indeed, form something closing in on desire to have it. Right now though I want to understand it and want to want it (if that makes sense)