New Handheld Announced: The nVidia Shield

[King Ghidorah]

Graphics card maker Nvidia got the ball rolling at CES 2013 this year by revealing a new portable gaming console/controller hybrid called 'Project Shield'.

The Android-based system runs games from Android's Google Play store, and also allows users to stream games installed on their home PC for play on the Shield's screen. Games demonstrated during Nvidia's press conference included Hawken, and the PC versions of Need For Speed: Most Wanted and Assassin's Creed III.

Project Shield is based on the company's recently-announced Tegra 4 processor. It will have lithium batteries that last for 38 hours. In addition to a HDMI port, the system also has a micro-SD slot, micro-USB slot and a headphone jack. Attached to the controller itself is a five-inch, 1280x720 pixel HD multitouch screen that is based on a clamshell design. The system will also be able to output HD gameplay and video to a 4K TV screen. There is currently no word on 'Project Shield's' price and release date.

Nvidia also pushed Nvidia Grid, a GPU that is specifically made for cloud-computing and cloud-gaming all across various PCs and smartphones that was announced back in May of 2012. The card can push out about 240 Nvidia GPUs worth of power, which is equivalent to about 700 Xbox 360s according to Nvidia officials at the press conference. Currently, Nvidia's partners in conjunction with the card are Agawi, Cyber Cloud, Cloudunion, G-cluster, Ubitus and Playcast.

www.gamespot.com/news/nvidia-announces-portable-android-powered-console-6402052

[SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman]

DAMMIT GHIDOR-oh. Sorry, for of habit. In all honestly, it does sound very interesting, if only because it's always interesting to see a new challenger in the console wars, and nVidia clearly know their stuff so it could be a good contender, though I don't quite understand what they mean by "stream games installed on their home PC for play on the Shield's screen".

I mean, if the game is already on a PC, what's the point of making it show up on a handheld's screen?

[mjolnir]

Jan 7, 2013 9:17:42 GMT -5 SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman said:

DAMMIT GHIDOR-oh. Sorry, for of habit. In all honestly, it does sound very interesting, if only because it's always interesting to see a new challenger in the console wars, and nVidia clearly know their stuff so it could be a good contender, though I don't quite understand what they mean by "stream games installed on their home PC for play on the Shield's screen".

I mean, if the game is already on a PC, what's the point of making it show up on a handheld's screen?

So you don't have to lug your laptop around, or, I'm also assuming so that you can play your PC games anywhere. For those that only have a PC or have games on the PC that their laptop can't handle.

[SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman]

Jan 7, 2013 9:31:22 GMT -5 mjolnir said:

Jan 7, 2013 9:17:42 GMT -5 SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman said:

DAMMIT GHIDOR-oh. Sorry, for of habit. In all honestly, it does sound very interesting, if only because it's always interesting to see a new challenger in the console wars, and nVidia clearly know their stuff so it could be a good contender, though I don't quite understand what they mean by "stream games installed on their home PC for play on the Shield's screen".

I mean, if the game is already on a PC, what's the point of making it show up on a handheld's screen?

So you don't have to lug your laptop around, or, I'm also assuming so that you can play your PC games anywhere. For those that only have a PC or have games on the PC that their laptop can't handle.

The way I understood it, I thought you had to have the handheld connected to the PC (as the article mentions game installed on the PC, so I figured you couldn't install them on the console), but if you can actually use it to play the games on the go, that IS very interesting.

[Deleted]

It better play this when it starts up

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZH7SN49iHk

[Michael Coello]

FEED NINTENDO MORE!

["Gentleman" AJ Powell]

Jan 7, 2013 10:03:11 GMT -5 @fsinfan said:

It better play this when it starts up

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZH7SN49iHk

DAMMIT! That's what I came in to post!

Sounds cool though.

[xCompackx]

Cool, looks interesting.

[Brother Nero....Wolfe]

Jan 7, 2013 9:56:39 GMT -5 SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman said:

Jan 7, 2013 9:31:22 GMT -5 mjolnir said:

So you don't have to lug your laptop around, or, I'm also assuming so that you can play your PC games anywhere. For those that only have a PC or have games on the PC that their laptop can't handle.

The way I understood it, I thought you had to have the handheld connected to the PC (as the article mentions game installed on the PC, so I figured you couldn't install them on the console), but if you can actually use it to play the games on the go, that IS very interesting.

It can play its own Android games on the go as well as help stream PC games to your TV, which is very, very interesting. Actual on-the-go play of PC games is gonna depend on this things specs, which might take a while for us to find out.

Either way I'm excited about this.

[Bang Bang Bart]

Will it destroy competing handhelds for proliferating injustice?

[Deleted]

Wait, I don't get it.

So this thing kills people? Or eats them alive or something?

It's too early for me to work out whats going on here.

[xCompackx]

Honestly I think this is how handheld consoles have to be these days. Obviously this thing isn't going to be cheap, given the "700 Xbox 360s" bit but I think combining the Google Play Store support with playing PC games on the go is the thing that will compete with iOS and Android gaming.