The Verge - Nvidia Shield: from Tegra 4 to portable game console

Nvidia Shield pre-orders start today, shipping in June for $349

2013-05-17T13:00:01Z

Nvidia is starting orders of its new Android-powered handheld console, Shield, today. After announcing a $349 price tag and June release date earlier this week, the gaming company has decided to move its pre-order date forward from Monday 20th. The handheld can be pre-ordered directly from Nvidia, or from retail partners including Newegg, Gamestop, and Canada Computer — Micro Center will be accepting pre-orders shortly.

Shield will arrive with access to Google Play (and the full suite of Google services), TegraZone, Sonic 4 Episode II THD, Expendable: Rearmed, Hulu Plus, and TwitchTV. Nvidia cites "growing buzz" as the reason for the early launch, but the fresh release date also gives the company a few extra days in the limelight...

Nvidia Shield gaming handheld priced at $349, pre-orders begin on May 20th (preview)

2013-05-14T13:00:07Z

The biggest surprise at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show is about to go on sale. The Nvidia Shield, a five-inch portable Android game console that can also stream PC games from a nearby gaming computer, will cost $349 at Newegg, GameStop, Micro Center, Canada Computers, and Nvidia.com when pre-orders begin May 20th. Devices ship by the end of June. Technically, you can actually pre-order one today if you sign up on Nvidia's "notify me" webpage — and there's nothing to keep you from doing that right now. Before you plunk down money on the latest gadget, though, why not read what the fuss is all about?

Nvidia's Project Shield: right on time

2013-01-10T18:47:47Z

Two days ago, my esteemed colleague Vlad Savov told you why Nvidia's Project Shield will fail. It's a thought-provoking piece, and one you should read.

I just happen to disagree with practically every point he makes.

Project Shield is a strange beast, to be sure, a device that feels a little out of place. Like Vlad says, it's a gaming handheld, a device in a category historically dominated by Nintendo to such a degree that every competitor has more or less failed — except Sony, whose success seems to be dwindling. It's also a purpose-built gaming device at a time when malleable tablets are in vogue instead. Why, my colleague asks, would an outsider like Nvidia try to build a portable console, especially when even Nintendo's dominent...

Nvidia CEO confirms there will be more Shield consoles in the future

2013-01-09T03:38:37Z

Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang has confirmed that the upcoming Project Shield handheld console will be the first of many devices from the company. Speaking with CNET, Huang said that future versions of its Tegra processor will debut in Nvidia gaming devices. The CEO then ruled out the company building a smartphone or tablet and implied that there was a need for a compelling handheld console, saying "I wouldn't build a smartphone or tablet because Asus [and other hardware makers] are doing a fantastic job." The Project Shield console will launch this Spring — check out our video preview for more info.

Nvidia hints that Project Shield will cost a bundle of money

2013-01-08T04:53:35Z

Nvidia already told us that we shouldn't expect the 5-inch Project Shield handheld gaming system to be a loss-leader, but tonight the company's really driving that message home. On the official Nvidia blog, SVP Tony Tamasi explicitly says "we’ll make our money by selling the device to gamers." He continues on:

This differs from the razors-and-razor blades approach, which isn’t just used by Gillette and Schick. Printer-companies use it, as well, making money from highly profitable ink. So do game-console companies, who primarily make their profit from premium games.

This time-honored approach isn’t the one we’re taking with Project SHIELD.

Why highlight this again? Probably because Nvidia's preparing us for major sticker...

Nvidia Project Shield hands-on video preview

2013-01-07T19:35:02Z

It didn't take long for the first bombastic announcement of CES 2013, with Nvidia's clamshell Project Shield handheld console stealing the Sunday limelight. This morning I got to grips with this wild new Android portable, gleaning an early idea of the green team's future as a consumer hardware vendor, plus a better idea of the performance of the all-new Tegra 4 system-on-chip. Our first hands-on video, photos and impressions can be found below.

So, what to make of Nvidia's Shield? Well, it doesn't just look like an Xbox 360 controller, it very much feels like one as well. That means it has a solidly constructed body, with a nice grip in the hand, but it's also very bulky for a portable console. You'll certainly never confuse it for...

Nvidia's Project Shield: five years in the making, five years too late?

2013-01-07T18:11:35Z

A gray-haired but still leather-clad Jen-Hsun Huang ascended the CES stage last night to reveal what may well end up being the most audacious product announcement of this year’s show: Project Shield. The culmination of half a decade’s worth of research and development, Shield is a portable gaming console with no lesser an ambition than the root transformation of the way we play games. With it, Nvidia is hoping to do for gaming what Netflix did for movies or the Kindle achieved with e-books. Revolution, not evolution.

Now let’s talk about why Nvidia’s revolution will fail.

Before we even break Project Shield down into its constituent elements, it’s instructive to look at the product category it enters into: portable gaming...

Nvidia Shield handheld streams users' PC games, connects to Steam and Big Picture Mode

2013-01-07T05:59:48Z

Nvidia has just announced at its CES press conference that its new Shield handheld gaming device can connect to users' home PCs to stream and play games. To work, users need an Nvidia Kepler-based graphics card (GTX 650 or GTX 660M or higher), which utilizes a piece of software in GeForce Experience. Games streamed to the device must also support controller input, though Nvidia says some games without controller support can be played by mapping control buttons to the Shield's inputs. The move will allow PC gamers to extend their game sessions to the handheld or through Shield to their TVs without having to lug their computer towers or gaming laptops over to the living room.

In a demo on stage, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang played Assassin's...