NVIDIA®, a brand most commonly heard of in the context of PCs, associated with the popular GeForce GPU series and influences modern PC gaming, has very quickly advanced in the mobile gadget game. NVIDIA brought out an expansion to its new Shield line of gadgets – the NVIDIA Shield Tablet and NVIDIA Shield Wireless Controller.
The new NVIDIA Shield Tablet looks to be an incredibly powerful machine. It is focused mainly towards being a gaming device and claims to be the Ultimate Tablet for Gamers, which it most probably is. The 8-inch tablet will be utilizing the previously launched Tegra K1.
Just a review from the previous article, the K1 is a quad core GPU built with the same Kepler architecture as the GeForce GPUs used with PCs. The Kepler architecture runs on the SMX-Hyper Q-Dynamic Parallelism combo, making it the fastest HPC architecture today. Hyper Q technology limits the idle time of the GPU by allowing for 32x more work queues from the CPU cores, compared to previous architectures; this fully utilizes the 192 CUDA core SMX GPU, and results in faster processing times. Furthermore, the GPU’s efficiency is pushed up by enabling dynamic spawning of threads and launching of necessary workloads without having to communicate back to the CPU before running each process.
The Shield’s processor is a 2.2GHz ARM Cortex A15 CPU, with 2GB RAM, running the highly sought for Android 4.4 KitKat OS. Included software is the NVIDIA Shield app, Trine 2, and NVIDIA Dabbler (used with the optional stylus), to name a few.
The screen is a multi-touch Full HD display with 1920×1200 resolution, and is 4K Ultra-HD ready for use with HDTVs.
The Shield tablet adds convenience to multiplayer gaming with the integrated microphone, front-facing stereo speakers with dual bass reflex port, and 5MP front camera, for easy communications.
Aside from the standard 802.11n 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi on the 16GB model, the 32 GB model is also capable of 4G LTE connection. Also noteworthy is the whopping 19.75 Watt Hour battery, which claims to be capable of 10 hours of video playback.
Some of the gaming features include NVIDIA GameStream™, allowing game streaming from GeForce PCs or GRID Cloud, as well as NVIDIA ShadowPlay™ for game recording or streaming through Twitch TV. This makes the Shield the first tablet capable of real-time streaming on Twitch. It is also capable of gamepad mapping, and console mode with a compatible Shield Wireless Controller. The tablet is capable of connecting with up to 4 wireless controllers for multiplayer gameplay.
The Shield Wireless Controller is an available add-on option for $59.99 on pre-orders. It utilizes Wi-Fi Direct to communicate with the tablet, which will most likely provide minimum latency, and is also capable of wired gaming through a micro-USB port. It has its own provision for 3.5mm headphone jack with voice chat support.
The controller is a little reminiscent of the Sega Dreamcast controller mixed with a few characteristics of Xbox and PlayStation controllers.
It has the usual D-Pad on the upper left, ABXY button set on the upper right, and parallel L/R dual analog joysticks; L/R trigger and bumper buttons are found on top, and an Nvidia power button at the top center. There is also capacitive touch pad, Android Home and Back buttons, and a start button. Easy access volume control buttons are found at the bottom center.
The full specifications of the NVIDIA Shield Tablet and NVIDIA Shield Wireless Controller are found below.
NVIDIA Shield Tablet Full Specs
| Processor | NVIDIA® Tegra® K1 192 core Kepler GPU, 2.2 GHz ARM Cortex A15 CPU with 2GB RAM |
| Display | 8-inch 1920×1200 multi-touch Full HD display |
| Audio | Front facing stereo speakers, dual bass reflex port with built-in microphone |
| Storage | 32 GB (WiFi+4G LTE) / 16 GB (WiFi-only) |
| Wireless | 802.11n 2×2 Mimo 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi Bluetooth 4.0 LE GPS / GLONASS |
| Connectivity | WiFi+4G LTE or WiFi-only Mini-HDMI output Micro-USB 2.0 MicroSD storage slot 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack with microphone support |
| SIM Card | Micro-SIM |
| Motion Sensors | 3-axis gyro 3-axis accelerometer 3-axis compass |
| Gaming Features | SHIELD wireless controller compatible NVIDIA GameStream™ NVIDIA ShadowPlay™ GRID Cloud Gaming Beta Console Mode Gamepad Mapper |
| Cameras | Front: 5MP HDR; Back: 5MP auto focus HDR |
| Video Features | 4K Ultra-HD Ready |
| Stylus | DirectStylus 2 with 3D Paint (Included) |
| Software Updates | SHIELD software upgrades directly from NVIDIA |
| Battery | 19.75 Watt Hours |
| Weight and Size | Weight: 13.7oz / 390g Height: 8.8in / 221mm Width: 5.0in / 126mm Depth: 0.36in / 9.2mm |
| Operating System | Android KitKat OS |
| Software | Google Play™ NVIDIA SHIELD app Trine 2: Complete Story Multi language Handwriting Recognition NVIDIA Dabbler™ JusWrite Evernote Adobe Reader Camera Awesome |
| Cellular Connectivity | North America: Unlocked (compatible with AT&T and TMobile, please check bands supported) LTE, HSPA+, 3G, 2G, GSM, EDGE Outside-North America: Unlocked (please check bands supported) LTE, HSPA+, 3G, 2G, GSM, EDGE |
| Cellular Bands | North America: LTE: Bands 2,4,5,7,17 (1900, 1700, 850, 2600, 700) HSPA+: Bands 1,2,4,5 (2100, 1900, 1700, 850) Outside-North America: LTE: Bands 1*,3,7,20 (2100/1800/2600/800) HSPA+: Bands 1,2,5,8 (2100/1900/850/900) * In certain regions band 1 and voice support is enabled |
| Optional Accessories | SHIELD tablet cover SHIELD wireless controller SHIELD AC adapter SHIELD Stylus |
NVIDIA Shield Wireless Controller
| Wireless | Wi-Fi Direct wireless connectivity |
| Audio | Built-in stereo headphone jack and microphone |
| Connectivity | Micro-USB 2.0 for charging or wired gameplay (USB cable included) 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack with voice chat support |
| Input controls | Dual analog joysticks D-pad Left/right analog triggers Left/right bumpers A/B/X/Y buttons Volume +/- buttons Android Home and Back buttons Start button NVIDIA power/multi-function button Capacitive touch pad with button |
| Battery | Rechargeable battery |
| Compatibility | NVIDIA SHIELD portable NVIDIA SHIELD tablet |
There will most likely be a back and forth on comparing the Shield Tablet with existing portable gaming consoles like the PSP Vita.
The key point of the Shield Tablet is the fact that it is a mobile device before anything else, and is capable of running other apps. It is a specialized tablet designed for heavy gaming, built far more capable in this aspect than any other standard tablet.
It also has an advantage in terms of its versatility in games that it can stream – it extends from Android games run locally on the tablet to all games capable of being run on a PC.
The Shield Tablet is a gadget to yearn for, and it will definitely be able to give a much more satisfying experience when played with the wireless controller. Although it has a good screen with excellent display specs, there are many games wherein playing on a touchscreen is just not the same thing as playing them with a gamepad.
NVIDIA knows their key demographic well and made the smart move of making sure that the gamepad is an option immediately available to avid gamers.
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