Nvidia debuts Shield tablet for gamers
Nvidia has added a tablet and wireless controller to the Shield family.
Nvidia is marketing the Shield tablet as a high-performance tablet packed with high-end features. At its core is the world’s most advanced mobile processor – the Nvidia Tegra K1 processor based on the Kepler architecture and featuring 192 GPU cores.
The Nvidia Shield features an 8-inch full HD display, front-facing speakers with rich sound, DirectStylus 2 technology to augment touch, and brings with it the first GPU-accelerated 3D painting experience, and an optional cover that both protects the screen and can be used as a kick-stand to prop up the device.
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It also features optional LTE connectivity.
There are also plenty of games to play. In addition to all the Android games available from Google Play, there are now more than 400 Shield-optimized games available through the Shield Hub, and another 11 specially optimized games for Tegra K1, with more on the way.
To complement the tablet, there is also the Shield wireless controller, offering precise, low latency and ergonomics. It features headset jack supporting stereo audio and support for game chat, a built-in touch pad, volume control, and revolutionary voice command and search.
The Shield brings a number of firsts for a tablet, including:
- PC Streaming: The ability to stream games from a PC desktop or notebook using Nvidia GameStreamTM technology.
- Nvidia GRID Cloud Streaming: The ability to stream PC games from Nvidia GRID.
- Twitch and Nvidia ShadowPlay: First to feature ShadowPlay, an advanced game capture tool that lets users save and stream their greatest gaming moments to Twitch, the leading video platform and community for gamers.
- Console Mode: First to feature Nvidia Console Mode, which takes tablet gameplay to big-screen TVs. Console Mode transforms the device into full living-room gaming in native 1080p HD.
"If you’re a gamer and you use a tablet, the Nvidia Shield tablet was created specifically for you," said Jen-Hsun Huang, Nvidia's co-founder and chief executive officer. "It delivers exceptional tablet performance and unique gaming capabilities to keep even the most avid gamers deeply immersed, anywhere they play."
The Shield tablet comes with either wifi connectivity, or wifi and LTE. It's available in 16GB and 32GB versions, with microSD support up to 128GB. Prices start at $299; the tablets are now available for preorder.
The Shield wireless controller has a $59 price tag, while the tablet cover sells for $39.